Isaías 7

Isaías 7

Morris - The Virgin Birth "Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). This has been a hotly disputed verse, as unbelievers for two thousand years have tried to undermine the vital doctrine of the unique sinlessness of Christ. Without the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Jesus, not only is His mother Mary made to be an impure woman, but also Jesus is deprived of His intrinsic deity, being born with the sin-nature inherited from Adam. He could not really be our sin-bearing Savior since He would thus be sinful also. Because of this intrinsic importance of the virgin birth to the very essence of Christianity, liberals and other opponents of the truth have long argued that the Hebrew almah should be translated "young woman," instead of "virgin." This is utterly wrong, of course. There would be no "sign" in a "young woman conceiving," and it would be blasphemous to name an ordinary child Immanuel ("God with us"), clearly implying divine incarnation in man. Even if almah could legitimately be thus translated, none of its seven occurrences in the Old Testament require any meaning other than "virgin." The issue is settled for all who believe the Bible by the fact that the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to use parthenos (a Greek word which can only mean "virgin") when he translated and quoted Isaiah 7:14 (see Matt. 1:23, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child"). Actually, both Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 support the use of the definite article ("Behold, the virgin...") in this great prophecy. God has, indeed, "sent forth his Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4), and only of a woman, fulfilling the primeval promise of "the seed of the woman" who would someday bring deliverance from Satan and sin and death (Gen. 3:15). (Days to Remember - Devotions) MIRACLES - Vance Havner In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Genesis 21:12. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.... Isaiah 7:14. Born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:13. Every Jew is a miracle, descended from Isaac, who was born to Abraham and Sarah long past the age of parenthood. Jesus was a miracle baby born of a virgin. The true Church is made of people born again through faith in Christ. The Bible is a miracle book written by divine inspiration. No Christian has any business asking like Gideon, "Where be all the miracles?" We are part of the miracle business, the supernatural work of God. GOD WITH US - Vance Havner God with us. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23. One of the names of our Lord is Emmanuel, God With Us. We must get away from the notion that God is up there somewhere sending down a program for us to carry out. He is down here working for, in, and among His people. Our Lord did not die to placate an angry Deity. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. The Christian life is not something we try to live by God's help. Christ lives His life in all who can truly say, "To me to live is Christ." We do not do God's will by sheer determination and hard work. He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is all God's work with our consent and cooperation. Oswald Chambers - His birth and our new birth Behold, a virgin shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Isaiah 7:14 (R.V.). His Birth in History. “Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35-note). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not evolve out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being, He is a Being Who cannot be accounted for by the human race at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate, God coming into human flesh, coming into it from outside. His life is the Highest and the Holiest, entering in at the lowliest door. Our Lord’s birth was an advent. His Birth in Me. “Of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:19-note). Just as Our Lord came into human history from outside, so He must come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a ‘Bethlehem’ for the Son of God? I cannot enter into the realm of the Kingdom of God unless I am born from above by a birth totally unlike natural birth. “Ye must be born again.” This is not a command, it is a foundation fact. The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me. Immediately Christ is formed in me, His nature begins to work through me. God manifest in the flesh—that is what is made profoundly possible for you and me by the Redemption. (From Daily Devotionals: My Utmost for His Highest) Always Right by Richard De Haan A weatherman boasted, “I’m 90 percent right—10 percent of the time.” That’s a ridiculous statement, but some people resort to that type of doubletalk to cover up a poor record. The Bible’s prophetic record, though, truly is accurate. Let’s look at a few examples. The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) at the time specified (Daniel 9:25). Infants in Bethlehem were massacred as prophesied (Jeremiah 31:15). Jesus went down into Egypt and returned (Hosea 11:1). Isaiah foretold Christ’s ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2). Zechariah predicted His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt (Zechariah 9:9) and His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12-13). David had never seen a Roman crucifixion, yet in Psalm 22, under divine inspiration, he penned a graphic portrayal