Isaiah's Prophecy

Yesterday Pastor Jim had a great sermon on Isaiah 7:1-17. In this section of Scripture is the often quoted prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah. Pastor Jim talked about the immediate context of the text from Isaiah. Israel and Syria were coming against Judah to coerce Judah into joining their side against the Assyrians. Isaiah gives the sign from God, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Pastor Jim pointed out that there are two meanings in this prophecy. There is the immediate context of Judah receiving a sign as well as the larger context of the Messiah being born of a virgin. What we didn't get into was the fulfillment aspect of the two prophecies. Because of the Advent season our focus of course was on the Immanuel and the meaning of "God is with us." God is with us no matter where we are or what situation we find ourselves in whether relying on God when nations come against us as in the case of Ahaz, king of Jersusalem, or dealing with some every day situation today.

But I want to dig deeper and come back to the two prophecies for a minute. Prophets were true prophets because what they predicted always came true. Prophets whose messages didn't come true were known as false prophets. So I must assume that Isaiah's prophecies came true. My question is, "Are there two fulfillments of this prophecy?" Is there an immediate or close at hand fulfillment of Isaiah's words which was recognized by his first hearers and also the larger prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus? Or is there only one fulfillment of the prophecy and in that case how was that a comfort and sign to Ahaz 700 years earlier?

Either answer draws me to a few deeper issues. If there is an immediate fulfillment what does that mean for the "virgin birth." It has been suggested by some commentators that "virgin" can also be translated, "young maiden." Perhaps Isaiah meant this in his immediate context. The Gospels point out that Mary and Joseph did not consummate their relationship until after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:25). Is there historical evidence of an immediate fulfillment? Some suggest that Hezekiah (son of Ahaz) or Sheab-Jashub (son of Isaiah) as the immediate fulfillment. Both pose some problems.

Any thoughts?

This is what fascinates me about the Bible. So much going on. I also ran across a note that asked, "Why Ahaz?" Why does this message of the Messiah come to Ahaz who is not the best example of a king? God's message of love, hope, and redemption comes to use no matter who we are or how imperfect we are. So when we read the Bible, even familiar texts, read with open and new eyes to see what the Word is telling us.