TheFamousProphecyoftheVirginBirth

Background

WhatwashappeninginIsraelandJudahatthetimeofthisprophecy?Assadasitwas,PekahhadformedamilitaryalliancewithRezinandtogethertheyattackedJudahandJerusalemwhenAhazwastheKing.Herearethecontemporarykeyplayersandeventsinthisnarrative;

Assyria&SyriainthetimeofIsaiah

AssyriaandSyriawereoriginallytwodifferentnationsalthoughtheirfounders,AsshurandAram,werebrothers,sonsofShem(Genesis10:22).TheAssyriansconqueredAram,asSyriawasoriginallyknown,shortlybeforeconqueringtheNorthernKingdomofIsrael(730-720BC).TheBabylonianseventuallyconqueredAssyriaandatthattimebothAssyriaandtheremnantofAramceasedtoexist.

TheAssyrianhomelandencompassesareasofwhatarenownorthernIraq,northwesternIran,southeasternTurkeyandnortheasternSyria.TheruinsofNinevah,thecapitalofancientAssyria,canbefoundinMosul,acityinmodernIraq.Damascus,thecapitalofmoderndaySyria,wasoriginallythecapitalofAram.

Pekah

DuringthetimeofthedividedkingdominIsrael,therewasastringofwickedkingswhoruledinthenorthernandsouthernkingdoms.Thisshouldnotbesurprising;whenthepeopleofIsraelfirstbecamedissatisfiedwithGodastheirkingandclamouredforanearthlyking,Godwarnedthemthathumankingswouldmakethemunhappy(1Samuel8:6–18).Butthepeopleinsisted,andsoGodgavethemovertotheirdesire.WhiletherewereseveralrighteouskingswhoruledoverGod’speopleinJudah,thenumberofpoorrulerswholedthepeopleintoidolatrywouldeventuallybringthenationtoruinandcaptivityinaforeignland.Pekahwasonesuchevilking.HebeganhisruleinthekingdomofIsraelbyassassinatingtheformerking,Pekahiah,forwhomPekahservedashischiefmilitaryofficer(2Kings15:25).Pekahreignedfor20yearsbeforehehimselfwasassassinatedbyHosheabenElah.

Rezin

RezinwasthekingofAram,otherwiseknownasRasinKingofSyria–sameperson.HeruledfromDamascusduringthe8thcenturyBCatthesametimePekahwasKingofIsrael.InrealityhewasmerelyatributaryforKingTiglath-PileserIIIofAssyria.

Ahaz

AhazwaskingofJudahandanevilmantothecore.Hebecamekingattheageof20andreignedfor4yearswithhisfather,Jotham,from735to731BC,andthen16yearsonhisown,from731to715BC.2Kings16and2Chronicles28recordKingAhaz’sdestructivepractices,suchasidolworshipandsacrilegeagainstthetempleoftheLord.TheactionsofAhazcontributedtothedownfallofthekingdomofJudah,whichtheLordbroughtaboutin586BC.IsaiahwastheprophetoftheLordinthelandduringhisreign.

TheconfederacyofRezinandPekah

Lateinhisreign,PekahenteredanalliancewithRezinandattackedthesouthernkingdomofJudah,besiegingJerusalem.Inresponse,kingAhazofJudahsoughthelpfromtheAssyrianswhoinvadedand“tookIjon,AbelBethMaakah,Janoah,KedeshandHazor.HetookGileadandGalilee,includingallthelandofNaphtalianddeportedthepeopletoAssyria”(2Kings15:29).ThiswasthebeginningofthedestructionofthekingdomofIsrael,whichwasGod’sjudgmentforthesinandidolatryofthekingsandtheirpeople(2Kings17:7–23).

Hoshea

HoshearoseupandassassinatedPekah.LikePekah,hewasatributarykingtoAssyriaandreignedfornineyearsafterPekah’sdeath,butrefusedtopaytributetoShalmaneserkingofAssyria.ShalmaneserdiscoveredthetreacheryofHosheainrefusingtopaytributeandattemptingtomakeanalliancewithEgypttomakewaragainstAssyria(2Kings17:4).ShalmaneserimprisonedHosheathenconqueredtherestofthekingdomofIsraelanddeporteditspeople,completingGod’sjudgmentonthenorthernkingdomofIsrael.

Thehypocrisy&arroganceofAhaz

InIsaiah7.10-12weseehowinthefaceoftheimpendinginvasionbythecollectivearmiesofPekah&RezintheLordofferedAhazasign.TheresponseofAhazdemonstrateshisastoundinghypocrisy:

Moreover,theLORDspokeagaintoAhaz,saying,“AskasignforyourselffromtheLORDyour

God;askiteitherinthedepthorintheheightabove.”ButAhazsaid,“Iwillnotask,norwillI

testtheLORD!”

ThereasonheisnotaskingasignfromtheLORDisbecausehehasalreadymadeamilitaryalliancewithAssyriaandwouldrathertrustinthethatalliancethanintheLORDGod!Heliedtotheprophetabouthismotivationmakinghimselfapurehypocrite.

TheresponseofIsaiah

InthefaceofthearrogantandhypocriticalrefusalofAhaztoaskforasignonthegroundsthathedidnotwantto“testtheLord”GodmovedIsaiahtoutterthefamousprophecyofthevirginbirth:

Thenhesaid,“Hearnow,OhouseofDavid!Isitasmallthingforyoutowearymen,butwillyouwearymyGodalso?“Therefore,theLordhimselfwillgiveyouasign:Thevirginwillconceiveandgivebirthtoason,andwillcallhimImmanuel”

PayextraspecialattentiontothelanguageusedbyIsaiah.HedidNOTgivethissigntoAhaz,buttothe“HouseofDavid”andJesuswasindeedoftheHouseofDavidandwasthepromisedsonwhowouldsitontheThroneofDavidinthemillennialkingdom.

Isaiah’sprophecyofthevirginbirth

ThisprophecywasgiventotheHouseofDavidandhasthreeelementstoit;

Avirginshallconceive

Sheshallinduetimegivebirthtoason

HisnameshallbecalledImmanuel(inHebrewmeaning“Godwithus”)

ThedetailedfulfilmentofthisprophecyisfoundinMatthew1.23andLuke1.27&34

Themomentousimportanceofthevirginbirth

ConsiderfirstlytheHebrewwordusedintheIsaiahtext.Thisistheword“almah”whichisrightlytranslatedasvirgin.Instrictgrammaticaltranslation,thiswordwouldbe“youngmaiden”whichtakenincontextunquestionablymeansvirgin.ThekeepingofonesvirginityuntilmarriageinIsraelwasofsuchcriticalimportancethatifonetheweddingnightthegirlwasfoundtonotbeavirgin,thepenaltywasforhertobebroughttoherfathersdoorandthemenofthecitywouldstonehertodeath(Deuteronomy22.13-20).ThatthiswordalmahiscorrectlytranslatedvirginisfurtherborneoutbythetranslationofJerome(theVulgatecirca400AD)andalsotheuseofthewordvirgininreferencetoMary’sconception(Matthew1.23andLuke1.27&34).

Secondly,considerthebiologyofthebloodofthedevelopingfoetusinthevirginwomb.AccordingtoDrMRdeHaanofRadioBibleClassfame,thesimplefactsarethatthebloodproductsthatforminthegrowingfoetusovertheninemonthsofgestationarederivedfromthefatheraloneandnocommunicationoccurswiththebloodofthemotherduetothepresenceoftheplacentalbarrier.

Thesinnatureispassedontousfromourfathersandnotourmothersandthisaccordswiththebiblicalrecord(Romans5.12).Assuch,thebloodwhichflowedthroughtheveinsoftheLordJesuswasfreefromthecontaminationoforiginalsinwhichentitledHimtobetheperfectsacrificiallambofGod.Jesusnotonlydidnotsin,Hewasnotcapableofsin.Forfurtherstudy,considerthefollowingscriptures:IPeter2.22;IICorinthians5.21;Hebrews4.15;Luke1.35;John8.29;Isaiah53.9;IPeter1.18-19

Fortoday,let’sjustfocusonthenameImmanuel

ThemysteryofImmanuel

ITimothy3.16

“Andwithoutcontroversygreatisthemysteryofgodliness:Godwasmanifestintheflesh,justifiedintheSpirit,seenofangels,preacheduntotheGentiles,believedonintheworld,receivedupintoglory.”

Galatians4.4

“Butwhenthefullnessofthetimehadcome,GodsentforthHisSon,bornofawoman,bornunderthelaw……….“

John1.1

“InthebeginningwastheWord,andtheWordwaswithGod,andtheWordwasGod………

AndtheWordwasmadeflesh,anddweltamongus,(andwebeheldhisglory,thegloryas

oftheonlybegottenoftheFather)fullofgraceandtruth”

Matthew1:18-23

“NowthebirthofJesusChristwasonthiswise:WhenashismotherMarywasespousedto

Joseph,beforetheycametogether,shewasfoundwithchildoftheHolyGhost.

ThenJosephherhusband,beingajustman,andnotwillingtomakeherapublicexample,

wasmindedtoputherawayprivily.

Butwhilehethoughtonthesethings,behold,theangeloftheLORDappeareduntohimina

dream,saying,Joseph,thousonofDavid,fearnottotakeuntotheeMarythywife:forthat

whichisconceivedinherisoftheHolyGhost.

Andsheshallbringforthason,andthoushaltcallhisnameJESUS:forheshallsavehispeople

fromtheirsins.

Nowallthiswasdone,thatitmightbefulfilledwhichwasspokenoftheLordbythe

prophet,saying,

Behold,avirginshallbewithchild,andshallbringforthason,andtheyshallcallhisname

Emmanuel,whichbeinginterpretedis,Godwithus”

TohearradioannouncerPaulHarveytellthiswonderfulstoryofChristmaseveandthebirdspastethefollowinglinkyou’reyourbrowserandenjoy

www.everydaychristian.com/blogs/post/christmas_classics_the_man_and_the_birds_by_paul_harvey/

ThemeaningofImmanuel

Hebrews4.15

“Forwedonothaveahighpriestwhoisunabletoempathizewithourweaknesses,butwehaveonewhohasbeentemptedineveryway,justasweare-yethedidnotsin”