Wisdom of choice is the foundation of life. Our lives are full of choices that must be made carefully. The faithful are invited to make wise decisions armed with full trust in the God who created and guides our lives. That is what we are here to learn today.

Chapter 8 tells the continuation of the events told in chapter 7. Judah was in Crisis. They were surrounded by the Kingdom of Aram (under Rezin) and Northern Israel/Ephraim (under Pekah). God had offered and revealed His help. But unfortunately Ahaz chose to reject God's help and relied on himself and the Assyrian Empire which he thought could deliver Judah. In our reading, God again gives a sign, namely Isaiah gets a son who is named Maher-Syalal Has-bas, which means "swift plunder, swift robbery" (vv. 1-4). The meaning of this name refers to Assyria's invasion of Israel and Syria, so that these people would experience the fierceness of God's wrath through Assyria. Judah will also face Assyria. The Assyria that King Ahaz had hoped would be a helper would turn out to be a violent and cruel enemy. What a fatal decision Ahaz had made as a leader. If Ahaz had learnt to choose in wisdom and trust God wholeheartedly, perhaps the Assyrian oppression would not have had to happen.

Friends of the Bible, today we too are invited to be wise in our choices and trust God alone. We often worry, fear, and do not fully trust in God's power and help. As a result, we tend to entrust our lives to ourselves and others. Learn to choose in God's wisdom and rely completely on God. It is often not easy, but trust in God's power because He has never once abandoned us.