Isaiah Present Danger, Future Hope ~ Part 3 Various Passages T he Christians, as far back as the Christian Bible itself, have hunted the Scriptures for allusions to the principles of their faith. Their favorite sources are in the Book of Isaiah. Both Ibn Ezra and Redak refute the Christological inferences from this verse. Since the sign was given to Ahaz to allay his fears of Israel and Aram, it does not make sense that he should be given a sign of something to occur over four hundred years later. 1 Obviously contemporary Jewish scholarship can t afford passages in Isaiah to be speaking of the Messiah, if by Messiah, we mean Yeshua, because then it would be forced to reconsider its view of both the Tanach and the New Testament. What I find interesting is many of the Messianic passages which are now rejected as such, from the time they were written through the middle-ages were acknowledged as being Messianic. The change occurred because of the Christian understanding of them as being fulfilled in Christ. Buksbazen records the following comments. The most famous medieval Jewish Bible commentator, Rashi (1140-1105), known for his determined opposition to the Christian interpretation of the Old Testament, made this astounding comment concerning the meaning of almah: Behold the almah shall conceive and bare a son and shall call his name Immanuel. This means that our Creator shall be with us. And this is the sign: the one who will conceive is a girl (naarah), who never in her life has had intercourse with any man. Upon this one shall the Holy Spirit have power. 2 It s not surprising contemporary scholarship, which constantly refers to Rashi doesn t here. I II III IV Introduction The Meaning of the Sign, Old Testament The Meaning of the Sign, New Testament Unto Us A Child Is Born We have been seeing God s anger and the end of His patience with Judah and Ahaz. Without investing much time in reviewing, the main problem was that Ahaz felt he knew better than God. Judah was threatened by an alliance of Israel and Syria. These two nations were trying to bring down Judah. 1 Rosenberg, Rabbi A., Isaiah, Volume 1, The Judaica Press, Inc., New York, NY, 1992, p. xvi, 67. 2 Buksbazen, Victor, The Prophet Isaiah, In Two Volumes, The Spearhead Press, Collingswood, NJ, 1971, p. 150.
Ahaz decided instead of trusting God, he would form his own alliance, one with his own enemy, Assyria. God, through Isaiah, came to Ahaz and told him he had nothing to fear. The Israeli alliance would fall and Israel herself would be scattered within 65 years. As was normally the case, God was willing to provide a sign to put His stamp on Isaiah s words. But when God told Ahaz to ask for a sign, Ahaz refused. And why did he do so? The best assumption is he had already decided he wanted his own alliance and may have already begun treaty talks with Assyria. Isaiah railed on Ahaz for his disobedience and arrogance in rejecting God s instruction to request a sign. Now he was going to get one whether he wanted one or not. And that brings us back to these four verses. I Introduction: As I noted the last couple of weeks, I want to take the time to examine these verses in more detail because they are very familiar. But with familiarity, we may think we understand them better than we actually do. The conservative interpretation of these verses is frequently attacked because it is one of the foundational teachings of Christianity. This being the case, these verses deserve a closer look. And that s our focus this morning. So, here s Grogan s list of the five generally recognized interpretations of the passage. They will serve as foundation for this morning s approach. I. The mother is royal, perhaps the queen, and so the child is a royal prince, perhaps Hezekiah. II. The mother is Isaiah s wife, and so the child is one of his sons. III. The prophecy does not refer to a specific mother and child but to mothers in Judah generally, who will give their offspring names symbolizing hope in God IV. The mother is the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus Christ. V. The mother is a royal contemporary of the prophet, whose child s name would symbolize the presence of God with his people and who would foreshadow the Messiah in whom God would be incarnate. 3 One last point I want to make at here as we move forward is that passages, especially those that are a sign or prophecy can have more than one application and while Isaiah may have one perspective, God had more in view because of how the passage is applied by the Gospels. This means the Jewish understanding can be accurate as far as it goes, except for its rejection of the Christian understanding. 1I The Meaning of the Sign, Old Testament: By meaning here I am referring to Ahaz and Isaiah s understanding of God s words as they were given at the time. The fact one can find a contemporary application does not preclude a future one was well. Before going to Ahaz and Isaiah, we should probably look at the definition of Almah. The NIV Bible Dictionary defines it this way. 3 Grogan, Geoffrey W., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Isaiah, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990. ) 100 (
