Isaiah 7:14
In 735 B.C. the streets of Jerusalem are quite busy. The city is flourishing. It is densely populated — it is the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The king who rules the city and the country at this fateful historical moment belongs to the famous dynasty of King David. His name is King Ahaz. He rules over Judah from 735 to 715 B.C.
Ahaz, however, despite his godly roots, is not a good man. From Second Kings we learn (2 Kings 16:1–4) that he worshiped idols and went so far as to offer even his own son as a burnt sacrifice. From David’s descendants the perfect king was expected to come — the one who would usher in a golden age for Israel — but sadly many of them failed, and Ahaz is one of the most striking examples of that sad failure.
Someone might object and say: “Why should we talk about this Ahaz precisely at Christmas?” The answer is that it was to Ahaz that God gave the prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son…” And to understand this prophecy in depth, we must first look at it in its historical context.
Reading the history recorded in Isaiah chapter seven, we understand that the political situation in the Near East at that time was beginning to grow critical. Judah was in a political crisis. Its neighboring countries — Aram and the Northern Kingdom of Israel — allied themselves in order to attack Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to deliver God’s message to Ahaz. And that message was: “Do not be afraid! You will not be defeated.” Ahaz, however, wavered, and one might even say he was prejudiced. Then, in a way not so characteristic of God, He said to Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah: “Ahaz, ask for a sign from Me!” The aim of this offer from God was to give Ahaz a deeper assurance of His will — as when Gideon asked God for a sign and He gave it to him (Judges 6:36–40). Once, when the dew fell, it wet only the fleece Gideon had laid before the Lord, while the ground around it stayed dry. The next morning the whole ground was wet, but the fleece had stayed dry. This was a sign from the Lord that assured Gideon that God would be with him and would deliver the Midianites into his hand.
You see, Ahaz was planning to make an alliance with Assyria — something God did not want him to do. So God was giving him an opportunity to strengthen his faith, to place his trust in the Lord, and to act as a believer. Through His offer of a sign, God was as good as saying to him: “If you do not believe Me, then ask Me for a sign, so that you may be assured and believe My promise that I will protect you from your enemies, and that you have no need to make this ungodly alliance with Assyria.” (Isaiah 7:1–11).
1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood — because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. (Isaiah 7:1–4)
Here the Aramean king Rezin and the Israelite king Pekah are compared to two burnt-out, smoldering stubs of firewood. It is a metaphor showing that their strength is already spent. They may still smoke, but there is no fire left in them.
5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘It will not take place, it will not happen, 8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” (Isaiah 7:5–9)
“Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.” Indeed, Israel — the tribes of the Northern Kingdom — were completely assimilated among the other nations within sixty-five years (2 Kings 18:11), an assimilation that was especially intense during the reign of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (680–669 B.C.). In the time of Ahaz, however, this was a matter of faith. And that is precisely what is so interesting about this whole chapter: that just as faith mattered to God then, so now faith in Christ matters for our salvation.
Because God saw that Ahaz’s faith was not sufficient, He offered him a sign. He said to him: “You yourself name the sign you want Me to perform, so that I may assure you of My will.”
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” (Isaiah 7:10–11)
Ahaz’s response to this gracious offer from God is staggering:
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” (Isaiah 7:12)
These words may have the appearance of godliness, but they deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). With them Ahaz was simply announcing his decision that he refused to believe the Lord, and that he would do whatever he had set his mind to. What these words really meant was: “I will go my own way. I will make an alliance with the Assyrians, the most ruthless and cruel army that has ever existed. I will hold on to my idolatry. And perhaps in this way I will become more powerful. Or perhaps not… But whatever happens, under no circumstances will I entrust the fate of Jerusalem into God’s hands.” This was not only a political crisis but a spiritual one. Ahaz was set before a choice — whether to trust wholly in God or to trust in a political coalition — and he chose the latter. In 2 Kings 16:6–8 we read exactly what King Ahaz did.
6 At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day. 7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. (2 Kings 16:6–8)
Was Ahaz’s choice the right one? From a pragmatic standpoint, in the short term — yes. But in the long term it was utter folly. For by groveling before the Assyrian king, he actually invited him to attack not only Damascus, not only Samaria, but Jerusalem as well. And this is indeed what happened. In 732 B.C. Tiglath-Pileser conquered Damascus (2 Kings 16:9). In 722 the Assyrian king Sargon II captured Samaria. In 701 B.C. another Assyrian king named Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13). And had it not been for God’s miraculous answer to the prayer of the godly king Hezekiah of that day, Jerusalem too would have fallen into the hands of the Assyrians.
