LEARNING DAILY

Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Immanuel – God with us. Imagine that and what it means! The prophet Isaiah foretells of promised Messiah being born of a virgin, conceived without the involvement of a human father. Matthew made note of Isaiah’s statement when the angel told Joseph not to divorce Mary upon hearing she was with child. For every Believer today, the prophesy from Isaiah and the message from the angel in the gospel of Matthew clearly point to Mary became pregnant by the Holy spirit and not by a man.

The prophesy in Isaiah has a second prophesy to mention. Isaiah had been sent to deliver a message to Ahaz, the king of Judah. Israel had been spilt into two section and the northern nations, Israel, had joined with the nation of Aram; they were going to attack Judah. Jerusalem was in Judah and where the kings in David’s lineage ruled from. Ahaz, even though he had rebelled against God, was still protected by God. In Isaiah 7:10, God told Ahaz to ask for a sign about waiting on the Lord – “do not bow or fear the northern coalition”. But Ahaz refused and would not test the Lord. God then gives this prophetic word through Isaiah; it continues to give the downfall of Judah’s enemies.

Isaiah’s message, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”, to Ahab was, God will be with you! The message was telling Ahaz and the people of Judah that their enemies were defeated; their enemies did not know that, but the battle was lost. God was with Judah – He had entered the battle!

Matthew 1:23 uses these words from Isaiah to make clear that Mary was pregnant with the promised Messiah. The prophesy is clear that Jesus is God, sent to earth to be with us, to save each person who would believe in Him. Isaiah was God’s prophet who spoke the words God gave him to speak. Matthew writing by the influence of the Holy Spirit applied the words spoken by Isaiah to Mary and Jesus.

This blog refers to the struggles all around. Believers not only are faced with the events in the world but face personal struggles of all kinds. There are those who go through varies trials alone. No matter your situation be encouraged that “Our Father in heaven” sent His Son to be “Immanuel – God with us”. As a Believer, you are never alone, Jesus is with you! Take a few minutes to just meditate on that. Remember those times He was with you as you went through whatever it was you faced. He was with you then and He will certainly be with you in whatever the future holds. Read Romans 8:37-39 – nothing can separate the Believer from God and His love for His Faithful Followers in Christ!

What a message to cling to and be reminded of as we enter this Christmas season; the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior.