After his wondrous vision of the Lord in the temple, Isaiah returns to his task as the Lord’s prophet. The kingdom of Judah is in the midst of international political intrigue and threat of invasion. Her new king, Ahaz, is known for his wickedness and abandonment of the Lord. In fact, we read in the account of 2 Kings 16 that Ahaz sacrificed his own son on the altar of pagan gods. As Ahaz scrambles to find a human solution (Assyria) to his fear of man (Syria and Israel), the Lord sends Isaiah on a mission of grace. Look to me, says the Lord God, and know I am your soverign hope. The Lord tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz refuses because he has no faith in God. But God is ever-gracious! He gives a sign, a sign that we need today: the sign of the One who will be born and who will save His people, “The Sign of Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:1-23)