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A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE
Behold,
a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.
The prophecy of
Isa 7:14 included the foretelling
of a unique birth (“Behold, the
virgin shall conceive”), the sex
of the Child (“and bear a Son”),
and the name of the child (“and
[she] shall call His name Immanuel”).
When first used by Isaiah, it denoted that the birth of the child
was a sign that God was with the Jews to deliver them.
JESUS is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and
our God. His miraculous conception was a thing not heard of before,
or since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first
promise in the Bible refers to “The seed of
the woman,” (Gen 3:15)
not the offspring of the man.
Jesus inherited His nature from His Father
and His physical body from His mother. The Holy Spirit was
instrumental in His conception. God came down to live as a man that
we might be lifted up to dwell with Him.
Isa 9:6 tells us that
a child is born, a Son is given.
The Son came out of eternity, the Ancient of Days, but the child,
His humanity, was conceived in the virgin's womb. He came forth
yonder in Bethlehem where a few shepherds and wise men came to
worship Him. He was more than just a precious child. He was the
precious Prince of Peace who made peace by the blood of His Cross
and some day shall bring peace to this war-weary world that we are
living in.
Note His humble parentage. His mother has
been described simply as “a virgin,” not a princess, or prophetess,
nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her
veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing
most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how
poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the
accommodation afforded to the new-born King!
Whatever circumstances allowed for the
partial fulfilment of this prophecy in the time of Ahaz, its
complete fulfilment was in the birth of Christ, and spoke of God
intervening as SAVIOUR of His people. 'Born
of a woman', He would be 'manifest
in flesh',
1Tim 3:16.
That
'Holy One',
newly born of Mary the virgin, whom shepherds beheld lying in a
manger at Bethlehem, was no less a person than the eternal God,
Luke 1:35,
Luke 2:12.
Immanuel ,
God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our
punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in
resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.
Our prayer is that He may be formed in us,
the hope of glory.
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