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The Revelation of God: Beyond Man's Faith
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.” The text begins with the word “Therefore” because this verse is in response to the unwillingness of Ahaz, King of Judah, to believe God. At this point in history an attack on Judah was imminent, and God wanted Ahaz to trust Him to handle the problem. For assurance, God offered Ahaz the unrestricted choice of a sign (v. 11). But Ahaz had his own plans, and they didn’t include God or His will (v. 12). Though the king’s rejection of the prophetic word and unbelief tested God’s patience, God is not limited to our small faith. He will perform His will and fulfill His promises. Similarly, our lack of faith doesn’t necessarily limit God’s promises, but can hinder our enjoyment of them.
Based on God's Faithfulness
“The Lord Himself.” In Hebrew, Adonai (Lord) means “master, the One who is in control of all things.” His faithfulness to all His promises is based on what He can actually do. Our faith relies on His faithfulness! The text emphasizes this by saying “Himself”: no one but God could come up with the virgin birth idea, and actually pull it off! The text also says that the Lord “will give”: all revelation is a gift; He is gracious. It’s not based on our worthiness, but on His gracious character. The text then says He will give “you” a sign. This word “you” is plural; it is a revelation not just to Ahaz, but to the entire house of David.
The text further emphasizes God’s faithfulness stating that He will give “a sign.” In this verse the Hebrew word for sign means “a miraculous wonder,” proof of the work of God: a sign of God’s faithfulness. He would not forsake what He had established, and the very existence of Israel would be proof of His faithfulness (Rom. 11:1). So also for all believers: He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day Messiah returns (Phip. 1:16). We are not forsaken to our problems:
God is with us.
Resource from God: Man's Inability Presented
“Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son.” The virgin birth reveals man’s inadequacy to secure his own soul. “Behold” calls us to see things from God’s perspective: Look to the virgin to have a child. Because a “virgin” is the one person who cannot naturally have a child, the virgin birth demonstrates that our natural limitations are not limiting to God. The Hebrew word for virgin, almah, refers not to just a ‘young woman,’ but to a young woman without ‘experience with a man.’ This word was used in 180 BC, when 70 rabbis translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek which became what is called the Septuagint. Since Yeshua had not yet come there was no controversy over this portion, thus these seventy rabbis used the most straightforward, accurate word for virgin, parthenos. Hence, parthenos equals almah. Why the Hebrew word almah? Almah comes from the Hebrew root word for “hidden” or “secret.” An almah is one hidden from experience with men. Messiah’s virgin birth is like our new birth in Him, it is not based on one’s wisdom or ability, but the sovereign work of God.
God's Great Ability is Profiled
The virgin birth demonstrates God’s singular ability to secure us. The virgin “shall conceive…a son”: Miriam’s (Mary) pregnancy demonstrated the power of God, the ‘inconceivable’ miracle. Why? The Jewish people exist as a people because of miraculous births, as with Abraham and Sarah having Isaac. The uniqueness of Messiah, the Son of God, necessitated a virgin birth. His birth would actually be a double miracle: born of a virgin, and the incarnation of God Himself! Not only would she miraculously conceive, but also she would “bring forth a son”! Here is promised that there would be not just a conception, but also a resulting birth! Her delivery demonstrated the protection of God, despite Satan’s attempts to destroy the Child (Gen. 3:15; Mt. 2:13; Rev. 12:3). Again, what God begins, He completes!
Humanity's Deepest Delight Realized
His name shall be called Immanuel. Literally, the Scripture says “His name shall be called ‘God with us.’” Immanuel means just that. Because we are created in God’s image, the greatest fulfillment in our lives is having “God with us!” But, to call this child Immanuel is to recognize Him as the Lord! He fulfills our deepest need: to be accepted by God, to have Him with us.
God's Deepest Desire Revealed
Immanuel is not only our greatest delight, but God’s greatest desire. Immanuel is God’s revelation! In all things God’s promises fulfill His will, His agenda, and His heart’s desire. Immanuel, “God with us” means:
1. God is near us: He’ll never leave us or forsake us. Through Messiah God fulfilled His creation purpose to have fellowship with man.
“God is with you”, and will be with you “even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).
2. God is for us: “If God be for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). God is for us and seeks our true and eternal welfare in Messiah. Our God is a desperate seeker of lost humanity. Never read Genesis 3:9,
“Adam, where are you?” as though God were some sort of a truant officer. God is a brokenhearted Father looking for His lost child, “Adam, where are you?”
3. God is in us: God is not limited by our limitations. We read in Col. 1:27
“Messiah in you, the hope of glory,” and also in 1 John 4:4
“greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” God takes up residence in your soul by His Ruach ha Kodesh, (Holy Spirit) so that He may impart spiritual life, and fellowship with you forever!
In Harm's Way
In World War I a soldier begged his officer to let him go out into the “No Man’s Land,” the killing zone between the trenches, to bring back one of his buddies who lay grievously wounded. “You can go,” said the officer, “but it’s not worth it. Your friend is probably already dead, and you will throw your own life away.” But the man went. Somehow through a hail of enemy gunfire he managed to get to his friend, hoist him onto his shoulders, and carry him back to the trenches. As the two of them tumbled in together and lay on the bottom of the trench, the officer rushed to them. Looking compassionately on the would-be rescuer he said, “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it. Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.” With labored words the young man shook his head and said, “But it was worth it, sir.” The puzzled officer replied, “What do you mean, ‘worth it’? I tell you your friend is dead.” “Yes, sir,” the boy answered, “but it was worth it, because when I got to him he was still alive, and he said to me, ‘Jim, I knew you’d come. I knew you wouldn’t let me die alone.’ It was worth it, sir.”
“Yeshua, I knew You'd come!”
Like the wounded friend on the battlefield, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. Then at Bethlehem, Immanuel came for us, in order to die that we might live. God is with us. He is a true Friend Who will never leave us or forsake us. He keeps His promises. The same fulfilled promise of the virgin birth proves the certainty of the promise and power of the second birth Yeshua offers to each of us (see John 3). It is a miracle, a true miracle of the love of God. If you haven’t already, won’t you today simply stop and take a moment, and receive God’s free gift of forgiveness for your sins that Yeshua has already paid for? Ask Messiah to come into your heart. As He promised, He will deliver God’s gift of forgiveness and new life: the best gift of
all! Y
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