“Gracious Gift Receiving”
Isaiah 7:10-17
12-21-2025
In the name of our Immanuel, God with us, dear friends in Christ. More than any other holiday during the year, Christmas is undoubtably the one associated with the exchange or gifts. And there are some accepted rules of etiquette related to our yearly gift exchange. For instance, from little on, we teach our kids to say “thank you” for a gift received. As we grow older, we learn how to do that with a smile on our face—even though it’s the 15th year in a row that you received a neck tie or potholder. If you study people, though, you’ll quickly learn how to detect an insincere recipient. For instance, when someone opens a gift and through a forced smile {which looks like they’re in pain from an appendicitis attack} they sweetly say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have!” When they’re actually thinking, “No, really. You shouldn’t have, cuz now I’m stuck with this albatross and I’ve got to figure out how to ditch it without hurting your feelings!” You see, there’s a protocol that’s expected when we’re supposed to be gracious gift receivers.
Now you wouldn’t think that anyone would have this problem when it comes to a gracious gift from God, right? Think again. All we need do is look at our readings for today and we’ll see a good and a bad example of gracious gift receiving. But maybe you’re a little confused. Where’s the bad example? Well, it’s King Ahaz in the Old Testament reading. And in order to detect his insincere reception of God’s gift you need to know the background of what was happening in the world around him.
It was the 8th century B.C. and the nation of Israel had been split into two kingdoms for many, many years. King Ahaz ruled over the southern kingdom and Pekah was king of the northern one. Well, Pekah had made an alliance with the Syrians and they wanted Ahaz to join them to fight against the Assyrian army which was threatening to take over in the north. But Ahaz refused their offer. You’ll see why in a little bit. So Pekah and the Syrians were moving in to attack Ahaz. How could he possible defend himself against this formidable foe? That’s what Ahaz was trying to figure out.
Well, God sent Isaiah the prophet to Ahaz with a message. The crux of it was, “Don’t be afraid of these guys. Trust in me and I’ll protect you.” That’s important, because you see, Ahaz was plotting and planning ways to get himself and his kingdom out of this mess and his plans did NOT involve trusting in God for help. Isaiah’s message was a gracious gift from God; an opportunity to turn things around and receive God’s protection. In order to show Ahaz that God was serious about His gracious gift, He offered Ahaz a sign to prove that God would follow through on His promise. The best part is that Ahaz got to choose the sign. Whatever sign he asked for, God would grant it. That would be like someone coming to you at Christmas and saying, “What would you like? Just name it!” Who could pass up such a deal?!?
As you heard, though, Ahaz responds to this gracious gift by saying, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” On the surface that sounds pretty humble and pious, doesn’t it? But it was false humility. It’s like the person being given a gift and saying “Oh, you shouldn’t have” and then refusing the gift. Trust me when I tell you that Ahaz was being insincere.
A point to be made here is that despite his pious sounding response, Ahaz would not have been doing anything wrong by asking for a sign from God. Check it out for yourself. Various times in the Old Testament God said to go ahead and test Him on His promises. When God says it’s okay to ask for validation, then it’s okay. Obviously, He only offers that to people who trust in Him and have faith. And therein lies the problem with Ahaz. Folks, Ahaz was no glittering jewel of faithfulness. On the contrary, he had been in constant rebellion against God for many years. He worshiped false gods and we’re told that he even sacrificed one of his owns sons to these gods. And yet, the true God’s grace shines through brilliantly here. Even though Ahaz had strayed far from God and had led the people of Judah to do likewise, the Lord still offered him this gracious gift. That is the true definition of grace: God’s undeserved kindness. But Ahaz rejected that grace.
Why? Well, it’s simple. Ahaz already had plans of his own. He was plotting to make an alliance with the Assyrians for help. He was going to align himself with the guys who Pekah and the Syrians were going to war with. In other words, he was betting on the Assyrians being the winners. You see, Ahaz found more consolation in his own plans than in God’s gracious offer. He preferred to align himself with Assyria than with God. But here’s the folly in his thinking. Buddying up with the Assyrians was like a mouse sending for the cat to help him against the rats. Temporarily it would get Pekah and Syria off his tail. But later the power-hungry Assyrians would come in and gobble up Ahaz and Judah also. God bent over backwards to get Ahaz to turn around. But he wouldn’t.
