The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 has been used to say a lot of things. Have you ever explored this verse "in context" to understand it more fully? How does Matthew correctly use this verse? What does Emmanuel "fully" mean?, etc.

I looked it up and found this:

Observe, it is the thoughtful, not the

unthinking, whom God will guide. God's time to come with instruction to his people, is when they are at a loss. Divine comforts most delight the soul when under the pressure of perplexed thoughts. Joseph is told that Mary should bring forth the Saviour of the world. He was to call his name Jesus, a Saviour. Jesus is the same name with Joshua. And the reason of that name is clear, for those whom Christ saves, he saves from their sins; from the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, and from the

power of sin by the Spirit of his grace. In saving them from sin, he saves them from wrath and the curse, and all misery, here and hereafter. Christ came to save his people, not in their sins, but from their sins; and so to redeem them from among men, to himself, who is separate from sinners. Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, speedily, without delay, and cheerfully, without dispute. By applying the general rules of the written word, we should in all the steps of our lives,

particularly the great turns of them, take direction from God, and we shall find this safe and comfortable.

neicey

Interesting comments from MH, but what does Isaiah mean by the terms and phrase "in context." Who was this written to/about? When was the "sign" fulfilled in Isaiah or Matthew or both?

It depends who you ask. The guys who wrote the notes in the NIV study Bible (which I used to read) think that it refers initially to Isaiah's child. They speculate that his first wife died in childbirth, and that "the virgin" is the same as "the prophetess" in 8:3, who is his second wife. Emmanuel would then find it's inital fulfillment in Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

Others think it refers initially to Hezekiah, Ahaz' son, who would be free of the vices which gripped his father, and would turn the nation back to the Lord. In both these cases, they would be an example of the "already-but-not-yet" principal, i.e. something is fulfilled initially as a type, with the fuller fulfillment coming later, in this case, in the person of Jesus Christ.

Then others reject both of these interpretations, and say it applied directly to Christ. They'll cite, for example, that Hezekiah was 9 or something already by the time this prophecy was made, etc. etc.

I'm not sure exactly where I stand.

Hi J Edwards, now you know I'm guessing, but I know you will give the true answer.
( God with us) is you, me, others, and it would have been fulfilled when the veil tore.

neicey

Matthew 28:16-20 is the scene of the resurrected Jesus meeting His disciples on a hill in Galilee. Jesus immediately declared his absolute authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (NIV). The disciples would be reminded of many experiences during Jesus' ministry that proved His authority. Now with this knowledge of the resurrection, it was evident to them that He had received His authority from God. Jesus then gave the disciples a Commission to “make disciples of all nations” (NIV). A disciple is (1) one who willingly becomes a learner of the Master's teaching and seeks to follow His example by implementing His teaching, and (2) who passes on to others what one has learned. Hearing Jesus' command, the disciples recalled His teaching and fellowship. Now they were called on to carry forward His mission. Jesus said they would make disciples as they went away from their meeting with Him. Their activities would include baptizing new disciples into the lordship of Jesus. This is the original commitment. The disciples would pass on to others all that Jesus taught them. In telling this story, Matthew emphasized that Jesus (1) has total authority, (2) His teachings must be transmitted, (3) and His message is for all people. If we, the modern readers, will keep these three themes in mind as we read the Gospel from the beginning, we will discover that the author shows us how Jesus demonstrated His authority, the teachings He employed, and His concern for all nations.

The Gospel is easily divided into seven sections: a beginning and an end with five teaching sections between. Because of this, Matthew has been recognized for its emphasis on the teachings of Jesus.

