sign in sign up
<<
Home , Immanuel, Isaiah 7

Commentary

Text: 7:10-17

Context of the book / letter / Gospel: The Isaiah lived in the time of the Divided ​ Kingdom, and prophesied against the nations of and . In chapter seven, he gives hope to a nation facing judgment. God would one day visit His people in the form of a Child, born of a virgin. He would be , “God with us.” His name would be , for He would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).

Main Idea of The Text: Scholars believe this to be the announcement of the birth of Isaiah’s ​ second son, whom he would name, “Immanuel” pictures the birth of the promised . The child would be “God with us,” God in the flesh, Who would come and save His people from their sins. King did not want the sign, but God would give it to him anyway.

Exegetical Outline of The Text

I. Ahaz Refused A Sign from God -- vv. 10-13. II. God Still Gives Ahaz the Sign -- vv. 14-16. III. God Promises to Judge Judah for Her Sin -- v. 17.

Verse by verse commentary:

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your ​ ​ ​ God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.” ​

13 Isaiah said, “Listen, house of ! Is it not enough for you to try the ​ patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?

The historical setting of the text is the fear that the nation of Judah would be attacked by an alliance of the nations of and Israel. The king of Israel at this time was , and he was the last king before the northern kingdom was destroyed and sent into exile by the Assyrians (Walvoord and Zuck, 1046).

1

Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign from the Lord that He would not destroy Judah through the alliance of Aram and Israel. But Ahaz refused (v. 12). His answer sounds very spiritual, but most likely he didn’t want to believe Isaiah’s words because Isaiah was pronouncing judgment on Judah, if she did not repent of her sin (Walvoord and Zuck, 1047).

Ahaz had formed an alliance with , which demonstrated his lack in faith in the Lord. His decision to not ask for a sign also showed his disobedience. God was asking him to ask for a sign, but he decided to be pious, and refuse to “test” the Lord (Wiersbe, 19).

Isaiah reprimands Ahaz because while he thought he was being spiritual, he was in reality testing the patience of the Lord (v. 13). He was refusing to allow God to show Himself mighty by not asking for a miracle (Walvoord and Zuck, 1047).

14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will ​ ​ ​ conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel. 15 By the time he learns to ​ ​ ​ ​ reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating curds and honey. 16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is ​ ​ good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.

Even though Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, God decided to give him one anyway. The sign would be a child, born of a virgin, who would be named “Immanuel.” The ultimate fulfillment of this sign is the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, but there was an immediate fulfillment in that time as well. Scholars believe that a child was actually born to Isaiah by his second wife, who was named Maher-shal-al-hash-baz, but was also known as Immanuel (Wiersbe, 19).

However, other scholars believe that the prophecy is a direct reference to Christ’s birth only, but the context would not have made sense to the people living in that time frame. Others reject the belief that the child was actually Isaiah’s, because his first wife had died giving birth,

2 and the name Immanuel is not given directly to Maher-shal-al-hash-baz (Walvoord and Zuck, ​ ​ ​ ​ 1048).

The third interpretation is that the woman was a virgin at the time of the prophecy, but would marry and have a child. The alliance between the two nations would break apart when the child was still young. The name of the child suggests that God will take care of His people at this time, and destroy this alliance in His timing (Walvoord and Zuck, 1048).

Whatever the correct interpretation is here, one thing is certain--it is a prophecy concerning the Christ, and it is on this scholars focus upon the most. This is the prophecy which Matthew quotes in his gospel written to a Jewish audience to help them understand that Jesus Christ is indeed their promised Messiah (Walvoord and Zuck, 1048; Wiersbe, 19).

The contains twenty-two prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah. While the time factor speaks of a virgin at the time of the prophecy in Isaiah’s day, it affirms the prophecy given by Matthew that the mother of the Messiah would indeed be a virgin. The book of Luke confirms this for us when Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel. She would conceive by the Holy Spirit (cf. :34-35) (Walvoord and Zuck, 1048-9).

17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s house such a ​ time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah: He will bring the king of Assyria.”

Isaiah prophesies that the king of Assyria will eventually used by God to judge Judah. Scholars say that Ahaz went to visit the king of Aram, and sketched an altar there that he liked. He wanted a similar altar erected in (Walvoord and Zuck, 1048).