of Jesus’ death. Isaiah 53 gives a detailed picture of our Lord’s rejection, mistreatment, death, and burial. These few prophecies (and there are many more) should impress us with the reliability of the Bible. I'll trust in God's unchanging Word Till soul and body sever; For though all things shall pass away, His Word shall stand forever! —Luther You can trust the Bible—God always keeps His word. He was like Us - Peter Kennedy Joseph Damien went as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands in 1864. In 1873, he volunteered to minister at the leper colony on the island of Molokai. In Molokai there was no doctor, nurse, clergy or even a gravedigger. The island was a place of quarantine for people with leprosy. Damien built a small chapel on the island but few came to worship. After twelve long years of unfruitful ministry Joseph Damien decided to leave Molokai in 1885. Standing on the pier waiting for his ship to take him home to his native Belgium, Damien looked down at his hands and noticed white spots—he had contracted leprosy. The news of the missionary's disease spread quickly and hundreds of lepers gathered outside of Joseph Damien's hut. The people could identify with his pain and despair. The following Sunday the little chapel was filled to overflowing because the people knew that Joseph Damien could now identify with their condition. In the next four years, before his death at age forty-nine, Joseph Damien shared Christ's love in a way he never could before his leprosy. Jesus Christ humbled Himself to be a man. Though He did not sin, He took on the sins of the world. He became part of the human race so we could accept Him. Thank Christ today that He humbled Himself for you so you could be with Him. "A sign shall be given. A virgin shall conceive. A human baby bearing undiminished deity. The glory of the nations, a light for all to see, and hope for all who will embrace this warm reality."—Michael Card WHERE'S THE BABY? Read: Isaiah 7:10-14 The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. —Isaiah 7:14 Two women who were dressed in their finest were having lunch together in a very exclusive restaurant. A friend saw them and came over to their table to greet them. "What's the special occasion?" she asked. One of the women said, "We're having a birthday party for the baby in our family. He's 2 years old today." "But, where's the baby?" the friend asked. The child's mother answered, "Oh, I dropped him off at my mother's house. She's taking care of him until the party's over. It wouldn't have been any fun with him along." How ridiculous! A birthday celebration for a child who wasn't welcome at his own party? Yet, when you stop to think about it, that's no more foolish than going through the Christmas season, with all of its festivities, without remembering the One whose birth we are supposed to be honoring. And that's the way many people celebrate Christmas. In all the busyness—the party-going, gift-shopping, and family gatherings—the One whose birthday they are commemorating is almost completely forgotten. Among the tinsel, trees, and toys Are many signs of Christmas joys, But where's the Christ, whom God sent down, Who laid aside His throne and crown? —Hess There is always the danger of keeping Christmas and losing Christ. —Ironside The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 TODAY IN THE WORD Several ancient myths tell stories of a god impregnating a human woman. One of the most famous is “Leda and the Swan,” in which Zeus assumed the form of a swan in order to seduce the girl Leda. According to Greek mythology, Leda then bore Helen, the beautiful woman who ignited the Trojan War. Some skeptics use these myths to discredit the account of the virgin birth of Jesus. Is this passage in Matthew just another ancient tale of the gods dabbling in the affairs of men? The answer is a resounding no. As Matthew's genealogy concludes, a break in the formula occurs in verse 16. No “father of . . .” construction is used; Joseph is identified as the husband of Mary, and she alone is mentioned as the parent of Jesus. The verses that follow explain: Mary and Joseph were engaged but not yet married, and she became pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit although she was a virgin. In obedience to God's directive, Joseph took his pregnant bride and fulfilled the fatherly obligation of naming this boy. Matthew is concerned with the legal, not physical, genealogy of Jesus. Joseph was in the kingly line of David—but he was not the physical father of Jesus. But because Joseph adopted Jesus and fulfilled the Jewish requirement of naming Him, Jesus legally could claim the same genealogy, with full rights in the line of David. Unlike the lurid tales of ancient mythology, there is no description of just how Mary became pregnant. Two points in particular differ from these myths: Mary's virginity and the role of the Holy Spirit. They are intertwined in their significance. First, the mention of the Holy Spirit recalls God's creative power (see Gen. 1:1-26). The coming of Jesus, the Messiah, is a work of the Spirit that signals the new creation of the people of God. Second, a virgin birth is a miracle, the sort of miracle associated with the work of the Holy Spirit. It was a fulfillment of Scripture and also evidence of God's continuing work through unexpected people and means to fulfill His promises. TODAY ALONG THE WAY The name Immanuel reveals the role of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to