Dearly loved by God in Christ Jesus,
The LORD offered King Ahaz of Judah an opportunity he should not have passed up. God said to the unbelieving king, “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” Earlier God had told Ahaz that the Syrians and the Egyptians would not conquer Judah. God even offered a visible sign as a pledge to the truth of his Word.
Ahaz, however, was a wicked and unbelieving king. He refused to obey the LORD’s command “Ask.” He was like the man in Jesus’ parable who buried his talent in the ground rather than obeying the command to put it to use. Ahaz offered the lame excuse that he did not want to “put the LORD to the test.” It is in no way tempting the LORD to obey his Word especially when the LORD offers a miracle.
Rather than forsake Ahaz in impatience and anger with him, the God of all power chose still to give a sign not only to Ahaz but also to all of his people. It was twofold in nature. The second part was that soon Syria and Egypt would fail in their attempt to conquer Judah. The first part Ahaz and the people would not live to see. We, however, have seen it and celebrate it. It is God’s Unique Appearance Among His People. His appearance attests to the truth of his Word. His appearance comes through a virgin.
The LORD wanted his king to stop doubting his Word and trust it. One of the ways God pledges to the truthfulness of his Word is with a sign. When he commanded Ahaz, “Ask” the Lord was doing just that. What an offer. Ask me for anything, even a miracle, and I will do it.
This reminds us of God’s command in Malachi. When God commanded Israel to bring “tithes and offerings,” he added, “Test me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” [3:10] When God gives us a command, it is not tempting or testing the LORD in a sinful way to obey it. In fact, like Ahaz, it is sinful to disobey God and then try to make the case I am being a good Christian by not doing obeying God.
Two small but important changes take place in the text. The recipients of God’s Word change from only Ahaz to the entire “house of David.” They, too, not only tried the patience of men through their unbelief. They even dared to try God’s patience with their constant rebellion. In the Hebrew, God’s name changes. God’s name goes from LORD, all capitals, the Tetragrammaton, which is God’s grace name, to Lord, only capital L that is God’s power name.
The signs are not for one man but for all God’s people and ultimately for the entire world. The God of all power is the one who would carry out the dual nature of the prophecy. He prevented Syria and Egypt from being victorious over Judah in the near future. In addition, when it was his time, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
God’s appearance among his people in that miracle attests to the truth of his Word about the coming Savior first given to Adam, repeated to Abraham then David, and finally to all the world and us lost in sin. His appearance among his people comes through a virgin.
The birth of this child would be unique among all future births. It would be a son. His mother would be a young unmarried woman. The meaning clearly is that she would be a virgin. This son of the virgin’s identifying name would be Immanuel, “God with us.”
This name does not mean that God is just present among his people. It means that God became like his people. This son would be both God and man in one person. We confess the miracle of the virgin birth weekly in the creeds when we acknowledge that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is our Lord and Savior.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is the visible pledge of God’s promise of the forgiveness of sins through our reconciliation with him. In Hebrew and in KJV, there is the command “Behold” right before the prophecy. This was the LORD’s call to look and see something of unusual importance. God used it when he announced to Samson’s mother that she would bear a son. It is similar to God’s announcement that Abraham and Sarah would have a son.
The presence of God among his people appears in the birth of this child. This child is Jesus of Nazareth. The mysterious and the supernatural surround his birth even with its lowliness and commonality with all births. Singing angels filled the heavens. Lowly shepherds came to his side. His mother, Mary, pondered all these things in her heart. Sometime late, a star led Gentile rulers to his house where they bowed down and worshipped him. They gave him gifts.
Isaiah is not speaking here about a contemporary of Ahaz. He is not speaking about a son with human mother and human father who would do great things. When this child would be born, he would be God in the flesh. He would be, “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” [9:6]
This son would come to live under the law and to redeem the world by his innocent death on the cross. He would come in the time of our deepest need yet not with majesty and power. He would come in humility in the form of a servant to give his life as a ransom for the many, as a ransom for you.
A lofty mountain to which all the nations go; a shoot from the stump of Jesse’s race; a desert blooming with life with the way of holiness passing through; a virgin mother bearing a son who is God with us. These are the beautiful pictures and sign the Holy Spirit has revealed to us so that we know who the baby is born in Bethlehem. He is Jesus, the Christ. He is our God and our brother and our Savior. Welcome him with all your hearts.
Amen. <SDG>