Although Assyria was not Judah’s ultimate captor, she paid her a heavy tribute until the days of . Verse 17 is the beginning of the pronouncement of God’s judgment on Judah

3 (Walvoord and Zuck, 1048). Dr. Wiersbe gives us the following notes concerning the fulfillment of the prophecy:

Orthodox Jewish boys become ‘sons of the law’ at the age of twelve. This special son was a reminder that Syria and Ephraim would be out of the picture within the next twelve years. Isaiah delivered his prophecy in 734 B.C. In 732 B.C. Assyria defeated Syria, and in 722 B.C. Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom. The prophecy was fulfilled (19).

Theological Application:

Lesson Plan

Teaching Aim and Objectives

On the first Sunday of Advent, our text invites to explore the idea of Immanuel, “God with us.” We look at the prophecy of and explore its historical context and its prophetic significance, as it unfolds the drama of redemption which is the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we unpack this Scripture, we can apply it to our lives as we fulfill the following learning objectives:

1. The prophecy had an immediate fulfillment and an ultimate fulfillment. 2. The prophecy promised the presence of God in the present and in the future. 3. The prophecy announced the miracle of the Virgin Birth and the incarnation of Christ.

Walking Points

God was at work among His people in this time period, but He chose to take the opportunity to remind them of what He promised long ago. While it is obvious from the context that a child was born in Isaiah’s historical context, it is important to recognize the fact that Matthew did indeed quote this verse in reference to Christ. The birth of this child in Isaiah’s day was a picture of the birth of Christ in New Testament times.

4 Read vv. 10-13.

King Ahaz didn’t ask for a sign because he didn’t want to believe the whole Word of God. Isaiah had already told him that God would judge Judah, and he didn’t want more confirmation that God was going to judge His people, if they didn’t repent. But God chose to show him anyway.

The Lord works in our circumstances, and even when we choose to disobey, He will show Himself faithful because He loves us. The gives us no indication that Ahaz repented of his sin, but God loved His people and gave them the promise that He would not allow them to be destroyed at this particular time. While He was fulfilling that promise, He took the opportunity to remind them He was in charge, and this child was picturing for them the eventual Promise of a Messiah who would come and save them from their sin.

Think About It: Have you ever been like Ahaz? Afraid to ask God to show you something ​ because you don’t want to face the outcome? Have you ever wanted to be right with God, but didn’t want to take care of the sin in your life that would restore your relationship with Him?

Read vv. 14-17. See also John 1:14; Heb. 13:5.

2. The prophecy promised the presence of God in the present and in the future.

The Lord loved His people so much that He wanted to remind them that He was with them. So, He decided to give them a sign as a way of showing them He was in control. He doesn’t do that much today, but He definitely does show up in unexpected ways. The whole of Scripture gives us the “big picture” and assures us that God was “with us” when He sent Jesus to earth.

Think About It: Think about a time when you sensed the presence of God in a place or ​ with a person. How has God showed Himself to you? How has He reminded you that He is with you (cf. Heb. 13:5)?

3. The prophecy announced the miracle of the Virgin Birth and the incarnation of Christ.

Refer back to v. 14. See also Luke 1:34-35; Matt. 1:21.

In v. 14, Isaiah announced the miracle of the Virgin Birth and the incarnation of Christ. The miracle of the Virgin Birth was a sign of the Promised Messiah. How hard it must have

5 been for Mary and Joseph as they endured the shame of an “unplanned” pregnancy, which looked improper on the outside. But how sad it is that the people of Israel doubted their own Scriptures and failed to see that God was truly at work in their midst.

Think About It: Before we condemn the people of Nazareth for their lack of faith, we must ​ truly look at our own hearts. Would we have believed Mary when she told us? Mary knew the Word of God, and when the angel told her the good news, she realized it had to be true. She never doubted the angel’s words because she knew the prophecy. She understood that it had to be a virgin, and she accepted the mission God had given her with complete obedience. Do we have such faith in God’s Word that He will accomplish what He said He would!

Resources / Articles / Sources:

John Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: The Old ​ Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, a division of Scripture Press Publications, ​ 1985.

Warren Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary: Isaiah through Malachi: The ​ . Colorado Springs: David C. Cook Communications, 2008. ​

6