make possible “God with us” in the fully human and fully divine person of the Son. As we approach the celebration of Easter later this month, prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to use this study of Matthew's Gospel to show you more about the person and work of Jesus. You might want to record your insights in a journal or the back page of this devotional. The Spirit Of Giving By Dave Branon Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. —Isaiah 7:14 Yes, there are people who believe in Santa Claus. According to a poll taken by KRC Research in 1996 and cited in U.S.News & World Report, nine percent of American adults say they really do believe in the jolly old North Pole resident. Perhaps that’s not surprising when we realize that at no other time of the year do we focus so much attention on a single theme as during the Christmas season. The fictional character of Santa Claus has become an integral part of the celebration in our culture because he symbolizes gift-giving, the centerpiece of most holiday gatherings. What many people believe in at Christmas is the spirit of giving. As admirable as that spirit may be, there is something more grand and life-changing to believe in. At Christmas we need to focus on truths like these: The prophecies of Jesus’ birth (Isa. 7:14; 9:1-7). The miracle of Jesus’ conception (Mt. 1:18). The perfection of the holy Christ-child (Lk. 1:35). The mission of that baby boy (Mt. 1:21). The Creator of the world miraculously became man on that first Christmas morning so He could provide us with the gift of eternal life. Now, that’s something to believe in at Christmas! The greatest gift in history: Almighty God becoming man; He left His throne and slept on straw, In keeping with salvation's plan. —Sper JESUS, who passed the angels by, Assumed our flesh to bleed and die; And still he makes it his abode, As man, he fills the throne of GOD. Our next of kin, our Brother now, Is he to whom the angels bow; They join with us to praise his name, But we the nearest interest claim. John Newton - Our nearest kinsman ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’ Isaiah 7:14 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Hebrews 2:5–18 The Messiah must not only be a man, but partaker of our very nature. It had been easy to divine power to have formed the second Adam as he did the first, out of the dust of the earth. But, though in this way he might have been a true and perfect man, he would have been no more related to us than an angel. Therefore when God sent forth his Son to be made under the law, he was made of a woman. Thus he became ‘Goel’ [Hebrew for kinsman], our near kinsman. But farther, had he derived his human nature wholly in the ordinary way, from sinful parents, we see not how he could have escaped that inherent defilement which the fall of Adam has entailed upon all his posterity. But his body, that holy thing conceived and born of a virgin, was the immediate production of God. Therefore he was pure and spotless, qualified to be such a High Priest as became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, who needed not, as the typical high priest of Israel, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. These difficulties were obviated by a virgin’s conceiving and bearing a son. Let us now praise and admire the wisdom of God. Let us adore his power. Thus he created a new thing upon earth. Ken Hemphill - GOD IS... IMMANUEL Isaiah 7:14 The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel. We have all experienced the power of “presence” when we were afraid. We have caressed the brow of our fevered child and watched as our presence brought a sense of peace. We have been in the hospital waiting room when no one knew exactly what to say, but the physical presence of family and friends was all that was required to bring comfort. The name “Immanuel” assures us that God is always “with us.” During the time of King Ahaz, the house of David was beset with enemies, and the king was weak in faith. In contrast to the worldly power on which Ahaz had put his hope, the prophet Isaiah spoke about the wondrous birth of a child whose very name signified a redemption only God could bring. The ultimate fulfillment of this promise would not occur for generations, but the promise was one that brought hope. A few scholars have argued against the translation “virgin” for the Hebrew word alma, which means “young woman.” But contrary to what some have argued, the use of the words “young woman” (rather than “wife”) suggests a birth outside the normal pattern of childbirth. What we sometimes forget is that a young unmarried woman in Isaiah's day would have been expected to be a virgin. Together with other passages from Isaiah that use the term Immanuel and speak of a coming birth, it is clear that the promise of Isaiah 7:14 is preparing the way for a developing messianic theme. A few years ago when I embarked on a study of several of the Old Testament names of God, I was intrigued to discover that the last of the names, occurring in Ezekiel 48:35, was Jehovah Shammah, which means “The Lord is there.” Ezekiel was speaking of the rebuilding of the temple—the earthly reminder of God's presence. The promise of God's presence was not to be accomplished by an earthly temple, however, but by the birth of Jesus. Only our Savior, Jesus, allows us to experience “God with us.” H A Ironside from Continual Burnt Offering: Daily Meditations on the Word of God Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 The virgin birth of Jesus is a revealed truth, the importance of which no one can properly appraise. Upon this fact hangs the whole plan of redemption. It tells us that God entered into human conditions, became man without ceasing to be God, took our flesh and blood apart from sin, in order that He might by Himself effect the purging of sins by dying upon the cross. With the denial of the virgin birth goes the denial of the true vicarious atonement of Christ. Had He been a member of Adam’s fallen race He would have needed a Savior for Himself. As the virgin-born Son of the Father He came into the world as “that holy One” uncontaminated by sin in the flesh, though in its likeness, and so was able to qualify as our Kinsman-Redeemer. Though in the very form of God, With heavenly glory crowned, Thou didst a servant’s form assume, Beset with sorrow round. Thou wouldst like wretched man be made In ev’ry thing but sin, That we as like Thee might become As we unlike had been. —Stennett Pause for Power - Warren Wiersbe "The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). A SURE SIGN These were perilous days for the nation of Judah. Assyria was growing stronger and threatening the smaller nations whose security depended on a very delicate political balance. Syria and Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) tried to pressure Judah into an alliance against Assyria, but Ahaz refused to join them. Why? Because he had secretly made a treaty with Assyria! (2 Kings 16:5-9) If Ahaz had believed God's promise, he would have broken his alliance and called the nation to prayer and praise; but the king continued in his unbelief. Realizing the weakness of the king's faith, Isaiah offered to give a sign to encourage him. But knowing that he was secretly allied with Assyria, how could Ahaz honestly ask the Lord for a special sign? So, instead of speaking only to the king, Isaiah addressed the whole "house of David" and gave the prophecy concerning "Immanuel." Of course, the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is "God with us." The virgin birth of Christ is a key doctrine; for if Jesus Christ is not God come in sinless human flesh, then we have no Savior. However, this "sign" had an immediate significance to Ahaz and the people of Judah. A woman who was then a virgin would get married, conceive, and bear a son whose name would be "Immanuel." This son would be a reminder that God was with His people and would care for them. It is likely that this virgin was Isaiah's second wife, his first wife having died after his first son was born; and that Isaiah's second son was named both "Immanuel" and "Maher-shalal-hash-baz." Billy Graham - God in the Flesh The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [which means “God with us”]. ISAIAH 7:14 NIV Jesus Christ lived on Earth only thirty-three years, yet He transformed civilization. And after two thousand years, countless millions worship Him. Where did Jesus come from? His birth in a stable in Bethlehem was not His origin; that was His incarnation—His coming in the flesh. The Bible teaches that Jesus is God in human flesh, God Incarnate. Jesus—the eternal Son of God—never had a beginning; He will never have an end. He always was, and He always will be. When Jesus walked this Earth, He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. He was the greatest teacher of all time, and He was also a man of compassion, love, and selflessness. Yet consider the emphasis on His death. Three chapters in the book of Matthew, three in Mark, three in Luke, and six in John are devoted to the last twenty-four hours of Jesus’ life. Why? Because Jesus was born to die as the final and perfect sacrifice for your sins and mine. Praise Him this holy season! Today in the Word Devotionals - Isaiah 7:14 - Charles Swindoll once said that if Dan Rather had given a news broadcast in 1809, it would have focused on Napoleon’s sweep across Europe with no mention of the many remarkable babies born that year, all of whom would become quite famous. For example, the outstanding British political leader William Gladstone, the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, and President Abraham Lincoln were all born in 1809. Similarly, no Roman newsperson was likely to have picked up from the news wires the story of a baby born to poor parents in a remote region of a troubled country. But heavenly “reporters” picked up this event and “broadcast” it to all who would hear (Luke 2:14). These glorious messengers knew that the most newsworthy event in the history of the world had occurred--the Savior had been born! All of history points to and centers around this one event. Recall that Isaiah also lived in a troubled country. As the nation of Judah faced what seemed to be its destruction (Isa. 7:1–2), God used Isaiah to give a sign of His faithfulness to Judah: a virgin would give birth to a son who would be named Immanuel, which literally means “God with us.” Scholars are not quite sure of the exact nature of this prophecy’s fulfillment in Isaiah’s time, but there can be little doubt of its later fulfillment in Jesus. In fact, Matthew cited this verse as he wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the birth narrative of Jesus (Matt. 1:23). The virginal conception of Jesus remains a unique event in all of history. This conception enabled Jesus to be both “Son of God” and “Son of Man”--titles we will look at