THE PROPHECY OF THE MESSIAH'S BIRTH

 

THE PROPHECY OF MESSIAH’S BIRTH

Therefore the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: Behold a virgin[b] will be with child and bear a son, and[c]she will call His name Immanuel.[d]  (Isaiah 7:14 New American Standard Version)

Verse 14 of the 7^th Chapter of Isaiah begins with the word “therefore” an adverb which is a conclusive term, a conclusion which always begs the question:  "What is it there for?"

Because the king of Judah named Ahaz, refused to ask for a sign which is an act of unbelief,  God Himself will instead give the sign.

Behold (Hebrew “hinneh”) is an interjection, to express some emotion or passion  often seeks to grab the reader's attention and says something like - Look! Pay attention! Don't miss this next point! Hinneh draws attention to an important fact or action that follows and in a sense demands our attention. It follows that the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 demands every reader's very careful attention.

Bible Commentator Edward Young adds that "hinneh or “behold!” is employed in the Scriptures to announce a birth of unusual importance and significance." (The Book of Isaiah 3 Vol. Edward J. Young) (Young)

The great preacher CH Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!"

"Behold! See! Lo!" (Thayer) The command is calling for urgent attention. Do this now! Don't delay! It could be loosely paraphrased "Pay attention!" or "Listen up!" to arouse attention and introduce a new and extraordinary fact of considerable importance.

Theologian and Bible Scholar William E Vine says that it is notable that when behold (hinneh) is used in Isaiah, it always introduces something relating to future circumstances.

The LORD Himself will give you a sign - Jehovah Himself  gives us one of the greatest signs in all of the Bible! Unfortunately it has also become one of the most controversial!

As Grogan says "The sign of the child...constitutes an indication that the all-sovereign and all-knowing God has the situation completely in hand, and it rebukes the king’s lack of faith in Him. (Expositor's Bible Commentary Zondervan Publishing )

Behold the Virgin (05959) (Hebrew word 'almah-virgin) has several meanings depending on the context - young woman of marriageable age (Ge 24:43), maiden (Pr 30:19), girl (Ex 2:8), virgin. While some argue that 'almah is by no means an unambiguous Hebrew term for a virgin, it is notable that a passage such as Genesis 24:43 describes not only a young woman of marriageable age but one who undoubtedly is a virgin. Thus the use of 'almah by no means excludes the possibility that the intended meaning in Isaiah 7:14 is a literal virgin. 'Almah is never employed of a married woman.

Without going into the various interpretations and arguments concerning the meaning of the Hebrew word 'almah, the Greek word parthenos chosen by the Hebrew translators of the Septuagint (Lxx) lends support to the interpretation of 'almah in Isaiah 7:14 as a virgin.

Dr. W A Criswell adds that Isaiah was speaking of a virgin when he used `almah. And this is precisely the purity which both Matthew and Luke ascribe to Mary (cf. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-35).

Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14 and uses the Greek noun parthenos...

BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN (parthenos) SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US. (Mt 1:23)

Luke also uses parthenos in his description of Jesus' mother Mary...

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin (parthenos) engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's (parthenos) name was Mary. (Lk 1:26, 27-note)

In the conclusion of a well referenced study (72 references cited) of the meaning of 'almah in Isaiah 7:14 Niessen concludes that

Because Isaiah 7:14 is quoted in Mt 1:23 in connection with Jesus’ birth, the Isaiah passage has been regarded since the earliest Christian times as a prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth.

Therefore, regardless of the meaning of the term in the OT context, in the NT Matthew’s usage of the Greek term parthenos clearly indicates that from his perspective a virgin birth has taken place. (Net Bible Note Isaiah 7)

Pastor and Bible Expositor Ray Stedman comments that

It is not wrong to translate "a virgin" as "a young woman." The Hebrew allows for that. The word can mean a young married as well as a young unmarried woman. But to be a "sign" it would have to be a young unmarried woman who had never known a man -- a virgin, in other words. Young women have sons all the time, but it would only be a sign if a woman who never knew a man conceived and bore a son. That is what the prophet said would happen. It was a sign to the whole House of David.

In the New Testament we are told that an angel appeared to Joseph because he was of the line of David and said to him,  "Fear not to take this woman to be your wife because that which is born of her is of the Holy Spirit," Mt 1:20).

Thus the virgin birth was, indeed, a sign to the House of David, 750 years later, that God would carry out his promise. A baby would be born of a virgin and his name would be "God with us." ...

Immanuel - God with us. Despite the difficulties in the detailed interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 (eg, who is the near fulfillment?), the name Immanuel is clearly a prediction which was fulfilled in the virgin birth of the Messiah. How can we be so dogmatic? Scripture is the best commentary on Scripture (Compare Scripture with Scripture) and Matthew's quotation of Isaiah 7:14 in Mt 1:23 leaves absolutely no doubt that the Holy Spirit intended Isaiah 7:14 to be a prophetic sign of the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary.

Bible Commentator Dr. Rod Mattoon observes that  No one else could meet the qualifications of this statement, "God with us." Jesus Christ was God's love, holiness, and heart wrapped in human flesh. He was God walking in sandals upon this earth.

Bible Commentator George Brooks writes that Immanu-El is an "unusual order of the words (which) indicates an emphatic “WITH US is God!” Thus this name captures the awe and wonder of the Incarnation, and the unimaginable fact that the God of the universe entered the world through a virgin’s womb to become like us and become one with us. (Isaiah 7:14 - The Virgin Shall Conceive)

To sum it up altogether, Theologian Adam Clarke eloquently expounds it very well. He wrote, "In what sense then, is Christ God with us? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in His incarnation; God with us, by the influences of His Holy Spirit, in the holy sacrament, in the preaching of His word, in private prayer. And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in His name. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in Him, to all eternity."