Having seen the prophecies of the lineage and position of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Old Testament scriptures, this chapter would discuss the details of the birth of Jesus Christ. Truly the Old Testament Scriptures have provided for our learning what the Lord has promised concerning His begotten Son. The plan of salvation the Lord has promised for mankind, beginning in the Garden of Eden, would surely come to pass. However, no matter how firm the Scriptures may be, there will be some that reject this truth. In fact among the evangelical theologians many have rejected this truth which will be discussed in this chapter. Nevertheless, they still claim to be defenders of faith and Christianity.
Is. 7:14 is well known as the prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. It says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This prophecy actually refers to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ as clearly seen in the words of the angel Gabriel who was sent to Mary to declare that she would conceive in her womb and bring forth a son, who would be called Jesus (Luke 1:31). In the same way, the angel Gabriel also appeared and spoke to Joseph concerning the conception of Mary, his spouse. She would bear a son and his name would be called, Jesus (Matthew 1:21). In this regard, Matthew with the help of the Holy Spirit understood that the prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ was the fulfilment of Is. 7:14. Matthew wrote, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
A careful study of Is. 7:14 gives us the true fulfilment of this verse. It says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign” (v. 14a). The sign mentioned here was true. The Lord kept His promise. The sign was both heavenly and earthly. “A sign both in heaven and earth, namely, the promised Messiah; who being the Lord from heaven, would take flesh of a virgin on earth; and who as man, being buried in the heart of the earth, would be raised from thence, and ascend up to heaven.” The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was truly a sign to the whole world because He was born of a virgin.
On the other hand, many have considered Is. 7:14 as not referring to Jesus Himself but Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. This interpretation is common among the Jewish writers, but sadly it is also among the evangelical theologians. The question asked is: How valid is this interpretation? Sion answers that the promised Son mentioned in Is. 7:14 can only be interpreted as referring to Jesus Himself. Pounds said, "This son is not to be understood of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, by his wife, as some Jewish writers interpret it. Jarchi refutes interpretation, by observing that Hezekiah was nine years old when his father began to reign. Since this being was, as he says, the fourth year of his reign, he must be at this time thirteen years of age…. Besides, his mother could not be called a “virgin.” For the same reason it cannot be understood of any other son of his either by his wife…or by some young woman. Moreover, no other son of his was ever lord of Judea, as this Immanuel is represented to be, in Isaiah 8:8, ‘the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.’"
The birth of a son from a virgin is truly a great sign. That is why Isaiah wrote that it is worthy to behold as it has no precedent. As Pounds said, “For a virgin to conceive would fulfil the necessary meaning of the sign in the context of chapter seven. This sign would be a tremendous encouragement to the faith of the remnant of Israel. It would also bring judgment and condemnation to the unfaithful in David’s household. Thus, judgment and salvation are evident in the promised sign.” However the enemies of the gospel have tried their level best to destroy this truth by giving a wrong meaning to the word ‘virgin.’ They claim that a virgin here is not necessarily a woman who has never slept with a man. They consider a virgin here to be a young woman. On the other hand, Sion has observed, "To this may be added, that not only the Evangelist Matthew renders the word by parqeno", “a virgin”; but the Septuagint interpreters, who were Jews, so rendered the word hundreds of years before him. And this best agrees with the Hebrew word, which comes from the root alam, which signifies to “hide” or “cover.” For virgins are covered and unknown to men. In the eastern country virgins were usually kept recluse, and were shut up from the public company and conversation of men. And now this was the sign that was to be given, and a miraculous one it was, that the Messiah should be born of a pure and incorrupt virgin. Therefore a “behold” is prefixed to it, as a note of admiration. And what else could be this sign or wonder? Not surely that a young married woman, either Ahaz’s or Isaiah’s wife, should be with a child, which is nothing surprising, and of which there are repeated instances every day."
When Mary heard the message from the angel concerning her conception, she felt upset knowing that she was a virgin and knew no man (Luke 1:34). Nevertheless the angel convinced her that the Son that she would bear would be great for He is the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:31-33). Based on the writings of Matthew, Matthew did not have any problem accepting the prophecy given by God to the prophet Isaiah, but rather Matthew understood what the prophet had written. He had seen its fulfilment before his eyes. Truly Jesus Christ is the Immanuel promised by God to His people. He is the Saviour of the world that will save sinners. Christians should not have any problem resolving the issue of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is worth remembering what Pounds wrote, "If you have a problem with the “virgin” conceiving and bearing a child that should be nothing in comparison to the thought of Immanuel—God with us in the flesh. That is the greatest feat. How else could the “Word become flesh and dwell among us” than by means of a virgin becoming pregnant and bearing a son? God in the flesh means “God with us.” The child to be born will be called Immanuel; therefore, the translation “virgin” is demanded in the sentence. It is nothing short of a miracle, and that is exactly where the problem lies with those who want to reject “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14."
No comments:
Post a Comment