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Matthew 1:18-25
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother
was espoused to Joseph, before they were come together, she was
found with child of the Holy Ghost. [Ghost: Middle English word for “Spirit”] Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public
example, was minded to put her away privily [secretly]. But while he thought on these things,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,
Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins. Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be
with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. [cf.
Isaiah 7:14] Then Joseph being raised from sleep did
as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his
wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn
son: and he called his name Jesus [Yeshua].”
These verses tell us two great
truths:
1. Jesus took our nature upon
himself and became man.
2. His birth was miraculous---his
mother was a virgin
We’ll read this text together, we’re in Matthew, picking up where we left off last time, Matthew chapter 1, verse 18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she’ll bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS, [this was being spoken to him in Hebrew, and the angel would have said Yeshua, as it must have been written in the Hebrew version Matthew originally wrote his Gospel in] for he will save his people from their sins.’ [Comment: Hebrew for the Greek word “Jesus” is Yeshua, which is a contraction of the two Hebrew words Yahweh and Shua, Yahweh-shua, which means “Yahweh saves”.] So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying ‘Behold a virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel’, which is translated ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph being aroused from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took to him his wife, and did not know her until she had brought forth her firstborn son and called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:18-25) ‘Lord, we’re just even now before you and thank you for your Word, Lord, and thank you that we can once more just take this time and open our ears and hearts to you and let you speak into our lives. And Holy Spirit we’d ask you’d be upon all of us, and upon even myself now as we go through this verse by verse. Just illuminate these things and speak to us about our own lives and what you want to do in our lives and what you want to do through our lives. And we know Lord that, of course, you do mighty things. Indeed with you nothing is impossible. So thank you Lord for this time, bless this time Lord. We certainly need you, and we thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.’ You may be seated. So picking up here, verse 18, we come now to the Christmas story [the story of Jesus, Yeshua’s birth for those who do not celebrate Christmas]. Maybe some of you are even wondering, this is kind of strange, never been in a church in September where we studied the Christmas story. Maybe you’re thinking it’s a little strange. Maybe you’re wondering, well, where’s the Christmas carols, aren’t we supposed to sing some Christmas carols first…this doesn’t seem to fit, wait a minute, this is a little out of order, you guys are strange here. Maybe you’re thinking that, and if you’re thinking it you’re probably right. But it isn’t strange to be looking at this text this morning. Indeed it was never intended to be just a one time a year kind of thing. In fact there’s many things here that are important for us to understand and to consider. Of course it’s very common to us, many of us have heard this so many times, and maybe that’s part of the challenge of studying a text like this too. But one of the opportunities of doing it now is, we look at it a little bit different, get some different truths out of it, from different angles that maybe you normally wouldn’t during the Christmas holiday. The interesting thing too is though, December 25th is when we celebrate the birth of Christ, but it’s possible, and some commentators would argue this, that we now at September 12th are actually closer to the birth of Christ, that actual date of the birth of Christ, than we would be at December 25th. [In actuality, Jesus was born in the fall of the year, around the fall Holy Day season, somewhere between their Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles, not anywhere near December 25th. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/festiavloflights2.htm. Also realize that it was Constantine around the 300s AD that forcibly made the holidays of Christmas and Easter, when previously the Judeo-Christian churches of Asia Minor from the apostle John onward had nothing to do with them. What was his motive? See http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch3.htm.] And we don’t know when Jesus was born, people have debated that. In fact, I’ll quote to you directly from a commentator, Adam Clarke, he says this, “The time in which Christ was born has been considered a subject of great importance among Christians [Gentile Christians, that is]. However the matter is considered of no moment by Him who inspired the evangelist, as not one hint is dropped on the subject at which it might be possible even to discuss or guess nearly to the time. Fabragiss gives a catalogue on no less than a hundred and thirty-six different opinions concerning the year of Christ’s birth. And as to his birthday, that has been placed by Christian texts and learned men in every month of the year. The Egyptians placed it on January, Wayneshill in February, Beaucart in March, some mention by Clemens Alexandrius in April, others in May, Epiphianius (I’m doing the best I can with these names), speaks of some who place it in June, and others who suppose it to be in July. Wayneshill was not sure of February, so he fixed it probably in August.” This is interesting, “Lightfoot on the 15th of September.” Others in October and November. It’s the Latin, or Roman church that places it on December 25th, the very day on which the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of the goddess Bruma (also the feast of the Saturnalia). So, studying in September is just fine. It was actually pope Julius 1st who made it officially December 25th, the day that we would recognize as the birth of Christ, and he concluded “that is the time right after the shortest day of the year, and so you have that dark longest night, and now there’s the sense of new light in the sense of the days are getting longer [and that’s exactly what the pagan Romans were celebrating during their feast of Saturnalia, was the days getting longer again]. So he assumed that must be the day, that must be the time that Christ was born, you know, the Sun of Righteousness was born into the darkness of the world, when the dayspring,” he said, “visited mankind from on high.” So, anyway, we’re looking here again at the birth of Christ. Not critical to know the time, but it is critical to know certain things and understand certain things. So the writer here, Matthew, remember he’s focused on just the lineage, we studied that, verses 1-17, and now he’s going to focus on the birth of Christ, specific things about it that are very unusual, no doubt about it. Now last week as we went through the genealogy, Matthew’s writing to Jews, seeking to prove and demonstrate to his audience. Of course, they’ve learned a lot about Jesus [Yeshua]. Many of them have seen him. Certainly he’s renowned, the things that he did, the miracles, common knowledge. No doubt he’s a very notorious individual. But now Matthew, people maybe even wondered as we talked about last week, ‘Was he the Messiah?’. You know, wait a minute, if he was, why don’t the Pharisees and religious leaders, why didn’t they recognize that? And if he was, why did he, was he punished with criminals? He was crucified. So now Matthew writes to show indeed, all of this fulfills the prophecies that this indeed is the Christ, the Messiah. And so in the last verses, he shows the promises of David and promises of Abraham are of course fulfilled in Jesus (Yeshua). But in doing that, as he writes out these names, there’s no doubt, and we noted it last week, he also demonstrates to his audience that Jesus was indeed a man. Later in the early Church there’s different heresies that it has to deal with as different groups say ‘He wasn’t really a man, he was a phantom’, and all these different things. [See http://www.unityinchrist.com/misc/whyorthodoxy.html.] But very clearly, as Matthew has demonstrated, he was a man. Look at his ancestry. There’s nothing super-human about his ancestry, there are people that struggle with all sorts of sins and made all sorts of mistakes, that’s the stock he comes from. He’s very much a real person, a real man. And so there’s now this Messiah, of course the New Testament teaches he’s a high priest that can relate to me, as we noted in Hebrews chapter 4, verses 15 and 16, that he can relate, he was tempted in all points as we are. He knows what it was to be a man. And so now as the writer of Hebrews says, “As we come to him, we can find understanding, he sympathizes with us, and gives us the help and strength and grace and mercy that we need in our time of need.” So, Matthew lays it out, the humanness, fully man of fully man. But now we see in these verses, as Matthew is demonstrating, fully man of fully man, but also fully God of fully God, he’s the Son of God. God, the second person of the Trinity, became incarnate, he became a man, amazingly, just incredible. But here now in these verses Matthew is laying this out before us. Now as he lays out the divinity of Christ, he starts with the proof of his birth, even his conception, there were things that were super-ordinary, not common indeed that took place, and he lays out the details about his birth so that we would see, man, there’s something about this Jesus (Yeshua) indeed. And he is the Son of God. In fact, as we read in the text here, he’s “God with us” [Emmanuel].
Awkward moments, time for Mary
Now as he lays it out, he speaks about this pregnancy of his mother Mary [Hebrew: Miriam] and how, as he notes there, that she was pregnant as a virgin. Of course we know this story, it’s very common, but she was betrothed, she was engaged, she was in this espousal period, but she became pregnant, and she was a virgin. And so that certainly is something that needs to be considered. Now in her culture, gals were married at a very young age, 15, 16 years of age we believe, and we assume she’s probably about that old, 15, 16 years of age. And it is possible in that culture to be engaged from a very young age. In fact, the way it was, marriages were pre-arranged. So from a young age, it was possible to be a Jewish gal, and to know, ‘Well, that little guy on the playground, that’s gonna be my husband, man, this is it, we’re gonna be married’, it was possible to know that in that culture. But there was this year before you got married that was called the espousal period. In fact it started with a ceremony, and there was this year that followed, and you would court, and you would wait for that day, and it was a time of purity, there was no intimacy, but it was a big deal. In fact, that year before you were officially married, that espousal period, to get out of that, break the relationship at that particular time, required a divorce. It was a little different from our engagement period. But important, in our culture, but so much more then, in a sense that you were bound, and it required a divorce to get out of that situation. So it’s during this time, Mary is with child. Now that certainly creates an awkward situation for her. And no doubt about it, not only awkward though, but also potentially very serious, because in her culture, in the society of the day, to get pregnant, you know in our society gals get pregnant all the time that aren’t married, and we just kind of roll with it, but in that culture the Law stated explicitly this is a big deal. In fact, I’ll read to you, “To be pregnant a this time, in the sense of committing sexual sin, the penalty was death. Deuteronomy chapter 22, verse 23, “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring both of them out of the gate of the city, and you shall stone them to death with stones. The young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife. So you shall put away evil from among you.” So, here, very clearly in the espousal, the betrothal period, if a young woman was found to have been impure, then she would be stoned, and there are some that suggest historically when they were brought out of the city gate, they would put her in a box with cow manure knee deep, and there they would stone her, and she would fall down into the manure [and then they would plant a tree there]. Now awkward situation she’s in, but also very serious situation to be pregnant at this time, and she hasn’t done anything wrong. I mean, God just came to her. As we understand from the Gospel of Luke, God appeared to her, told her, ‘Mary, you’ve found favor in my eyes, and I have a plan, and here’s the plan. You’re gonna become pregnant, you’re going to give birth to a child, and that child’s not going to be an ordinary child, because that child is going to be The Holy One, the very Son of God, and this is the way it’s going to work. You’re not going to have any intimate relations, it’ll be before you’re even married, it’ll be during this time, and the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, and you will be with child, Mary.’ [cf. Luke 1:26-35] So, she was told that before, so she understood that. But here she is, now she’s in this challenging situation because others don’t know about it, very awkward. And the others include Joseph, very difficult time for him. Now the awkwardness of it may actually even come through in the Greek, the original Greek, at least there’s some commentators, one particular commentator suggests this, and that is where it says “she was found with child”. When it says that “she was found with child”, the Greek would indicate in the arranging of the words, this is suggested, that it was as if Joseph discovered that she was with child, in the sense that maybe she didn’t tell him that there was something going on. [That would have had to have been in the original Hebrew first, which Matthew was originally written in]. You know, he’s with her, and he starts to know, ‘You know, you’re behaving peculiar Mary.’ Maybe there’s something he picked up in her eyes, you know, looking at her, ‘There’s something going on that you’re not telling me Mary.’ Or maybe there’s something even physical that started to happen, he started to say, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening here, there’s something, I know, you got to tell me Mary.’ And then maybe she says ‘I’m pregnant Joseph, I’m pregnant.’ Now that would have just, I mean, that’s the knife right to the heart, right? That’s shocking, that hurts, that’s painful. But then she’d go on to say ‘Listen, I haven’t done anything wrong, I’m not pregnant because I’ve been unfaithful, listen, this is what, God has done this to me.’ Now, as you see in the verses, and as you understand from the narrative, initially, he doesn’t believe it. [He probably was thinking, ‘Yeah right, Mary, God did it. Tell me another one.’] At least that’s pretty clearly suggested to me in verse 19, because it says because then “her husband, being a just man, not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away in secret.” So there’s a good sense there that there’s maybe a day or two or three or a time that follows where now there’s the awkwardness of not telling him, and then telling him, and now he’s thinking ‘You know I love that woman, I’m a godly man, I don’t want to dishonor her, but this is wrong, and I’m gonna put her away, going to end this and divorce her and do it secretly.’ And so she’s working through that. But she hasn’t done anything wrong. Actually she’s a gal after the heart of God. Now, imagine being in that situation, imagine struggling through that.
We can have those awkward moments too---when God has
called us to do something for him
You know, I mention that to you too, because I believe it happens in various ways in our lives too. When God comes and he calls us for a task, and God wants to set you apart for a work, there’s no doubt there are times that follow that can be awkward, because other people don’t understand, other people don’t know. [I know about that, called to do this website, and perhaps to start a special ministry associated with it, and getting guff from my unsaved family, others in church failing to see what the Lord has called me to do, “getting it from all sides” because they don’t share the “vision” God has given me. Oh, yeah, I know about being in that “awkward” situation.] There can be seasons that follow that aren’t easy. And yet God has come to you, and he’s put something on your heart and he’s spoken to you, and now he’s called you for a work, and here you are. And it’s a glorious work, a wonderful thing, but yet here you are in this awkwardness, this uncomfortableness. I think of my in-laws, you know, sitting at that table that one day in San Diego, you know, wondering how am I going to say this [that he’s going to take their daughter he just married and go start a tiny little Bible study in central New England somewhere, out in the boonies], you know, my father-in-law, he’s the type of guy that just takes care of his family, he’s worked the same job for so long, and life has been so steady for this family, and now I’ve come into the picture, and I’m married to his daughter, and I’ve got to somehow tell him, ‘I’m quitting my job, and I’m moving to New England, and am going to go plant a church, only God knows how, I have no idea how this is going to work out, and she’s leaving her job, and yeah, we’re leaving.’ I remember looking at the table, I don’t even know whether I looked him in the eye when I told him. [I don’t feel so bad anymore, after transcribing this.] Blurted it out, you know, here it is! Got to say it. And then my father-in-law got up silently from the table and walked off. Very awkward. [It all works out though. This pastor’s start-up church is now in the hundreds of congregants, and most amazing, his father-in-law came to Christ a month before he died, really became born-again. God always justifies the work he begins in you, in the end, always.] Not easy to do. Maybe you’ve had such a situation like that in your life, and that happens when God says this, ‘Fred I got a work for you, here’s the work.’ And then you go, and then there’s that ‘Oh, Lord, this isn’t going to be easy’. Charles Spurgeon once said “Every great favor brings a great trial with it as it’s shadows, and becomes thus a new test of faith.” And isn’t that truth. I think too of Stand New England we’re doing right now on this Saturday. You know, I believe the Lord has confirmed, and we’ll talk about that, God does that too, as we are called and we go through times, he’s using us, he’s set us apart, and there’s these things working through, but then God will come, and he will confirm too, give you the grace to keep going. But I think of Stand New England, you know, a step of faith, stepping out as a church, in so many different ways, awkwardness, maybe of talking to certain pastors that aren’t understanding, ‘Why are we doing this?’, or maybe there are people thinking ‘What are they thinking?’. I felt like that at times, you know, as we were setting out the program this last week, you know, putting the different speakers and pastors and worship teams together. I purposely feel awkward, so I’m not going to put my name on there. And then right after, a pastor came to me and said ‘The Lord had you kind of spear-head this vision, and you need to be on there. But I didn’t do it because I felt awkward. What would some of the guys thinking of me doing this? I’m not doing it. But you know the thing, God is just working. Right? [I have a vision for the start-up of Internet Churches of God, a special purpose group of semi-autonomous congregations whose main purpose is to spear-head collective-individual giving to the five major international evangelistic organizations and to promote believer unity between the Jewish and Gentile sides of the body of Christ. But I too feel real awkward, having written all the associated articles for this “vision” God has given me, and with no one currently responding. But a God-given vision is just that, not to be ignored. Inspiration comes, you gotta follow. It is God who gives the increase, who blesses his “visions” that he gives out to us. (see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history/historycog5.htm if you’re curious or have some interest in being a part of a special purpose church, one that is designed to rally the various denominations to finish the job Jesus have given all of us to do before he comes.)] Churches are working together, it’s the grace of God. So there’s been that sense, but I know the Lord is working. And then there’s certain things, there was one night not long ago, I was talking to my wife, and I actually, I used this word, and I shouldn’t use this word, I had to repent, but I said “I hate this”. And I’ll be honest, this may unsettle you a little bit, I hope it doesn’t, I’m just being honest. But the experience of the Lord setting you up for a work, there’s times where the faith is there, and there’s times where it’s not. Right? And then you start wondering ‘What in the world are we doing?’. And so I’m with my wife one of these nights, and I hate the feeling, I shouldn’t say that, but I do, of those times, you drive up, it’s Saturday morning, I’m already thinking driving up and looking around and going ‘There’s only six cars here.’ You know, there’s that fear, ‘There’s only six cars here. Wait a minute, that’s kind of embarrassing, what is everybody thinking, there’s six of us here, I guess we’re just going to do this anyway.’ I started going through that, wrestling through that. Or, ‘It’s the weather, you know, this weekend, it’s hurricane Ivan, come on Lord, please, please Lord, be merciful Lord. You can’t be calling us to do this and having it rain, you can’t do that Lord.’ Maybe he is. Maybe because there’s going to be six people, it’s going to be a hurricane, everyone will feel a little better. [laughter] Or, they didn’t come because of the hurricane. I don’t know. But there’s that awkwardness and the struggling and wondering, and ‘How is this going to work out?’ And thoughts go on and on. But yet the Lord gives the grace. He comes through with the word, and encouragement, confirmation and phone calls. And you’ll see here I believe with the story of Mary, the same thing. It’s amazing to be used by the Lord, to be called to do certain things. It’s exciting, but at the same time there are those shadows, to have those trials that follow right behind that can unsettle. And you don’t appreciate the trials and testing but the Lord uses it. Just a few weeks ago, Bill and Sandy were up here, and as they stood up here, and as we were praying for them, even in my words to them I was giving a little encouragement to them, because I know at that very moment, you may not have noted it, they were struggling. Bill just quit his job, good career, house is up for sale, and told the family, had all the parties, all the well-wishes, and now it’s time and off to the school of evangelism in San Diego they go. [He’s now successfully pastoring a small congregation in Minot, South Dakota.] But just before, a couple days before we prayed for them here, word came that the sale of the house fell through. And that was so unnerving to them, so unnerving, ‘Wait a minute, Lord, we’ve gone this far.’ And Bill was even telling me, ‘We’ve had all these parties, man, we had so many people, barbeques, I mean, here we are, this is so awkward. What are people thinking?---like we’re strange, we sold our house,’ and they were wrestling through it at the very last moment. And so as we were praying for them, I was trying to encourage them, and I even told them at another time, I said, ‘You know when we’re called by God, we are slaves.’ And sometimes I wanted to go another way, and sometimes I planned it to be this way, and I said ‘Yes’ to the call, but it better be comfortable…When God calls, we are slaves, and we follow. Whatever he wants to do he’s going to do, to his glory, whatever corner, whatever distraction, whatever hardship, God calls. Clearly God has called, look at what he has done already. The house will work out. And the way the Lord worked it out, is they left for San Diego, house not sold yet, but their house recently sold while they were gone, and God worked all that out anyway. But it was clear, he was preparing them and testing them. Those shadows had come, those trials. It happens in our lives. And the Lord, maybe he’s calling you, maybe he’s been speaking to you. Maybe there’s something he’s been saying in your heart, ‘I’ve got a plan for you, I want to use you in a certain way.’ Well, if that’s the case, maybe those shadows are going to come too, those trials and testings, good chance they will. Be encouraged if they do, it isn’t that it has gotten out of control, it isn’t that you’ve done something wrong, it isn’t like ‘Oh wait a minute, Lord, I didn’t know this was part of the program.’ God is using it, he’s going to glorify himself through it, he’s going to prepare you, he’s also going to give you the grace, you’ll find he’ll give you the grace. That phone call comes, that unexpected thing in your life, like, ‘Whoa, we just set sail and here we are.’ Well, be reminded that, ‘OK Lord, how are you going to work it out? God encourage me, God help me now, here we are, husband and wife, we are wondering, ministry team.’ Maybe the Lord’s calling you, but he’s calling you to be a bond-slave. Right? So it is our job to follow him, full-heartedly, regardless of the cost, regardless of the corners and things that you didn’t expect.
Beautiful godly example of Joseph and his consideration
for others
Now, you know Mary, this is certainly a difficult deal, but God is going to do such a beautiful thing, such a beautiful thing through her life. Now, not only is it an awkward moment for her, but it’s also an awkward moment for Joseph. Right? Joseph is now in a situation where for a moment, short time, he’s got this fiancée that he’s wondering, she’s pregnant, and it’s awkward for him. It was awkward for my wife when God put a call on my life, and we had to approach her family, and she now has part of that. She was kicking and screaming, but it was awkward (she still does) [laughter]. But, as we see so clearly, God comes into Joseph’s life, speaks into his heart, and gives the grace, gives the confirmation, and as he does, just think what it would do even to Mary. Now Joseph comes back and says, ‘Mary, God has spoken to me.’ Get this, man, I had a dream, it was an angel of God right there.’ And he’s like, ‘This is God and this is what he said to me.’ And so, just think of what that will do. Verses 20-21, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” You know, God gives the grace, he confirms. And not only does he use Joseph, but if you look at the narrative in Luke, right after the angel comes and says these things, Gabriel says to Mary what he says, then right after that we read of Mary leaving, and going to be with Elizabeth. And then when she gets there, she discovers that ‘Elizabeth, you’re also pregnant? You’re really old to be pregnant.’ And it was a miracle that she was pregnant. ‘But your husband, Zacharias, he can’t talk, and hasn’t been able to talk since then?’ And then, especially, as she walks through the door, Elizabeth says the whole blessing of ‘The mother of my Lord.’ So Mary has another relative right after that she goes to be with who then confirms in that challenging situation, ‘God is here, God has got his hands upon your life. God is working.’ And I would also believe Simeon is also a confirmation, because John the baptist is born before Jesus, and then we read of Simeon, the things that he says right there, the prophecy, and certainly that prophecy to me would be an encouragement to Mary, God again confirming. And then when Jesus is born, you have the shepherds, you have Simeon, you have Anna, you have the wise men, you have all these things that continue, this is God, this is God, this is the work of God, this is the work of God in your life, confirming, confirming, confirming. And that happens in our lives, and I tell you, it’s a neat thing to watch God confirm. September 18th, God has confirmed it in so many ways to me, at times I’ve wrestled a little bit, at times I’ve wondered. ‘Wow, that’s amazing that would happen today, amazing I would read that today, whatever it might be.’ Well Joseph doesn’t initially understand, verse 19, wants to put her away. Good man though, do it secretly. But before he can act, in verse 20, before he can go through with it, he’s thinking certain ways, God comes down, sends an angel in a dream, that whole appearance, that whole work of God, and says ‘Here’s what’s happening Joseph, this is real, what she said is true, she’s pregnant, and it’s supernatural, she has the Holy One of God, she has the Son of God forming in her womb. And this little baby, this is Jesus [Hebrew: Yeshua], he’s going to save his people from their sins.’ So God intervenes, and confirms. You know, sometimes, as you’re going about, and God’s is using you, and he’s got you on a track, and God’s saying some things to you, and sometimes there’s times where you are misunderstanding, maybe going the wrong way, and he’ll come in and redirect you too, and that will just show you the hand of God. I had one of those experiences this week, again as were preparing for Saturday. On Friday we had a meeting up at the ski mountain, and before that meeting, the night before I was with Al Serino from Calvary Uncasville, and we were doing some planning, and Mike was with us, and we were doing some detailed planning. And as we were, I mentioned to him, ‘You know, we have three speakers that are going to be there, this is a prayer time, God’s people coming together, but it seems God has also brought into the details three people to speak. One is Dr. Jaylee, who is a historian in Massachusetts, he’s a pastor of a church in Plymouth, he’s really become the nationally recognized historian for the Pilgrims. And of course, the Christian perspective, he’s a Christian man. In fact, the September 18th before he comes, the history channel, and I forget the different channels are doing a program with him that morning, the 18th, Saturday morning, in Plymouth. He’s going to speak, and then Peter Marshall, Peter Marshall is a man that God has raised up, and many of us have read his books, he’s going to come and speak, and he’s got a real heart for revival in the Church. But this third speaker is Tony Perkins, who is with the Family Research Council. I’ll be honest with you there, I’ve been a little cautious. We didn’t pursue having him, the way it appears is he came to us. I wasn’t the one, but through Al, he came to us through his assistant, and said, ‘Hey, would you like to have me come and speak?’. And so we wondered about that. The reason why we wondered is he heads up, you know, we’ve seen him on the simulcast, The Battle for Marriage, in fact there will be one on the 19th. He’s a big part of that, he’s part of this organization, The Family Research Council that has a big political muscle. And September 18th isn’t a political event. It’s a prayer deal, and we really are stressing that, and that’s the perspective. And so now having him speak, is that going to be good? You know, the media came last time, if they come will they say ‘Look, they have a political agenda’ or whatever. Our church has been so involved with this. Will we be accused, and so I’ve wondered, if God has a work, I don’t want us to get off track either. So I was wondering, I’m with Al, and as we were talking about this Al quotes a Scripture to me, kind of saying, you know, got to be careful, here’s why. If that’s what’s on your heart, quotes a Scripture. Well, next morning, Friday morning, we have our meeting at the ski mountain. But I’m at home having my divot’s and don’t you know, I open my Bible and I didn’t know where I left off in my Bible reading the day before, but I pick up where I left off, and vuala!, I’m in the passage that Al quoted to me. I was nervous last night, he mentions the passage, I get up and it’s on my heart, and wow, I’m reading this passage, and it’s like one of those neon days, you know what I mean, when you come to the Bible and it’s just like flashing, and you’re like ‘OK Lord’. And so I determined at that very moment, I said, ‘OK, it’s clear God, you’re saying something, Tony shouldn’t be part of this. He’s a national guy and Lord it’ll be a little awkward, but I’m going to honor you Lord, no fear of man here, we’re going to go make this right, and I’m going to tell everybody else, it’ll seem a little strange, a little awkward, but we’re going to make it right. So I go to the ski mountain, at the meeting, and Mike and Al are standing outside the room before I go in, and I said, I just grabbed them and said, ‘Guys, this is the deal, this is what happened. Al, you talked to me last night…I don’t think we should have Tony, I really don’t, and I’m just nervous. And besides, he coming in at noon, at the airport we pick him up, he leaves at 5, we don’t have a chance to meet him, really, I mean, he comes and speaks and leaves. He’s so busy with all these things he’s doing nationally.’ Well anyway, we go into the meeting, and this is what happens. We’re sitting in the meeting, having a little meeting, and I’m wondering how I’m going to tell everybody…[tape switchover, some text lost]…that produces The Battle For Marriage simulcast, and he starts to talk about his brother-in-law, and then he goes on to say, he hasn’t known anything I’m thinking, he says, and he knows Tony Perkins really well, in fact they talk every day, he goes on to talk about that. And I’m listening to all this going, ‘Huh, well I guess Lord you’re kind of, something’s going on here. So I just started to spill my guts, I said, ‘Hey, this is the deal, I’m wondering, and I think he’s a great man, but I just don’t know if it’s right for him to be here’, and I just started to describe that. Well anyway this man who’s this brother-in-law of this pastor, this friend of Tony Perkins said, ‘You know, Tony is a man of prayer, he’s a man of prayer, I know him really well, he should be there.’ And he starts to defend him. He didn’t need to be defended, but I was just sharing my concern. Well then I said to him, ‘One of the things is, we’ve never been able to talk to Tony directly, it’s always been through his assistant…’, and I said ‘I’d love to talk to him, if I could just talk to him, and just sense his heart and share my things with him and my concerns, and just to make sure.’ Well anyway, we’re sitting there a minute later, and his phone rings, and he steps out of the meeting. And so we go on and we’re talking about this. Well a minute later he comes back into the room and he waves to me, he says ‘Come here.’ So right in front of everybody I get up, walk out, hands me the phone, don’t you know, Tony’s on the phone. So now I’m talking to him on the phone. The guy’s already explained to him I’m concerned. So, OK Tony, here’s the deal, yah, we’re kind of wondering. And so we go through it, and he explains, ‘Hey, listen…’ and he just shares his heart. And everybody in the meeting is going, ‘Looks like God’s trying to say something here.’ You know, everybody is agreeing here. God’s trying to do something here, and I tell you that long story, and maybe you lost track of it somewhere along the line [laughter], but the point is, it was like the Joseph thing a little bit this week for me in that I was determined, because I was thinking certain things, and God said, he’s determined, get the guy on the plane real quick, the guy’s sitting in the meeting, here’s the phone, talk to Tony, just like that. And so anyway, he’s going to be part of it after all. But also, a confirmation, God is in this thing, isn’t he, over and over, the things that God is doing, just keeping us on track. So, Joseph goes back to Mary, and I’m sure, man, Mary is like ‘Ah, yes Joseph, look at what God’s doing, this is a supernatural thing.’
The two names given to our Lord
You know, the angel says to Joseph, “she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS.” That name, of course is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua, Yeshua, and that name condenses down from “Jehovah saves” [Hebrew: Yahweh-shua, Yahweh saves, condensed down to Yeshua]. And so, Jehovah saves, “he will save his people from their sins.” He will save his people from their sins, so Mary, and as God is upon your life, radical what’s going on, maybe a bit awkward, but the purpose is incredible. And maybe that’s true for you too, maybe you’re in a season like that, a little difficult, a little uncomfortable now with people you know. But God has a wonderful purpose, stay to the course, keep your hand to the plow, and in the end what God is going to do is just beautiful, to his glory. But Jesus, Jehovah saves [it’s really Yahweh-shua, Yahweh-saves], I like that word “save”. You know, as the church, we so often say “I’m saved”. And what does it mean? That verb says a lot. “Saved”, what does it mean? Just the word? I think of my nephew, Jakie, out in California. When he was a toddler, you know he’s probably thirteen, fourteen now. When he was a toddler, he’s got an older brother, year or two older, Joshie, and they were in the swimming pool, they got an in ground pool there, a bunch of people were having a family fellowship party-thing, everybody’s having a great time, kids are all over the place, pool’s going crazy, and Jakie, he just follows Joshie, and Joshie can swim and Jakie can’t. Well Jakie’s got the little float he’s on. He’s thinking it’s not too cool, I forget how old he is, two or three, he decides to take off his float. But nobody notices. So Jakie sinks out of sight, nobody notices for a moment. Finally somebody does, they grab Jakie, they pull him out, and they have to resuscitate him on the side of the pool. And then, they got to send in the life-flight helicopter, it comes in, I think it landed in the little cul-de-sac in front, they rush Jakie, take him off to children’s hospital. But because of the time that people were there, and the life-flight came and all that, in the end Jakie turns out to be OK, because he was saved. He was in a lousy moment there. And if he wasn’t plucked out, disastrous. That’s what that word means, to be “saved”. “And he will save his people from their sins.” And I tell you what, if it wasn’t for Christ, desperate state for you and I, desperate deal. We are under, man, we are down for the count, down for eternity if God didn’t intervene, separated from God forever. The wages of sin is death, under the wrath and damnation of a Holy God. [Differing denominations have differing interpretations about hell. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/plaintruth/battle.htm.] But God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that while I was yet a sinner, he sent his Son and he died for me. And if I believe in him now, I’m saved. That’s what it means to be saved. He will save them from their sins. Well maybe today you’re here, and you’re not saved. That’s what it means. You don’t have Christ in your heart. If you never turn and ask Jesus to be you Savior, understand the Bible teaches if you’ve not done that, then you are like our little nephew Jakie, and you are in a desperate situation. You’re under your sin, and God wants to come and save you. It’s not complicated to get saved, it just takes a heart to turn to God and say ‘God, save me.’ Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. ‘God, I believe, God I turn from my sin and I turn to you, and I ask you to be my Savior. I believe what you did through your Son Jesus Christ, and that through that I am saved.’ So today if you are without Christ, if you’re not saved, if you’re not sure, you can be saved. It’s like the hand is there, and you’re under the pool, and you just have to reach up and say ‘I’ll take it’, and you’re saved, pulled out, plucked out. Plucked out and pulled out from all of your sins, all the consequence, all that goes with sin, saved, healed, delivered, eternal life. “You shall bring forth a son, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. So all this was done that it may be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah---long ago, 500 years before, you can read it in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah 7:14-16---that the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son and they will call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us.” From J.C. Ryle in his commentary on Matthew, p.5, we get this: “The name “Emmanuel” is seldom found in the Bible, but it is scarcely less interesting than the name “Jesus.” It is the name which is given to our Lord from his nature as God-man, as “God revealed in the body.” It means “God with us.”…clearly understand that there was a union of two natures, the divine and human, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ…The name Emmanuel takes in the whole mystery. Jesus is “God with us.” He had a nature like our own in all things, except for sin. But though Jesus was “with us” in human flesh and blood, he was at the same time truly God. We shall often find as we read the Gospels that our Saviour could be weary and hungry and thirsty. He could weep and groan and feel pain like one of us. In all this we see the man Christ Jesus. We see the nature he took upon himself, when he was born of the Virgin Mary. But we shall also find in the same Gospels that our Saviour knew men’s hearts and thoughts. He had power over demons. He could work the mightiest miracles with a word. He was ministered to by angels. He allowed a disciple to call him “my God.” He said, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) and “I and the Father are one (John 10:30). In all this we see the eternal God.” Hundreds of years before, now fulfilled, as Matthew writes, demonstrates to his audience, speaking ultimately of the Messiah.
The virgin birth controversy---Bible ‘critics’ and
‘liberal Christians’ say no to the virgin birth
Now there are some who do not believe the Bible, are critics of the Bible, and certainly do not believe in the virgin birth. I think of that moment, and I mentioned this on a Christmas or two, where Robbie Zacharias was being interviewed by Larry King. And the question was posed to Larry, “You know, if you could ask any question to any person at any point in time of history, what would be the question that you would want an answer to?” And Larry King said “If I could ask anybody at any time, I would want to ask Jesus one question, and that is: ‘where you really virgin born?’” And he says “The answer to that question would determine all of life for me.” That’s what Larry King said to Robbie Zacharias. So, but some don’t believe in the virgin birth, don’t want to believe in it, because it is very significant. Of course today in our technology things are possible, but not in that day. Well, so they go back to Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, this prophecy, and they say ‘Wait a minute, this is not what it means, and they deal with the word “virgin” as far as the Hebrew and what they say it means. The word in the Hebrew is the word almah, and the word almah can be translated in different ways, and one of the ways it can be translated is young woman. It also can be translated virgin, or simply young maiden, young woman, even a young maiden that’s married and is not a virgin. So some translate it that way. Well, one of the Hebrew scholars, his name was Gesenius I think, he recognized certain things about that, he wasn’t a man who believed in miracles, was respected as an outstanding scholar, even wrote his own Hebrew lexicon. But he said, ‘Yes, for sure, almah must be young maiden. [He also said that the common translation of the word is “virgin”…] Of course he had a lot of influence, and that influenced cultures and generations after and even translations. But the Old Testament was translated into Greek some 200 years before Christ. It’s called the Septuagint, big translation work, 200 years before Christ, Bible Old Testament into Greek, by 70 different Jewish scholars. When they translated the Hebrew into Greek, they used the Greek word parthenos, which absolutely without a doubt means “virgin” and that’s all it means. So before Christ, there was this one who was influential who said ‘Nah, young maiden’, but there were many who were also influential scholars who said ‘Wait a minute, it means “virgin”, that is what we believe.’ And this is before Christ, ‘And we’re expecting a virgin to be with child.’ A virgin, interesting. Now, if you also look at Isaiah 7, that passage had an initial fulfillment, a partial fulfillment at the time. You know, the prophet clearly is also speaking to king Ahaz, about Ephraim and Assyria, who were going to come down against Judah. And of course, these nations don’t end up destroying Judah. In fact Assyria is destroyed, and that is the partial fulfillment. But clearly Isaiah (7:14) is looking out to the future, and now Matthew is showing that, that there was an initial fulfillment, but ultimately seeing far into the future into the time that we’re looking at now, 500 years later when Christ is born. [Comment: Read Isaiah 7:1-16, it says Christ would be born of a virgin---after Israel, the House of Israel, and Judah, the House of Judah, were forsaken of both their kings. Assyria conquered the ten northern tribes of Israel, called the House of Israel, in 721BC and deported them, and historically the 10 northern tribes never returned. Judah ceased to have a governing king over them, the House of Judah, after Nebuchadnezzar conquered and deported Judah bringing them all to Babylon. When Judah returned to the land and Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah, they never had a king ruling over them, just a priesthood, all the way to the time of Christ---no king. Verses 14-16 of Isaiah 7 is about the Christ child being born of a virgin, at a period of time when Israel and Judah were forsaken of both their kings. After this section, I am going to directly quote to you out of J. Vernon McGee’s Thru*The*Bible Series, Matthew chapters 1-13, who warns and names certain translations that don’t translate almah as “virgin”.] And interesting thing about some of even the Jewish leaders today that argue otherwise, Jeremiah chapter 23, they will say that the Old Testament never once said that the Messiah was anything more than a mere man. But then Jeremiah 23, verses 5 to 6, “Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, that I’ll raise to David a Branch of Righteousness, and a King shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name by which he will be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” [verses 7-8 go on to say, “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country (Germany and the United Europe?), and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” This is a prophecy about a future captivity and freeing of God’s chosen people, which points to WWIII, or the tribulation period and 2nd coming of Jesus, Yeshua to save his people.] THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, well, ancient rabbis translated that “JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”, meaning THE LORD, or JEHOVAH, the tetragramatin, THE LORD, the Word for God, that’s the way that was translated---“God our Righteousness” is the way they translated it, referring to the Messiah. Of course there are other Scriptures too. That’s the same JEHOVAH THE LORD is the same word that is used for God, when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, same name there. Well, THE LORD, GOD WITH US, John chapter 1, verse 14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”---God with us.
Joseph takes Mary to be his wife
“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS” (verses 24-25). Well Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, with all that, did exactly as he was told, takes Mary to be his wife, and it says in verse 25, “he did not know her”, intimately, I mean, they’re married now, but he didn’t “know her” until Jesus was born. Interesting there, it says “first-born son”, “he did not know her until she had her first-born son.” “First-born”, meaning that there were others. The Bible in no way teaches the perpetual virginity of Mary, the Bible very clearly teaches that Mary had other children, Jesus was the first-born, and then others came. “And he called his name Jesus [Yeshua]. You know, final thought here as we come to the end. The nation of Israel [tribe of Judah] at this time is in a dark time. The nation of Israel, it’s been hundreds of years since there’s been a prophet. It’s been a long time since there’s been a word from God, and life has become a religion in many ways in the life of the nation of Israel. So it’s a dark time. Of course the Romans are pressing. It’s a dark time, it’s a difficult time. But then, at this moment, this work is beginning, and it’s a work that starts with the Holy Spirit. Mary has a child, ultimately of the Holy Spirit. You see the Holy Spirit. Joseph has even said “of the Holy Spirit”. There’s this work that begins. And now as we go from here in Matthew through the rest of the Gospel we’ll see it’s an incredible work that comes to the nation of Israel [tribe of Judah]. Dark time for centuries, dry time for centuries. But now the Holy Spirit is beginning to work. And it’s like, you know, as we were singing a moment ago, we had words on the overhead there. The background of the overhead, I was thinking about this morning, there’s that sunrise type of setting or sunset type of setting. I even had a little note here in my notes, a little illustration that what’s happening here in the nation of Israel on the bigger scene is sort of like this. When you are there in the early hours of the morning, those hours are the darkest hours. It’s very dark there outside. And then the sky starts to change, there’s that light you start to see in the sky. My dad and I used to go hunting, and he was really radical about it, so we had to go out way early. And we got there in the pitch black, and we would wait for the sun to come up. We’d freeze. But the sun, you know, the sky would start to change, you know, it would start to happen, and then in that one area of the sky, even more, you know the sun is coming. And then the sun comes up, new day, new work. [I like to go out when I first get up, to see the constellations, and the darkest time is just before dawn. But one hour before dawn you will notice all but the brightest stars will start to disappear, their faint light being blanked out by the lightening sky, even though it’s still dark. Then the eastern sky will start to brighten. Then the sun comes up. But the best observation time is before two hours before sun-rise.] I remember being with some friends from college in Fort Lauderdale, we went down to do beach evangelism the last year I was in college, and we were in our station wagon, it was part of Intervarsity, it was called The Duck, we called this old, old station wagon, and it eventually went to the pound. I was sleeping in the back, I had done some driving, and I was now sleeping in the back, we were driving next to one of those stretches right next to the water. And I’m not sure if it’s like this all the time down there, but this one morning, as I woke up, I looked up and there was this massive fireball. It looked like we were on another planet. The sun was so huge as it came up, so powerful. We all just went ‘Wow! Look at that.’ [I served on an old WWII diesel submarine during the late 1960’s and the best bridge watches to have were the 4-to-8 watches, because you got to see the sun both rise and set. And when the sun is right at the horizon, either coming up or going down, it gets huge due to the extra atmosphere the sun’s light has to go through on the horizon, which magnifies its image, and changes its color to a bright orange, due to the extra dust it’s light has to penetrate.] And that’s like what’s happening in the nation of Israel, it’s beginning with the work of the Holy Spirit. And I say that to you, as I was looking at my notes preparing this text, had a little magazine that was sent to me by someone who read about Stand New England in the Presidential Prayer Letter, and just sent us a magazine of revival. I was reading that, and they were making that point, that at times in the nation of Israel it’s been really dark. In our nation, it’s been very dark. There have been times where the church, you know, has been spiritually dead. But four times historically in our country, if you look at it different ways, four times, two great awakenings and two other times, there’s been what we call “An Awakening”, where suddenly, though it was dark, the Holy Spirit started to work. Light started to shine, life started to come to our nation, in such a way, that there are times where hundreds of thousands of people then turned to Christ, as the Church started to get excited about Jesus again, and passion came back into the worship, and God’s people started to live holy, consecrated lives, and there was excitement about Christ and people could look at the Church and say “That’s what Jesus is all about, Oh I see the Holy Spirit working in their lives”, and awakening. And I say that to you as a final note as we go, because there is an awakening that’s happened right now in the nation of Israel as we study in the book of Matthew. That’s what’s happening. It’s dark, and then this light starts to show, this birthing, this work of the Holy Spirit. And I just say that to you, as we get ready to go. Saturday September 18th, Christians from every state in New England, all of us coming together, by the grace of God. Maybe, maybe it’s the same thing, you know. We need it in our country, we need it in New England, just that sense of the light again, a Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. “God do it.” May that be our prayer. May we prepare our hearts this week. Let’s stand together…[transcript of an expository sermon on Matthew 1:18-25, given somewhere in New England.]
A Jewish Great Awakening
I will say that over the past 38 years or so, from 1970 onward to today, there has been a spiritual revival going on which is so miraculous it defies imagination. But few Gentile Christians have really taken notice, and some have resisted taking notice. For over 1700 years, since 325AD when the Emperor Constantine and the proto-Catholic church virtually destroyed the Judeo-Christian churches in Asia Minor and throughout the Roman Empire, the Jewish branch of the body of Christ has been essentially dead (see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch3.htm). Now, since 1970, with humble beginnings in the home of Martin Chernoff, the Messianic Jewish revival has mushroomed, as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit calling an estimated half million Jews to belief in and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior. Now recently, an estimated 1,000 congregations and 10,000 Jewish believers are in the nation of Israel itself, Israeli believers in Yeshua haMeshiach (Hebrew for Jesus Christ). See http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/messianicmovement.htm to learn more of this miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in our time.] [What follows is what J. Vernon McGee has written about Matthew 1:23, and “a virgin shall be with child”.]
About Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us [Matt. 1:23] “Now let’s look at this a moment because it is very important. The liberal theologian has, of course, denied the fact of the virgin birth of Christ, and he has denied that the Bible teaches His virgin birth. Very candidly, I suspect that the Revised Standard Version was published in order to try to maintain some of the theses of the liberals. In fact, I am sure of this because one of the doctrines they have denied is the virgin birth. In the New Testament of the Revised Standard Version, which was copyrighted in 1946, Matthew 1:23 reads thus: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which means, God with us).” In the Old Testament of the Revised Standard Version, which was copyrighted in 1952, Isaiah 7:14 reads like this: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Notice that in Isaiah they substituted “young woman” for the word “virgin”, even though in Matthew 1:23 they had used the word virgin, which is a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14! The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 was given as a sign. My friend, it is no sign at all for a young woman to conceive and bear a son. If that’s a sign, then right here in Southern California a sign is taking place many times a day, every day. They translated it “young woman” to tone down the word virgin. Let us look at Isaiah 7:14 in the original Hebrew language. The word used for “virgin” is almah. The translators of the RSV went to the writings of Gesenius, an outstanding scholar who has an exhaustive Hebrew lexicon. (I can testify that it’s also exhausting to look at it!) Gesenius admitted that the common translation of the word is “virgin,” but he said that it could be changed to “young woman.” The reason he said that was because he rejected the miraculous. So this new translation and others who have followed him, have attempted to say that almah means “young woman” and not “virgin.” Let’s turn back to Isaiah 7 and study the incident recorded there. This was during the time when Ahaz was on the throne. He was one of those who was far from God, and I list him as a bad king. God sent Isaiah to bring a message to him, and he wouldn’t listen. So we read: Moreover the Lord spake again to Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord” (Isa. 7:10-12). May I say, it was pious hypocrisy for him to say what he did. God had asked Isaiah to meet Ahaz on the way to deliver God’s message to him that God would give victory to Ahaz. However Ahaz wouldn’t believe God and so, in order to encourage his faith, Isaiah tells him that God wants to give him a sign. In his super-pious way Ahaz says, “Oh, I wouldn’t ask a sign of the Lord.” Isaiah answered him, “God is going to give you a sign whether you like it or not. The sign isn’t just for you but for the whole house of David.” Now here is the sign: “…Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Obviously, if this refers to a young woman, it would be no sign to Ahaz, or to the house of David, or to anybody else; but if a virgin conceives and bears a son, that, my friend, is a sign. And that’s exactly what it means. When the word almah is used in the Old Testament, it means a virgin. Rebekah was called an almah before she married Isaac. I asked a very fine Hebrew Christian, who is also a good Hebrew scholar, about that. He said, “Look at it this way. Suppose you want to visit a friend of yours who had three daughters and two of them were married and one was single. He would say, “These two are my married daughters, and this young lady is my third daughter.’ Do you think he would mean a prostitute lady is my third daughter when he said ‘young lady’? If you would imply that she was anything but a virgin, he would probably knock your block off.” May I say, I would hate to be those who deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ when they must come into the presence of the Son of God. I’m afraid they are going to wish they could somehow take back the things they have said to malign Him.
The Septuagint
The fact that the word almah means “a virgin” is proven by the Septuagint. During the intertestamental period, seventy-two Hebrew scholars, six from each of the twelve tribes, worked down in Alexandria, Egypt, on the translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language. When they came to this “sign” in Isaiah, those seventy-two men understood that it meant “virgin,” and they translated it into the Greek word parthenos. That is the same word which Matthew uses in his Gospel. My friend, parthenos does not mean “young woman”; it means “virgin.” For example, Athena was the virgin daughter of Athens, and her temple was called the Parthenon because parthenos means “virgin.” It is clear that the Word of God is saying precisely what it means.” [pp. 32-34, THRU*THE*BIBLE COMMENTARY SERIES, MATTHEW Chapters 1-13, J. Vernon McGee.]
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