Isa 7:9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

Ahaz was king of Judah. Pekah was king of Israel. Rezin was king of Syria. Pekah and Rezin made a league to conquer Judah and install a new king of their own (v.1-6). Ahaz trembled when he learned of the invasion by the two kings. God sent his prophet Isaiah with a message of hope to Ahaz and to the whole population of Jerusalem. God’s message to Ahaz was that he not be afraid nor lose heart on account of what those two kings were planning against him. God said: “It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass” (v.7). God assured Ahaz that Jerusalem would be protected, and that the invasion would not succeed. God wanted Ahaz to trust Him that He could save the city. Ahaz needed to trust in God. God said to Ahaz: “If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established” (v.9b). It was the only thing required of Ahaz: he had to trust and believe that God would be with him and with the people of Jerusalem. Ahaz had to believe in God’s promise of salvation. He had to stand on God’s promise in order for him to stand his ground against his enemies. But Ahaz refused to believe in God. We read in 2 Kings 16:7-8 that Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying: “I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. Ahaz chose to trust in the armies of Assyria than in God. Let us ponder on this statement from Isaiah to Ahaz: “If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established” (v.9b). If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established: The design of the prophet is to encourage faith on Ahaz. God has decreed that his enemies would not succeed; He has promised He will protect the city. Ahaz is to trust in the LORD and in His promise. Do we have faith? The statement is also for us: If we do not have faith in God, we will not be established. It means if we do not believe, we will be eternally destroyed: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Ahaz walked by sight. We are to walk by faith. Christians fall away because they have lost their faith. They did not fall away because there were no fellowship activities for them, or because they didn’t like the elders or preachers; they fall away because they have become faithless. Christ’s exhortation to the church in Smyrna is this: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10b). He did not say: “Be thou loving unto death” or “Be thou hopeful unto death” but “Be thou faithful unto death”. Faith is the only thing that ensures we will cling on to the hope of eternal life until the end. We all face challenges in life. We are to remain faithful in sickness, in jobless, in broken relationships, in hunger, in sorrows, and in all afflictions. God promises salvation for those who are truly faithful until the end (Revelation 2:10). Are you faithless… or faithful? Will you be faithful until the end?