When King Ahaz would not ask God for a sign, even when God told him to, God gave him one anyway. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God told Ahaz the sign would be a young woman would bear a son and name him Immanuel. What did the prophecy mean?
We have been conditioned by years of teaching and preaching that this passage points to the coming of the Messiah. Though that is true, it is not the only meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy. As is often the case with Isaiah, his prophecies point to two different time periods, and sometime three.
In this specific prophecy, Isaiah is pointing to two future dates. King Ahaz was worried about the alliance of Ephraim and Aram coming against Jerusalem. He was seeking help from the King of Assyria. Rather than trusting God to deliver them, Ahaz had turned to an enemy of his enemy for aid. Unfortunately, Ahaz was setting Judah up to be conquered by who he was seeking aid from.
Isaiah’s prophecy speaks to both the immediate situation and further into the future. He prophecies of a child being born in the near future and Judah would be saved by God. He also uses broad enough language that points to the Messiah coming hundreds of years into the future. The double fulfillment of the prophecy has the same meaning. For the non-believing Ahaz, the name Immanuel, would be a reminder and threat that God was always there. For those of us who live after the coming of Jesus Christ, it is also a reminder that God is with us and a threat to those who don’t believe in Him.
As we read prophecies of the Old Testament, especially those pointing to the coming of the Messiah, we should also ask ourselves what it might have meant to those who heard it. Was it pointing to something more immediate as well as the future? Does it point beyond the coming of the Messiah to His return? It is by studying God’s prophecies in more detail that we increase our faith in Christ’s return.
I pray we all study God’s prophecies in greater detail. I pray we see the double or triple meaning of the prophecies. I pray each one of us increases our faith as we read God’s prophecies. Study God’s prophecies. See the multiple meanings. Increase your faith.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.”
Marty Pressey 