December 3rd

Isaiah 7:14

There are a few Old Testament passages that are important to us as believers as they point us to Jesus. As we look at these verses we are in good company, even Jesus on the Emmaus Road started with Moses and the prophets to explain himself to his disciples!

In this passage Isaiah is speaking into his current context but in doing so, as a prophet, he also speaks into the future. So, let’s look for a moment at Isaiah’s situation. Syria and Israel have joined forces against Assyria’s empire building (735BC). They invite Ahaz, king of Judah, to join them but he refuses so they turn against him. Ahaz thinks he’s going to try and buy an alliance with Assyria, but Isaiah offers an alternative solution that Ahaz should trust the Lord and be firm in the faith. He is invited to ask for a sign from the Lord, but he doesn’t want to put his faith in God so he refuses in a rather sanctimonious fashion (Is. 7:11-12).

[We should note here that whether or not testing the Lord is OK depends on the heart. Israel in the wilderness tested the Lord out of unbelief and were judged for it. Gideon tested to be sure he heard right and was given his answer. Here Ahaz is being invited to trust but will not.]

So, Isaiah prophesies that God will give a sign. For Ahaz it means that by the time a young woman (we don’t know who) gives birth and the child reaches the age of discretion (13yrs) the two kingdoms against him will have gone (Is. 7:16). He just needs to trust. Syria was destroyed by 732BC (3 years later), Israel lost part of her territory a year later and in 13 years (722BC) had lost her national existence. Ahaz and Judah were to be overwhelmed by Assyria.

When Matthew was writing his gospel he saw in this passage a clear reference to the coming Messiah – the one who is ‘God with us’ Matt.1:23. The salvation needed here is not earthly but spiritual, our eternal salvation, and it was going to come through the child born of a virgin, the Son of God. There is a lot of dispute among theologians as to whether the word for ‘virgin’ should have been translated as such or as ‘young woman’. As far as I can see there is no reason not to accept the translation that Mathhew knew which referred to the ‘virgin who will conceive and give birth to a son’. This child was God’s son, one who would become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Matthew knew Mary and Jesus, witnessed the crucifixion and resurrection, and had no doubt who Jesus was and whose Son he was.

The call to us is the same as to Ahaz, to stand in faith, to receive God’s salvation and see his deliverance from sin; to be accepted into God’s Kingdom.

Reflection

There is the thread of a plan running through history so strong that it emerges out of the prophets’ mouth even when he is speaking into another circumstance. That plan for salvation runs through all our lives and we have a choice to respond to it in faith or not. Is there something that you need to respond to in faith today?