In the midst of all the turmoil of this critical political situation — against the backdrop of King Ahaz’s hardening and his refusal to believe God’s promises — God makes an astonishing promise. In words that at first concerned King Ahaz there lies hidden a promise that will free us from our sin and our vanity, if we receive it.
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:13–14)
Honestly, in their original context these words sound a little angry — as if Isaiah is filled with holy anger. First he gives a wonderful, comforting prophecy of deliverance for King Ahaz — a prophecy for which he could only give thanks. God’s word, however, seems not to be enough for Ahaz. Then Isaiah offers him a sign — but Ahaz rejects the sign too. This truly goes beyond all bounds, and Isaiah turns to Ahaz in a formal and somewhat curt manner, since he seems not to understand anything at all. “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?” And then Isaiah pronounces the promise of the birth of Immanuel. From the wider context of these words we understand that this Immanuel is actually a King, because in 8:8 He is spoken of as the ruler of Judah, and in 9:6–9 it is said of this same child:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6–7)
In Isaiah 7:14 the promise of Immanuel is called a “sign.” What is so important and momentous about these words? To penetrate them and understand them, we will dwell on four details concerning this sign.
A Sign Given by the Lord God Himself
Ahaz did not want a sign from the Lord — in this way he displayed his enormous unbelief in Him. But regardless of what Ahaz would say or do, God was going to give a sign — a sign not only to the kings of David’s dynasty, but to all of humanity. He was going to step into human history, and in a way no one would ever have expected. For the significance of this sign would reach far beyond the historical and political situation of Jerusalem at that time.
This sign was to be distinctive in that it would be a direct act of God, His own direct intervention in human history. He Himself would step onto the stage.
In Titus 1:1–2 the apostle Paul tells us that God planned to intervene in human history from the very beginning.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness — 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, (Titus 1:1–2)
Notice, it says here that the hope of salvation and eternal life was promised to us by God before the beginning of time — before time began, before the stars shone in the sky, before the earth was formed. Even before the beginning of everything, God already had His plan. He was thinking of us. And now He is ready to give the sign that He will act. This sign is something extraordinary, pointing to the fact that God is setting His eternal plan into motion — a plan at whose center stands the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In Matthew 9:35–36 it says:
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:35–36)
Here, this is our need. The need for a shepherd.
- The need for someone to lead us out of the sin in which we have gone astray;
- The need for someone to lift us onto his shoulders, to heal us and bind up our wounds;
- The need for someone to lead us to green pastures and give us drink beside quiet waters;
- The need for someone to give us direction and to make our lives meaningful.
God’s plan all along was to send us a Shepherd — a Shepherd sent to us directly from Him. The question is: do you believe in Him? Do you receive Him? Or, like Ahaz, do you want nothing to do with God?
A Sign Given for All People
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
This great sign is not only given by the Lord Himself; it is also given to all people. Even though God speaks to Ahaz, He speaks in the plural. Not “The Lord Himself will give you a sign” (singular), but “The Lord Himself will give you a sign” (plural). In these verses God speaks not only to Ahaz but to the house of Judah as a whole (v. 13). On a more global scale, however, these prophetic words concern all of humanity.
Moreover, the sign was to be “given” by the Lord. In other words, it would be a “gift” from Him. How do you give a gift to all people?
One Christmas a woman made a list of the names of many of her friends to whom she wanted to buy gifts. But her work was very busy, time was slipping away quickly, and she never managed to get out to the shops to buy all those presents. There were not many days left until Christmas, so at one point she gave up on the idea of gifts and settled on a simpler, easier, and cheaper option — to buy everyone a beautiful Christmas card. She went into a specialty shop that sold cards in bulk. She liked one with a gold border and flowers, and without dwelling on it long she bought a pack of fifty cards. She quickly signed most of them, put them in envelopes, and sent them off to her friends. She did not, however, take the time to read the text printed inside them.
After the bustle of the holiday had passed, as she was tidying up, she came across a few cards that had gone unsent. She sat down to look at them again, and when she opened them she was shocked by the text printed inside. The message was written in verse and read:
“This little card is just to say
a bigger gift is on the way!”
These cards were meant not as greetings but to be placed on gifts. The woman found herself in an awkward position. Now she had to send gifts to everyone to whom she had previously sent cards.
Isaiah’s prophecy is like such a card, sent from God to all people — an announcement of the most wonderful and greatest gift ever given. In John 3:16 it says:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The sign of God’s Son is not for some limited group of people. It is for every single one who would believe in Him. Do you remember what the angel said to the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night (Luke 2:10)?
