Today: [Isaiah 9] When God Changes the Subject. In Isaiah 9 the prophet Isaiah is warning the two houses of Israel that their reliance on foreign powers to save them from invasion will lead to their destruction. In the midst of describing the dark days ahead Isaiah lapses into a pronouncement of Messianic glory within whose verses we find some of the most familiar, most quoted verses of the Old Testament about the coming of Jesus. Many times, when you are frustrated and pressed to the point of total anxiety, God will often and inexplicably change the subject and instead of telling you what He will do about what is right in front of you – begins and chooses to draw your attention to transcendent matters of coming glory that are difficult for us to put our minds on given our present distresses. Are you willing to let God steer His conversation with you where He wants it to go? These two houses of Israel in Isaiah’s day refused to hear what the prophet was saying. They dismiss His words and go on pursuing their own idea of what had to happen to save their nations. As a result, they will be overrun and come to defeat in spite of Isaiah’s promise of a savior to come.