Incredibly, though, God gave Ahaz a sign anyway. That may sound strange considering everything rotten we’ve seen about this guy. But God was out to show that HE was still in control of Israel and the world’s history, regardless of the faithless people who might be standing in the way. Isaiah said this would be the sign: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This sign that God gave didn’t just affect Ahaz and the people of his day, but it was also a prediction and promise about the Savior of the world who was yet to come. As I recall from my seminary days, this is called the “onion theory.” You peel an onion and under each layer there is another layer. That’s how it is with a predictive prophecy like this. The immediate “layer” was that in the 8th century B.C. a virgin did conceive by natural means and give birth to a son. And his name was Immanuel, indicating that God was truly with His people, protecting them from Pekah and the Syrians. Which is exactly what God did.
But St. Matthew makes it clear in the Gospel lesson that there was another “layer” to this prophetic sign. He connects the dots for us, showing how God was also predicting the arrival of our Savior, the Christ Child. 700 years after this prophecy, Jesus was born to a virgin in a much more miraculous way than what happened at the time of Ahaz. There was no human father involved. As the angel said to Joseph, this child was conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus was the complete fulfillment of that prophecy of Immanuel. Jesus truly was “God with us”, because He was fully God in the human form of that little baby in Bethlehem.
It should be pretty clear by now that Ahaz was a prime example of how not to receive a gift from God. A good example, though, of gracious gift receiving can be found in the Gospel lesson with Joseph. He may not have had 2 nations threatening war against him, but he certainly had a war of emotions going on within. His fiancé, Mary, was pregnant and he was not the father. He felt betrayed and confused. But he was a “just man and unwilling to put {Mary} to shame.” So, he planned to break off the marriage plans quietly. Then God gave him a gift in a dream. The Lord explained how the Holy Spirit was responsible for the child that was growing in Mary’s womb. Now Joseph could have pulled an Ahaz and rejected that news. After all, like Ahaz, he already had a course of action planned. Instead, Joseph graciously received the sign and acted accordingly. He faithfully trusted God. He followed God’s plan and took Mary as his wife.
Okay, now you’ve seen examples of the wrong way and the right way to receive a gracious gift from God. But it’s time to ask how you do at it. Unfortunately, we all have to admit that there are times when we too pull an Ahaz with God’s gracious gifts. There are all kinds of dilemmas that we face in this life. Quite often they are messy situations the we ourselves have created. And we feel trapped. There is a long list of these dilemmas and I don’t need to get specific. As a Pastor, I know a little bit about how Isaiah must have felt because I often have the task of telling people in these situations that God has a better plan than the one they dreamt up. But it will require trusting in God and stepping out by faith. I don’t need to offer a sign to validate God’s promise to you. We already have that in His Word.
The real question is whether you will be like Ahaz and reject God’s plan so that you can follow your own devised scheme? Or will you be like Joseph and graciously receive God’s promise and act accordingly? Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “If only God would send me a clear sign, then I’d be able to follow His plan without any doubt.” Really? Well, He already has. We have the gift of His inerrant and holy Word which has been handed down to us. And in that Word is the news of God’s greatest gift, His Son. It tells us how all the prophetic promises were fulfilled in Him. It tells us of God’s gift of grace through the atoning death of Jesus. Do you despise and doubt His Word or do you graciously receive that gift?
We also have the gift of God’s Sacraments. As we witnessed just this morning, in Baptism we have a very visible means of God’s gift of grace. In it He creates faith and cleanses us of all our sins. Sinful mankind tries to manufacture or somehow be responsible for this gift. Do you graciously receive it or doubt it? The same with the Lord’s Supper. In Holy Communion, Jesus Christ fulfills for us the true meaning of Immanuel, God with us. He bodily comes to us in the bread and wine with forgiveness and strength for our souls. Not just figuratively, but with His real presence. What do you do with this visible means of God’s gift of grace? Do you follow your sinful nature and dissect it with human logic or do you graciously receive this mysterious and holy gift?
I pray that in answer to all of this you would respond by faith like Joseph did. He trusted in God and acted accordingly. By faith he humbly set aside his own feeble plan and graciously received God’s gracious gift. God calls you and I to do the same by faith. By faith, trust in the already revealed “signs” of His fulfilled promises. Trust that He is in control of every aspect of your life. And by faith, graciously receive the gifts He has given to you through His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!