As we continue on with our series, "He’s Coming!!!" We will look today at a promise in the book of Isaiah. Let’s take a look at Isaiah 7:14:
“All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel – ‘God is with us.’”
Before we look at the fulfillment of this promise, let’s look at the circumstances around this promise. The first person we need to look at in this situation is King Ahaz. Ahaz could be considered "one bad dude." Ahaz was the king of Judah. His father and grandfather were righteous men, but Ahaz had turned from God. We learn that Ahaz had desecrated the temple and had even sacrificed his own children. Ahaz had a big problem, the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were getting ready to attack, and he was on the short end of the stick.
The second person we need to look at in this passage is Isaiah. Isaiah was "one enlightened prophet." Isaiah’s life had been forever transformed by a personal encounter with the Lord. In God’s presence, Isaiah had been overwhelmed by the unworthiness of his life when held up to the glory of God. God had set Isaiah free from sin, and had given him a new mission in life. The task at hand...to confront Ahaz.
King David was a man who was noted as being after God’s own heart. God had taken care of the lineage of David, and Ahaz was apart of that family tree. God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with a message. God would give Ahaz victory, and would allow Ahaz to choose a sign, a promise if you will, of his choosing. Ahaz however refused to put God to the test, so God Himself chose the sign. We need to realize that because the sign was of God’s own choosing this would be an ultimate promise. Not the kind of promise a man could make, but something beyond the ability of man. The sign of God’s choosing could only happen by the power of God’s hand. This sign would the timeless proof of God’s faithfulness to His promises.
As I read the 14th verse...I find myself with the thought "there’s something you don’t see everyday." God’s sign would be unmistakeable...a virgin would conceive a special child. And because she was a virgin...man would not be able to take any credit. This sign would be miraculous, and only made possible by the one who hold all eternity in His hands. God’s promise was a birth foretold.
However, God didn’t stop there...He took the promise a step further. The virgin would not only conceive, but would give birth, not just to a baby, but to a son. The son would be called "Immanuel - God With Us." This was not just a name, but a promise. This child would restore a broken relationship. The curse of the garden of Eden would be broken, because God would be with us. You see we couldn’t come to God of our own doing. Our best just wasn’t good enough, so God came to us instead. Hold on now, we’re still in the promise stage, but a promise is only as good as the one making it. Let’s jump forward a few hundred years, but I’ll warn you...the plot has already been given away."
Let’s look at Luke 1:26-33:
“…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary….Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.’
….the angel told her, ‘for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’”
Would you look at that... a virgin, a pregnancy, and a Son. God had foretold these events, should anyone have expected anything less. Hold on though, "Houston, we have a problem..." Mary was engaged to Joseph....how was she going to explain this. Not a problem...God had a word for Joseph as well. Let’s look at Matthew 1:20-23:
“…the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel.’
Just in case anyone forgot the initial promise, the angel reminded us of it. God is the ultimate promise keeper.
Now you may be asking, "What’s in it for me?" Well let’s look at a couple of things. First and foremost God is always faithful to His word. All of those comforting promise verses you read when you need help or have lost hope...you can be assured that those promises will be kept. Second, Jesus was God coming to you as a man. You could not save yourself, but God loved you enough to come to you. Jesus came to set you free from the curse of sin. The gift God gave that Christmas morning was a gift of hope, a gift of freedom, a gift of salvation. My question to you today is, "what will you do with Jesus today?"
