Do you sometimes wish for a sign from God? Many people have requested a sign from God, to show them that He is there, He is really God, that the claims that people make of Him are truly real. “If you’re really there, God, then show me!” are cries that some people make. In our Scripture passage for today, as we mark the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, we read of a sign that God has given us, as recorded in the book of the prophet Isaiah.
As our Scripture opens, we read about King Ahaz. Ahaz was a king of the southern Kingdom of Judah. He was one of several unbelieving, evil kings that Judah had, ones that did not worship Yahweh, but instead trusted in and worshiped foreign, pagan gods. Ahaz ruled Judah from 732-716 BC. During this time the mighty Assyrian Empire to the north was attacking the Kingdom of Damascus and the northern Kingdom of Israel. Ahaz did not want his country to be overrun by an enemy empire, himself possibly killed, and his people slaughtered. Should he try to make a peace agreement with Assyria, or should he join with other nations and oppose Assyria?
The prophet Isaiah counseled King Ahaz to not trust in any foreign alliances, either with the pagan Empire of Assyria, or with the neighboring pagan nations. Isaiah urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord God, as He alone, would protect the country. Only Yahweh could save His people. Isaiah then told King Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign that He would protect them, but he refused (vs. 10-12).
It was then that Isaiah gave one of the most significant prophecies in all of the Bible. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign to show that Yahweh would redeem His people from their enemies because he did not believe or trust in the Lord. Isaiah said that the Lord would give His own sign - the virgin would conceive and bear a Son, who would be called Immanuel (vs. 14).
This prophecy points ahead several hundred years to when the Virgin Mary conceived the Lord Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, while remaining a virgin. There are people who have tried to discount this verse, saying among other things, that this verse doesn’t even refer to a virgin, but instead refers to a young woman, and that it possibly even referred to Isaiah’s own wife, who shortly after this had a child. Let’s look at some reasons that clearly show that this does refer to a virgin.
The Hebrew word for “virgin” here is “almah”. It occurs seven times in the Old Testament. In every instance the term implies a young girl of child-bearing age who is a virgin. The ancient scribes agreed with this interpretation when they translated the Bible from Hebrew to the Greek in the 3rd century BC, the version called the Septuagint. Since that translation was written several hundred years before Jesus was born, it is an unbiased and reliable witness.
As we look at this prophecy, this was supposed to be a sign, something that was to happen which was to be quite extraordinary. Just having a young woman conceive and give birth is no big deal. That happens every day. However, a virgin conceiving and giving birth is something unique and miraculous.
There is another reason why this prophecy is of such importance. The virgin birth of the Savior Jesus is central to salvation. The Lamb of God had to be absolutely perfect, with no stain of original sin inherited from Adam (Leviticus 22:17-21). Because of the virgin birth, Jesus does not have the same sin nature as we do, which is why He was able to take all of our sins upon Himself upon the cross, and bring us forgiveness. To cast some doubt as to whether Jesus was born of a virgin would negate all of salvation and the efficacy of the atonement. If Mary was not a virgin when she conceived Jesus, if He was the physical son of any man, then He had original sin, and no matter how good He may have been, He was a sinner like all of us, and His death on the cross did nothing.
Isaiah’s prophecy in verse 14 states unequivocally that the virgin shall conceive. Jesus was born of a virgin, and thus He, and He alone, is able to atone for our sins upon the cross, and bring salvation to all who believe. Jesus is “Immanuel”, meaning “God with us”. The Lord God Himself came to dwell among us and save us from our sins. If you have not already accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then do not hesitate another day. Call upon the virgin-born Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Savior today!
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