During the summer between eighth grade and high school I recall focusing on one thing more than anything else as I prepared for my freshman year. Basketball. I played baseball and basketball but B-ball was king for me and the thought of playing for Marist High School obsessed my brain that summer. But was I good enough to make the team? I didn’t know. It was a huge unknown. So when you are not sure you are doing the right thing, or want to have a better idea what will happen in the future, what do you do? Well, you ask for a sign. Some confirmation that things will go the way you wanted them to go. And so I asked for a sign. I stood in my yard, ball in hand, staring at the basket. And I said, I think I was asking God, if I make this shot I will make the team. The fact that I then said…”how about two out of three” will give you an idea how I did on that first shot. And, yes, I did not make the team. Fell one cut short.
Signs are important to us. They help remove uncertainty about expectations for the future and for confirmation regarding the present. How often do we look for some sign that a deceased loved one made it to the “good place” after death? My Mother-in-Law told Elise that when she sees a butterfly she will know that she is OK. We want to be comforted and secure in what is to come.
In our first reading from Isaiah we see the prophet being asked by God to go to the king of Judah and told him to ask God for a sign. Now why would Ahaz need to ask for a sign. A little background is in order. Remember that the kingdom of Israel had been divided after Solomon’s reign into a Northern Kingdom (Ephraim or Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah). Many of the kings of Judah , and all the kings of the Northern tribes, did not follow in the way of God. They began worshipping idols, setting up alters to false gods and some, including Ahaz, sacrificed their sons to the pagan gods.
At the time of this passage Israel, along with Syria (Aram), were plotting to overthrow Judah. Also at this time Ahaz has established alliance with Assyria as a backup plan. This in spite of Isaiah’s assuring Ahaz that God will protect him and Judah from its enemies. So when Isaiah comes to Ahaz, and tells him that God wants him to ask for a sign that God will be with him to defeat Israel and Syria, Ahaz already knows he is, in fact, couching his bets by cozying up to the king of Assyria. So when Ahaz proclaims to Isaiah “I will not ask (for a sign)! I will not tempt the LORD!”, he is being a bit disingenuous. He is not showing righteousness here by not asking for God to give him a sign. He is essentially saying to God, “no sweat. I got this”. Like an impetuous 5 year old, he is saying “I can do it myself. I don’t need you”. In the end, Ahaz is defeated, losing many men in the process. While Jerusalem is saved, his allegiance to Assyria causes great misfortune for Judah. It was Ahaz’s lack of faith in God’s promises that led to his downfall.
In spite of Ahaz’s unbelief, God still granted Ahaz a sign. He promised that a son would be born to a virgin and that son would be called Emmanuel (“God is with us”). In the short term this meant that Ahaz would survive the combined onslaught from Syria and Israel. But this promise also pointed to a Savior, a Messiah, would come to the house of David and preserve the kingdom forever. Of course, we now know that this prophecy pointed to the coming of Christ. God remained faithful to His promises to the Israelite people until the New Covenant that Jesus ushered in.
The question remains…are we to ask God for signs? Were we not told by Jesus that the Jewish people were wicked for asking for a sign that Jesus was, in fact, God? In Matthew 12:39 we hear Jesus tell the scribes and Pharisees:
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But is our reading today, God WANTS Ahaz to ask for a sign. Also, recall at the Annunciation (our Gospel for today) the Angel gives Mary a sign that what he is telling her is true. The sign? Mary’s cousin Elizabeth is expecting a child, John the Baptist, even in her old age. Nothing is impossible for God. The difference? The Jews have gotten sign after sign. The lame walk. The blind see. The dead are raised. Yet they sill ask for a sign. The Pharisees were testing Jesus with the intent to disprove Him and to discredit Him. Kind of like, “OK, you did these other things, but can you REALLY show us something more? We still don’t believe”. Their hearts were closed and doubting. In Ahaz’s case, God WANTED him to ask for a sign to show Ahaz’s faith in God’s promise. It was for confirmation in Ahaz’s faith. Not Ahaz testing God as to who He really is.
So I think asking God for a sign that we are on the right path with following the direction He has for us, is valid. We must then have our hearts open to look for God’s response. But asking for a sign of God’s reality as a backup plan if our primary approach fails? Not so much. This approach lacks the humility that Ahaz also failed to demonstrate. We all know people who have hit rock bottom in their lives and finally turn inward and ask God to show them a sign that He is there. They have nothing left in terms of their own abilities and thus turn control over to God. Do we trust that God will always be there for us and are we faithful in His promises? Then ask for a sign of confirmation. Then listen. Listen for His response to us. I guess for me, back in 8th grade, my response from God was that blown free throw. No, I didn’t become an NBA star but I think things turned out pretty good after all.