beginning tomorrow. Notice how concisely the two names given to our Lord at His birth summarize His unique nature: Jesus means “God is salvation,” showing His deity, and Immanuel means “God is with us,” showing His humanity. Today in the Word Devotionals - Isaiah 7:14, Mt 1:23 - Let's do another one-question Bible quiz today, like the one we did on Tuesday (see the November 23 study). Which name or title of Jesus Christ was never again used in the Bible after its first mention? Once again, the answer is in today's verse. In explaining the significance of Jesus' birth, Matthew said the people would call Jesus ""Immanuel,"" which the writer interprets for us. Matthew drew this name from Isaiah's prophecy, but it appears only once in the New Testament. If Jesus was ever called Immanuel, it is not recorded in Scripture. But that doesn't lessen the power of this name. Matthew's purpose was not to give us an alternative name by which to call Jesus. The purpose of his quotation from Isaiah was to demonstrate that Jesus' virgin birth was the fulfillment of a prophecy made centuries before. You may know that Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14 has generated much controversy. The problem centers on how we should understand what Isaiah was saying. His prophecy had a meaning for his own day, which was clearly not a virgin birth, and a greater meaning that Matthew explained. It can be argued that the Hebrew word Isaiah used does not have to mean ""virgin."" But the woman the prophet was speaking about in his day could have been his future wife, with whom Isaiah later had a son (Isa. 8:1-4). In that case, she may have been a virgin at the time Isaiah 7:14 was written. Isa 7:15, 16, 17 say this child was a ""sign"" to King Ahaz of Judah in that by the time the boy was old enough to know right and wrong, the kings of Israel and Syria, who were threatening Judah, would be driven away. Whatever the specifics of Isaiah's prophecy, Matthew leaves no doubt about the virgin birth of Jesus. Quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, Matthew used a word that can mean only virgin. Jesus is ""God with us."" No one else can claim that title, which makes Him unique. As you prepare your heart and home to celebrate His birth, praise God for sending His Son to live among us--and die for us. TODAY ALONG THE WAY -When we did the little quiz on Tuesday (the November 23 study), we mentioned a book that contains more than 300 names for Jesus. You may want to pick up a copy of this book for devotional use this Christmas. It's called Names of Christ, by T. C. Horton and Charles E. Hurlburt. Reading some of these names together and talking about them as a family will give your family's Christmas devotions a new perspective. Check your local bookstore for this unique book Today in the Word Devotionals - Isaiah 7:14 - The writings of C. S. Lewis form the basis for a popular statement regarding the choices people have about the claims of Jesus Christ. The statement says that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord of all in His claim to be the Son of God. People are also faced with several choices concerning the birth of Jesus. His divine origin is validated by the Bible's teaching that He was born of a virgin. And people's eternal destiny may hinge on what they believe about this doctrine. The prophecy of the Messiah's virgin birth is embedded in a passage that has immediate and far-reaching implications. The setting is the threat against the southern kingdom of Judah by an alliance between the kings of Aram (Syria) and Israel, the northern kingdom. God sent Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah to assure him that the attack would never take place, because within several years God would bring down the kings of Aram and Israel. Ahaz's refusal to ask for a confirming sign of this prophecy sounds very pious, but it was actually a way of rejecting God's message and His messenger Isaiah. This is why the prophet reacted the way he did. Then came the message that God would sovereignly provide a sign. The virgin in the prophecy may have been the woman Isaiah called 'the prophetess' (Isa. 8:3), who could still have been a virgin when the prophecy was given. This wife of Isaiah had a son, and by the time the boy was two or three, old enough to know right from wrong, the kings of Aram and Israel were no longer a threat to Judah. The boy's name, Immanuel, was a reminder of God's presence with Judah. But the Holy Spirit clearly had something more in mind for this remarkable prophecy. Matthew said its ultimate fulfillment was in the birth of Jesus (Mt 1:22, 23) and the word Matthew used means a woman who is sexually pure. That's why the Gospels are so careful to establish that Mary conceived Jesus before she had any relations with Joseph. Even in his genealogy, Matthew was careful to show that although Joseph was the husband of Mary, he was not the biological father of Jesus. The term 'of whom' (Matt. 1:16) is a feminine pronoun, pinpointing Mary alone as the parent of the Messiah. TODAY ALONG THE WAY - The claims of Jesus rise and fall together. If He was not virgin born, then His death would have no power to do anything for us. But God left us with a divine record of His Son's earthly origin, even in the middle of an eighth-century B.C. prophecy about human kings. It's time we paused this month to thank God for the truth and accuracy of His Word, which makes it possible for us to know what we believe