A Miss Conception?

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Opening Prayer

You are the God of my hoping, the Author of my waiting. I anticipate a fresh gift of Your grace today.

Read Isaiah 7:1-17

^[1] When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. ^[2] Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. ^[3] Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. ^[4] Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood-because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. ^[5] Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, ^[6] “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” ^[7] Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘It will not take place, it will not happen, ^[8] for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. ^[9] The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'” ^[10] Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, ^[11] “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” ^[12] But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” ^[13] Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? ^[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. ^[15] He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ^[16] for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. ^[17] The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah-he will bring the king of Assyria.”

Meditate

Reflect on the words of the ancient carol, “O come, O come Emmanuel…” If you don’t have a hymnbook, go to www.hymnlyrics.org.

Think Further

Today’s seasonal passage is a much-discussed messianic prophecy. Traditional Jewish understanding denies the supernatural elements of the virgin birth, but the Gospels refer to the passage in the birth stories of Jesus (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:26-35). The sign of Immanuel (God with us), one of the four son-signs of Isaiah’s early ministry, speaks both then and now of miracles and salvation, both to Israel under King Ahaz, and to us today.

Syria and the northern kingdom (Israel) unite against Assyria. That pressures Judah to join, or stay neutral, as Isaiah advises. King Ahaz will make the eventually disastrous request for Assyrian protection (2 Kings 16). Invasion will follow. Isaiah rebukes his lack of faith, false humility and feigned piety with the sign of “God-with us,” an unnamed woman’s baby. Is it the miraculous nature of the pregnancy, the timing of the child’s birth, his name or his diet that is significant? Perhaps it is all of this. As for Isaiah, the event confirms his message of God’s miraculous provision of salvation from Judah’s enemies.

The Hebrew word almah is translated as “virgin,” but this term broadly means a young woman who may or may not be married. Unmarried women would be expected to be sexually inexperienced, and the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, translates the term parthenos. Just as the Parthenon in Athens depicts the maiden goddess of wisdom, Athena, so the term is associated by the Gospel writers with an even greater sign, the virginal conception of Christ. A fuller sense of Isaiah’s prophecy to Israel has been expanded to include the hopes and needs of all nations. Our sign today is the sign that God is truly with us, God in human form, to rescue all humanity. Will we put our trust in the God who saves his people?

Apply

List for yourself the prophecies that are fulfilled in the coming of Christ, and the response of faith they call for.

Closing prayer

Lord, Advent instructs me about patience. I’m hoping, waiting, praying, and anticipating. Prepare me for a fresh touch from You.

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