But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
The refusal to ask belongs with the exposure of continual backsliding, the refusal to come back, the refusal to repent, the rejection of the word of the Lord, and the false healing that proclaims peace where no peace exists. It belongs also with the command to amend ways and actions, to carry out just judgment, to stop oppressing the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, to stop stealing, murder, adultery, false swearing, and idolatry, and to obey God's voice as the condition for dwelling in the land. It belongs further with the free invitation for everyone who thirsts and has no money to come, to hear, to live, and to receive the everlasting covenant.
The refusal to ask belongs with the exposure of continual backsliding, the refusal to come back, the refusal to repent, the rejection of the word of the Lord, and the false healing that proclaims peace where no peace exists. It belongs also with the command to amend ways and actions, to carry out just judgment, to stop oppressing the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, to stop stealing, murder, adultery, false swearing, and idolatry, and to obey God's voice as the condition for dwelling in the land. It belongs further with the free invitation for everyone who thirsts and has no money to come, to hear, to live, and to receive the everlasting covenant.