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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”