VIRGIN Nine times almah is found four singular (Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Prov 30:19; Isa 7:14) and five plural (Ps 46, title, 68:25; Song of Songs 1:3; 6:8). In three passages (Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Song of Songs 6:8; probably Prov 30:19), the girl is unquestionably a virgin. So far, then, almah is a virgin. Turning now to bethulah, and leaving aside metaphorical uses (such as references to cities and tribes; e.g., Isa 37:22), there are 14 occurrences that are noncommittal (e.g., Deut 32:25), grouping girls and young men simply as young people, without any more implying that the young women are married or unmarried than that the young men are bachelors. There are 21 cases where the girls certainly are virgins (e.g., Exod 22:16; Judg 19:24). In three cases bethulah was amplified by saying that she had never had sexual intercourse (Gen 24:16; Lev 21:3; Judg 21:12). By comparison, almah is never qualified or amplified. Genesis 24 is the only passage in which the words occur so as to enable comparison. Abraham s servant uses the term naarah (24:14). In verse 16 Rebekah arrives and, knowing only what his eyes tell him, she is described as female (naarah), as of marriageable age (bethulah), but as unmarried (whom no man had known). If bethulah necessarily meant unmarried, no definition would be needed. But in verse 43 the servant, recounting all that has happened, simply describes Rebekah as almah, i.e., using it as a summary word for all he now knows: female, marriageable, and unmarried. This conclusion has great bearing on the NT use of parthenos, especially as it occurs in Matthew 1:23, and on the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 So while the word does not preclude a translation of young woman, virgin is clearly appropriate, except for this who reject the supernatural. And there is no question as to the intended New Testament usage being virgin. Now, as to Ahaz s understanding. It would most likely relate to a general view that by the time a young woman gave birth to a child and it reached the age where it was able to say daddy and mommy, the kings of Syria and Israel would be dead. Whether this was a to be a specific woman, or the other two possibilities, a royal or Isaiah s wife, wouldn t matter. And this may well be a correct understanding of the passage. But, that doesn t preclude a greater meaning that went beyond Ahaz s concerns. What would Isaiah have understood? This is hard to say specifically, but looking at the context of his prophecies we do know he expected God to provide a Redeemer. This also would have been consistent with other Old Testament writers. This means this passage shouldn t be considered in isolation from others. Does this mean Isaiah fully understood the implications of his words? There is no way to know until we can ask him directly. 1II The Meaning of the Sign, New Testament: Bruksbazen points out another example of an early Jewish understanding of this verse. In the 3 rd century B.C., long before there ever was a Christiological controversy between Jews and Christians, the Jewish translators of the Septuagint rendered the world almah with the Greek term for virgin parthenos. Matthew in 1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14 from the Septuagint used the same term parthenos. 5 The sign given by God to Ahaz through Isaiah can have multiple meanings. The NIV study notes express it this way: 4 Douglas, J. D. and Merrill C. Tenney, editors, NIV Bible Dictionary, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990. 5 Buksbazen, p. 150. ) 101 (
SIGN A sign was normally fulfilled within a few years (see 20:3; 37:30; cf. 8:18). virgin. May refer to a young woman betrothed to Isaiah (8:3), who was to become his second wife (his first wife presumably having died after Shear-Jashub was born). In Ge 24:43 the same Hebrew word ( almah) refers to a woman about to be married (see also Pr 30:19). Mt 1:23 apparently understood the woman mentioned here to be a type (a foreshadowing) of the Virgin Mary. Immanuel. The name God is with us was meant to convince Ahaz that God could rescue him from his enemies. See Nu 14:9; 2Ch 13:12; Ps 46:7. Immanuel is used again in 8:8,10, and it may be another name for Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3). If so, the boy s names had complementary significance (see note on 8:3). Jesus was the final fulfillment of this prophecy, for he was God with us in the fullest sense (Mt 1:23; cf. Isa 9:6-7). 6 Here I want to take the time to look at the references. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us. (Matthew 1:23). 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. Of the increase 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). 1V Unto Us A Child Is Born: Now having gone through the analysis of options, it is fairly obvious the demand the sign be specifically applicable to Ahaz is not proof the Christian approach is unacceptable. In fact we find constantly double applications to God s signs and prophecies. And that is the case here. There is really no problem in believing Isaiah s words are a prophecy of the coming Messiah, that is if: 1. You don t reject God s supernatural intervention out of hand. For those who do, obviously Isaiah couldn t tell about something happening in 400 years. And of course a virgin birth is impossible. 2. If you are a contemporary Jewish scholar then, since God is not behind the New Testament, the writers were simply taking the words of the Tanach and forcing them into a mold which apparently referred to Christ. But God is the one who said through Paul: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). This being the case, regardless of what Isaiah may have understood, it is the Holy Spirit who takes the words of the Septuagint and prophetically applies them in the Matthew passage. And this is the point Jewish scholarship misses. God was equally involved with the New Testament as the Old. And that being the case He is the one who controls interpretation. 6 NIV Study Bible Notes, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999. ) 102 (
Why is this important? Because the Virgin Birth is an absolute necessity to the Incarnation and God s work of salvation. Let s go back to the NIV Dictionary. VIRGIN BIRTH The teaching that Mary, the mother of Jesus was a virgin both when she conceived and when she gave birth to Jesus, the child who was Immanuel (Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; Isa 7:14). Conception by a virgin was the appropriate way for the eternal Son to become a man. As the Holy Spirit had hovered over the old creation (Gen 1:2), so now the Holy Spirit is present to superintend the origin of a new creation, of which the Incarnate Son will be the center. The virginal conception points to the unique relation of the Incarnate Son to the human race he came to save: There is a basic continuity with us in that he shares our flesh and was born in the normal way. There is a basic discontinuity in that he was conceived in regard to his manhood in a unique way as a new creation. 7 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 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. 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. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25). Criswell does a better job of summarizing all we ve discussed this morning, so I d like to close with his words: A critic might come to you and say, Tell me honestly, if a seventeen-year old girl came to you being pregnant and said, My child has no earthly father; my child is conceived by God, would you believe her? I certainly would, if the birth of that child had been predicted since the dawn of creation; if every prophet who ever lived foretold His glorious coming; if when He died the third day He was raised from the dead; and if after His ascension into heaven there were millions of people who laid down their lives in His name. If it were that child, yes! For you see, this is the intrusion of God in human history and in human life. The virgin birth of our Lord is of the same piece as His resurrection. When I read in God s Word that He came down and assumed human form and flesh that He might die for our sins, when I read that in love He died for us on the cross, when I see that He was raised from the dead for our justification, when I have the experience of praying to Him in heaven, and when I feel the assurance, comfort, and strength that He is coming again to be King and Lord over the whole earth, I sense that the word is all of one piece, and it is all of God. All of these things that happened in history worked together for His coming. In the fullness of time He came. The whole earth was filled with expectancy that out of the East should arise a great messianic deliverer. Tacitus and Suetonius, the Roman historians, speak of it. Those who came from afar said to King Herod in Jerusalem: We have seen His star in the east and we have come to worship Him. Where is He? The whole earth was filled with expectance of a coming Lord. In the fullness of time, just as the prophet announced 740 years before He came. If He was not born of a virgin, God in the flesh, if He was conceived like the rest of us, then when He died, He died for His own sins. He is not my Savior; He could not be. He had to die for His own 7 Douglas ) 103 (
sins jut as all of us die for our sins; He died as one among us. He may have been a good man, a great man, maybe the greatest man. He may have been a brilliant man, maybe the finest philosopher and sage who ever lived, but if He was born like the rest of us, He was born a sinner possessing a propensity and affinity for sin we cannot deny. A man may say, I will be perfect, yet the drag of sin will pull him down. But God gives the promise in the Garden of Eden that the seed of the woman shall crush Satan s head. God gives the promise that David shall have a son who will sit upon his throne forever. God gives the promise that the name of that coming One shall be the mighty God and the everlasting Father. God gives the promise that His name is Immanuel, God with us. As God He is able to bear all our sins in His own body on the tree. Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. This is our Savior who suffered for our sins that we might find forgiveness in God and life everlasting in His wonderful name. This is the evangel to be announced, to be heralded, to be preached to the whole world, Christ is come to save men s souls. That is why they named Him Jesus, Savior, because He would save His people from their sins. He is Christ our living Lord. All hail the power of Jesus name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel s race, Ye ransomed from the fall, Hail Him who saves you by His grace, And crown Him Lord, of all. 8 8 Criswell, W. A., Isaiah, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1977, p. 71-72. ) 104 (
Isaiah Present Danger, Future Hope ~ Part 3 Various Passages I II III IV Introduction The Meaning of the Sign, Old Testament The Meaning of the Sign, New Testament Unto Us A Child Is Born I Introduction: I. The mother is royal II. The mother is Isaiah s wife III. The prophecy does not refer to a specific mother and child IV. The mother is the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus Christ. V. The mother is a royal contemporary of the prophet. 1 II The Meaning of the Sign: Old Testament: (see Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Prov 30:19; Isa 7:14) and five plural (Ps 46, title, 68:25; Song of Songs 1:3; 6:8; Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Song of Songs 6:8; probably Prov 30:19; Exod 22:16; Judg 19:24; Gen 24:16; Lev 21:3; Judg 21:12) 1 Grogan, Geoffrey W., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Isaiah, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990.
III The Meaning of the Sign: New Testament: (Mt 1:23; cf. Isa 9:6-7; see 20:3; 37:30; cf. 8:18; Nu 14:9; 2Ch 13:12; Ps 46:7) IV Unto Us A Child Is Born: (2 Kings 16:8-9; Isaiah 8:7-8, 36:1)