Old Testament Prophecies Regarding the Messiah - Part Seven (Isaiah 7:14)

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"

From Handel's Messiah to Christmas ornaments and cards, this verse is a centerpiece of the story of the birth of Messiah Jesus. The birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary sets the stage for the story that culminates in the death, burial and resurrection of the Jewish carpenter from Nazareth. So it is often amazing when one asks, "Is it really all that important to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin?" Yes(!), but first a little background to the prophecy.

King Ahaz of Isaiah 7 was a weak and wicked king failing in his attempt to follow the prosperous reign of his father, Uzziah. Ahaz was being threatened by the kings of Aram and Israel and instead of turning back to God, he turned to the Assyrians (2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28). The Assyrians were known for their brutality and carnality and so the setting of this prophecy is that God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to promise him deliverance from the invaders, that is deliverance by God and not through the Assyrians.

Isaiah meets Ahaz on the road and gives him the promise of victory and then Ahaz is offered an opportunity to ask for a sign of victory. What is so fascinating is that the offer does not come from Isaiah but from God himself (v. 10) but Ahaz turns it down! The sign is still given and is that a hmlu (almah) will give birth to a son that will be called Immanuel, which means "with us is God."

Almah is used only ten times in the Old Testament and refers not specifically to a virgin but to a young woman, according to the Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. However, the important question to ask before one just assumes that this verse is not a prophetic promise of the Messiah is what does the word mean when it refers to a young woman. It is referring specifically to a young woman who is ready for marriage but not yet married and therefore assumed to be a virgin (see www.jfjonline.org/pub/issues/09-01.almah.htm).

So who is this woman, this almah? It could not have been Isaiah's wife as some have assumed because Isaiah's son (Shear-Jashub) was with him during the exchange with Ahaz. It could not have been Hezekiah, who succeeded Ahaz on the throne, because Hezekiah was already at least 9 years old at the time. So was it merely an unnamed young woman standing in the crowd to whom Isaiah was referring? Possibly because of verses 15 and 16, but this is when the importance of understanding fulfillment of prophecy is key.

Prophecy can have both single and double fulfillment. And so while it is possible that there was a woman standing in the crowd to whom Isaiah pointed, it would seem to be a rather fruitless prophecy, and a very short-term one at that, because eventually Judah would fall to the Babylonians and so the concept of "with us is God" would not last very long. Also, remember that Ahaz turned down the sign and so it is more than likely that this sign was not simply about the immediate future but about the long-term future as well.

Another key feature to remember about this prophecy is that Matthew was able to look back and see the ultimate/final fulfillment of it (Matthew 1:23). Which is why this promise delivered is so important as the birth of Jesus through a virgin not only fulfills Isaiah 7:14 but also Genesis 3:15 (see Old Testament Prophecies Regarding the Messiah -- Part One) which indicates that it would strictly be through a woman that the Messiah comes.

One, therefore, can see that Isaiah 7:14 is a bridge between Genesis 3:15 and the New Testament. Matthew was not pulling prophecies out of the air but was connecting the dots, or to use the old expression "seeing the scarlet thread of redemption," between the first prophecy and the realization of it through Messiah Jesus.

These fulfillments made the Incarnation possible. These fulfillments made our salvation possible. The fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 made it possible for everyone who knows Jesus as Messiah to truly understand what it means to have "God with us."

Next Week ... Isaiah 9:6