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:10)
The prophecy that Isaiah pronounced before King Ahaz has an application for all of humanity, for all people on the face of the earth, throughout all of human history. Jesus is God’s gift for all. And what is more important, He is God’s gift for you today. Do you realize that you too were included on God’s list of people whom He chose beforehand, and for whom He gave His one and only Son?
As the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:15:
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)
The Sign — A Great Miracle
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
God’s sign was to be a miracle. A virgin would conceive. A young woman who had never had an intimate relationship with a man would become pregnant. To this verse we can apply a principle for the interpretation of prophecy called the “law of double reference.” According to it, one and the same prophecy has a double meaning — both an immediate meaning, fulfilled partially in the corresponding historical period, and a meaning for some future event, which in its own time is fulfilled in fullness.
King Ahaz disregarded Isaiah’s prophecy. But the sign would capture his attention. What was important for Ahaz and his contemporaries was that before the child reached an age at which he could distinguish good from evil, Assyria would conquer Aram and the Northern Kingdom of Israel — something that happened in the decade between 732 B.C. and 722 B.C.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (Isaiah 7:14–16)
If we take it that a child learns “to reject the wrong and choose the right” — in other words, to be morally responsible — at somewhere around the age of 12 or 13, then this prophecy is fulfilled in an astonishingly precise way. If it was given in 735–734 B.C., then it begins to be fulfilled in 732 B.C. with the fall of Damascus, and is completely fulfilled in 722 B.C. with the fall of Samaria — exactly 12 years.
This is the immediate fulfillment of the prophecy. But on a wider scale, the mother of Immanuel is a foreshadowing of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Incidentally, some works of art from the Middle Ages depict Mary reading precisely Isaiah 7:14 at the very moment the archangel Gabriel appears to her to announce that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18–25 shows us that the apostles regarded this prophecy as referring precisely to Mary and the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18–25)
The Sign — The Birth of a Son
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
The sign was not only that a virgin would conceive, but that she would give birth not to a daughter but to a son. The sex of the child was known beforehand. Moreover, His name would be Immanuel — God with us; not God far from us, not God separated from us, but God with us. Although this was not Jesus’ personal name, it was a name that described His character. It pointed to who He is. From the moment of Jesus’ birth, God Himself would be present among people. Jesus had two natures — human and divine. He experienced everything that we experience, and along with that He would give us everything we need — salvation from sin and eternal life.
In John 1:14 it says:
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Does God’s Sign Change Your Life?
And so, today we are speaking about God’s sign. First, it was to be a sign given by God Himself. Second, it was to be a gift for all people. Third, it was to be an incredible miracle. And last, it was to be the birth of a “son,” whose name would be Immanuel — “God with us.”
Do you know what is astonishing about all of this? Nothing changes life the way the birth of a baby does. Even before it is born, clothes, a room, a crib, a bath, diapers are prepared for it… The lives of its parents change and begin to revolve around it. Nothing changes our lives the way a baby does.
Today we celebrate Christmas — the incarnation of the Son of God, the birth of the baby Jesus. He is God’s gift to you from God Himself. Does Jesus change your life? Does He change your work, your schedule, your home, your life? Does He influence your attitude, your love, your giving, your service? The answers to these questions are important, because if Christ has not been born in our lives, then celebrating Christmas would be in vain. If you have not yet invited Him into your life, then what more fitting day than today? Pray to God. Confess your sins to Him. Invite Him into your life. Receive this message of peace and salvation. And you will receive eternal life and will be together with Jesus throughout eternity.
Today you have a choice. Either to receive God’s redeeming grace, to place your trust in His Word, and to receive Christ as your personal Savior — or, like Ahaz, to reject God’s sign. To decide to walk in your own human ways, to go on living in unbelief and idolatry. Ahaz, however, for all his unbelief, could not stop the fulfillment of God’s plan. Nor will you stop it if you reject the gospel. For this same Jesus, who two thousand years ago appeared on earth as a little baby, will come again. There is yet another sign that God will give to all people, and that is the sign of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:30).
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)
But this time God’s Son will come not as a baby but as a Judge. And He will judge people according to whether they have believed in Him (John 3:17–18; 36).
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:17–18)
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:36)
What will you choose this morning? Eternal life or God’s wrath? It depends on you — whether you will believe in the Son or refuse to listen to Him. But choose life, and do not reject God’s grace, for today is the time of God’s favor, and today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:1–2)!
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1–2)