Series: Christmas 2023
Sermon: Jesus, the Sign
Bible Passage: Isaiah 7:14
Isa 7:14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel
I. Background information for Isa 7:14
1. This verse needs to be understood in the context of two crises of Judah (Jerusalem): “regional geo-political hostility” and “national spiritual deterioration”
a. Judah’s northern neighbors—Israel and Syria, formed an alliance and threatened Judah, whose king was Ahaz (cf. Isa 7:1-2; 2 Kings 15:37
b. Ahaz, the king of Judah, did not provide spiritual leadership to the nation
i. Ahaz was influenced by his neighbors
ii. Ahaz had developed wrong relationships (unholy alliances) that led him to spiritual compromises
c. Jerusalem was not strong enough to face the military alliance of their enemies
d. They did not have a matching military to face their enemy
e. The courage of the king and his people was severely damaged (Isa7:2)
2. God sent prophet Isaiah to king Ahaz with an offer of help (verses 3-10)
a. Verse 3: The LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out … to meet Ahaz”
b. Verse 4: Say to Ahaz, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood”
c. Verse 7b-9: “it will not take place, it will not happen, … Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people … If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all”
d. Verse 10: The LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the LORD your God for a sign”
3. Ahaz turned down God’s offer of help and approached Assyria for help (cf. Isa 7:10-13; 2 Kings 16:7)
a. Verse 12: Ahaz said, “I will not ask”
b. 2 Kings 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me
4. King Ahaz and the people of Judah did not demonstrate faith in the LORD but acted out of fear in the face of threat
II. Verse 14 (“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel”)
1. “Behold”: a marker that introduces something spectacular, an attention getter, marker of divine intervention
2. God’s offer of help was going to be confirmed by the birth of a son to the young woman (virgin) who need to be named “Immanuel” (Isa 7:14)
a. The referents of this verse are not clear
i. this is an example of divine ambiguity
ii. The Hebrew word for “young woman” may mean: (1) a woman of marriageable age or (2) a virgin
iii. Due to the “divine ambiguity,” this verse received significant attention
iv. The early Greek translation of this verse translates this it as “a virgin”
b. The birth of the son to the young woman was a sign from God
c. In Isa 7:14, the son is not God but a sign of God’s presence in the nation to protect
d. A “sign” can be an object, an occurrence, or an event through which a person is to recognize, learn, remember, or perceive the credibility of something” (Gunkel)
e. In other words, a “sign” is a pointer to something
f. So, the birth of the son is a pointer to Ahaz and the people of Judah that God was going to deliver them from their powerful enemies
3. God promised to be with them in their time of fear and helplessness
a. God remained faithful to His Word
b. God is deeply involved in the turn of events in the lives of His people
c. This verse became a messianic promise which looked for a greater fulfillment in the future
4. Isa 7:14 and Matt 1:21 look similar—“She [Mary] will give birth to a son and you will name him ‘Jesus,’ because he will save his people from their sins”
5. Contexts of Isa 7:14 and Matt 1:21 appear to be similar/analogous
a. Threat to marriage of Joseph and Mary, and a potential divorce (threat to relationships)
b. There was an utter helplessness with regard to the sin of God’s people (moral threat)
c. Threat to the life of Baby Jesus from Herod the Great and his son, Archelaus (political and social threats)
6. Just as God offered help through prophet Isaiah to Ahaz and his people, God promises help to Joseph and Mary (Matt 1:23) with the sign of a Son who is to be named “Immanuel”—
a. God tells Joseph that He will be with him at his crisis and challenging time—“do not fear” (cf. verse 20)
b. God offers help in his personal crisis and their utter helplessness in the face of sin (cf. 1:21)
c. Unlike Ahaz, Joseph believed God’s offer/promise
i. Joseph was saved from his family crisis
ii. Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus were protected from the hands of the aggressors
iii. Ultimately, sinners are provided with the Savior
7. The Christmas Season is a reminder that God sends His help in “Immanuel,” who is the sign
a. Personal and family crises
b. Political and social threats
c. Moral threats
Take Away:
Accept God’s offer of divine help through the sign (Jesus Immanuel) by not seeking help in wrong sources