“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, NKJV)

Isaiah Chapters 7-12 belong to the reign of Ahaz, when Pekah the king of Israel and Rezin the king of Syria (Aram) joined forces to attack Ahaz, with the aim of forcing Judah into their anti-Assyrian alliance. Before reading these chapters, readers should be familiar with the historical background given in the introduction under the heading ‘Israel and Syria attack Judah’.

Image courtesy of http://www.olivetree.com

This is spoken of as a “sign” intended to give the skeptical Ahaz assurance of speedy deliverance. A “sign” is a miracle that is performed to provide evidence for the truth. The virgin is not named, but the reference is to something very unusual that is not further explained but that would happen in the immediate future in David’s family (Ahaz’s own household). It is a case of blending pictures that are on the near and the far horizons, as is so frequent in the prophets.

Whether Ahaz asks for a sign or not, God promises to give one. Ahaz will have reassurance that God is with Judah when he hears of the birth of a child whose mother has named him Immanuel. The name Immanuel means “God is with us” was given to convince Ahaz that God could rescue him from his enemies.

Jesus was the final fulfillment of this prophecy, for he was “God with us” in the fullest sense.

References:

Halley’s Bible Handbook. ePub Format. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000.

MySword for Android. Riversoft Ministry, 2011-2019.

Zondervan NASB Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1999.

Published by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged

Friend of a Jewish Carpenter. View all posts by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged