![]() ![]() Judah, Israel, Syria, and even Assyria – they would all stumble and fall. Most of Isaiah chapters 7 through 10 have to do with the tragic downfall of all political players. (Read Isaiah 9:14-17 on the spread of ideas from leaders to the masses in this story.)Įventually Tiglath-Pileser came to Ahaz, “…but gave him trouble instead of help” (2 Chronicles 28:20). ![]() Behind the curtains it is probable that officials in both camps were strengthening one agenda against the other. At the extremes, conspiracy theories would flourish an alliance with the wrong ally would lead to unthinkable outcomes. The Judeans likely fell into two thought-camps: ally with Syria or ally with Assyria. He threw in extra temple wealth for good measure. But Ahaz placed his bets on paying tribute to a larger player in the game, Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria. The geopolitics of the day pretty much boiled down to paying tribute to stronger nations around you or receiving tribute from conquered nations. ![]() Raids were increasing on all four borders. The Judeans had good reason to be afraid. “Stand firm in your faith if you want to stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9). Isaiah offers strong counterpoint: “Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid.” He predicts that the plot to overtake Jerusalem will not succeed. When the northern kings came to overtake Jerusalem, “The hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” (Isaiah 7:2). He aims to acquiesce to Assyria as a way to buy off protection (Read chapter 16 of 2 Kings for background). Isaiah 7 starts with the prophet saying, “Don’t get swooped into this plan! Trust in God!” But Ahaz has other plans in mind. The kings of Syria and northern Israel were conspiring to get Ahaz, king of Judah, in league with them to better resist the threat of Assyrian attack. But when a theory of conspiracy has little to no basis in reality, it doubles up the shadows of an alleged group-plotting and the shadows around the public spread of a theory from an unknown source. In modern lingo, “conspiracy theory.” Real conspiracies are born out of the shadows sinister plots are by nature secretive. Isaiah’s verse is interesting it implies not only actual conspiracy but also alleged conspiracy. Both protagonists, luckily, were tipped off by secret informants and got away unharmed. In the book of Acts there is the plot of forty Jews who vowed not to eat or drink until they killed Paul. Nevertheless, there is the classic conspiracy led by Absalom to take Jerusalem from David. The word conspiracy is not common in the Bible. At one extreme we observe a mentality of “full conspiracy” and at the other end is a mentality of “full compliance.” Perhaps one reason we see such polarization among those who fear is because today’s news media seems to be challenged by a fact-fakery polarity, resulting in the fuzziness of truth. The other fears the possible spread of the pandemic and wants to protect the collective good. One side fears the possible outcomes of social control and wants to protect individual liberties. Both groups mentioned above are protective, but for different reasons. But, interestingly enough, faith is also a function of what is possible.įear is always a companion to protectiveness. Fear is basically a function of what’s possible in the near future. We encounter people who fear the possible loss of personal freedoms, and we encounter people who fear the possibility of catching the Covid19 virus or spreading it to others. We hear of it on all sides and sometimes feel it within our own hearts. There is certainly no shortage of fear these days. “Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.” (Isaiah 8:12) Halfway between two well-known Messianic passages in Isaiah, between “Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son” in chapter 7 and “For unto us a child is born” in chapter 9 comes an intriguing verse about conspiracies in chapter 8: ![]()
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