Matthew 1:1-4:25 opens the Gospel with the royal genealogy and builds to the proclamation of God in Matthew 3:17: “This is my beloved Son.” The genealogies confirm Jesus' authoritative, kingly lineage and remind the reader of His relation to all nations by mentioning Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of a Hittite. The wise men (Gentiles) came seeking the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). The angel affirmed Jesus' divine nature to Joseph. The child received a messianic name (Matthew 1:18-23). Joseph took the holy family to Gentile territory (Egypt) to escape the threats of Herod. When Jesus came to John for baptism, the voice from heaven proclaimed Him as God's Son. As God's Son, Jesus had the authority and power to confront Satan and overcome. Jesus then went to Galilee of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15) to begin His public ministry. This opening section makes it obvious that Jesus is designated by God to be the Messiah with authority—for all nations.

Matthew 5:1-7:29 is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It should be called the Teaching from the Mount since that is what the text calls it (Matthew 5:2). While teaching and preaching overlap, teaching emphasizes the essential principles which must be passed on to maintain the discipline or movement at hand. Jesus gave His essential doctrine in this teaching. He stressed the importance of His commandments in Matthew 5:19; emphasized the authoritative nature of His teachings by declaring: “But I say unto you” (Matthew 5:22,Matthew 5:28,Matthew 5:32,Matthew 5:39,Matthew 5:44); and was recognized by the crowds as a Teacher with authority (Matthew 7:28-29). Matthew presented Jesus as an authoritative Teacher. When the disciples went out to teach, they knew what to teach. When a believer goes out to teach today, he can refer to Matthew's Gospel.

Hi Neicey,

Who's commentary did you offer in the above post? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" /> It is customary to give attribution to a person and/or his work. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I Googled it and found it on this Lutheran site.

Agreed and it is not only the NIV that makes this claim. While we really do not know the child (Isa 8, makes the most sense to me) we do know it was a SIGN for that TIME. Yes, it was also prophetic in that it looked forward to Christ, however IMO we lose much of what Matthew means if we do not look at this verse in its OT context.

In the OT context we understand (1) this was during the Assyrian Judgment and Israel/Judah was being judged (2) a sign of judgment would be given and this sign was directed at Ahaz (3) the sign was a child born of a virgin.... (4) Immanuel is a Holy War term. The name was symbolic in that the child would symbolize God's willingness to accompany Judah in battle against Syria, Israel, and Assyria. God offered to protect Judah, however they rejected the offer. Thus the Immanuel child born later would display the folly of rejecting God's gracious offer. Now, Matthew 1:23 should begin to be better understood...... especially in light of what happens in Matt 2 with Herod, etc.

One Jewish Interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 is as follow:
The seventh chapter in the Book of Isaiah begins by describing the military crisis that was confronting King Ahaz of the Kingdom of Judah. Around the year 732 B.C.E., the House of David was facing imminent destruction at the hands of two warring kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel, led by King Peqah, and the Kingdom of Syria (Aram), led by King Retsin. These two armies had besieged Jerusalem. Isaiah records that the House of David and King Ahaz were gripped with fear. God sent the prophet Isaiah to reassure King Ahaz that divine protection was at hand – God would protect him and his kingdom and that their deliverance was assured, and these two hostile armies would fail in their attempt to subjugate Jerusalem.

It is clear from the narrative in this chapter, that Isaiah’s declaration (Is 7:14-16) was a prophecy about the unsuccessful siege of Jerusalem by the two armies from the north. The verses Isaiah 7:15-16 state that, by the time this child (whose imminent birth was foretold in Isaiah 7:14) reaches the age of maturity (“… he knows to reject bad and choose good …”), the kings of the two enemy nations will be gone, in fact, they will be killed. Two Biblical passages, 2 Kings 15:29-30 and 2 Kings 16:9, confirm that this prophecy was contemporaneously fulfilled when these two kings were assassinated. With an understanding of the context of Isaiah 7:14 alone, it is evident that the name of the child in Isaiah 7:14, Immanu'el, is a sign which points to the divine protection that King Ahaz and his people would enjoy from their otherwise certain demise at the hands of these two enemies. Clearly, Isaiah 7:14 is a near-term prophecy that is part of an historic narrative, and which was fulfilled in the immediate time frame, not some seven-and-a-half centuries in the future.