|
RESPONSE:
The answer is somewhat dependent
upon your point of view. Most scholars
agree that Yahweh instructed Isaiah
to speak these words to King Ahaz,
who was being threatened by the Assyrians.
He had offered to give the King a
sign, whatever it would take to convince
the King to believe in God's word.
With feigned piety, the King refused,
saying he wouldn't put God to the
test. So Yahweh basically said he
would give this sign whether the King
asked for one or not: "A virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel. Butter
and honey shall he eat, that he may
know to refuse the evil, and choose
the good. For before the child shall
know to refuse the evil, and choose
the good, the land that thou abhorrest
shall be forsaken of both her kings."
It was supposed to convince the King
to do or die, to trust in Yahweh or
suffer the consequences.
Scholars have argued over the identity
of the mother and the son for ages.
Some think the son was a reference
to Hezekiah (although he would have
been approximately 25 years old by
this time). That would make it a generic,
royal psalm that extended over the
entire House of David. Others think
that the young woman was Isaiah's
wife, and that his second son was
named Immanuel. Still others argue
that it was a royal woman who gave
birth to a royal son whose name would
symbolize God's presence with his
people. Lastly, it is possible that
it refers to mothers in general who
would give their offspring names that
represented hopefulness.
This also raises the issue of the
meaning of "virgin." The
word in Hebrew is 'almah. It
could be translated virgin or young
woman. It doesn't exclude virginity,
but it could mean a sexually mature
woman who is unmarried. Hebrew has
a special word for virgin, betulah,
and that word is not used here. Nonetheless,
the LXX uses the Greek word parthenos
in its translation, and this word
does mean "virgin." Obviously,
when Matthew used this quote, he followed
the LXX, "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." This has resulted
in the doctrine of the Virgin Birth.
The more interesting proposition is
that whatever it meant, the words
were a sign for Ahaz. And generally
a sign is something visible and concrete
for the intended person.
It is most likely that, in Isaiah's
time, it referred to a young unmarried
woman, probably in the royal house,
who would marry and have a son. She
would name him Immanuel, oblivious
of the prophecy. But then Ahaz would
know that Yahweh's words had been
fulfilled, and he would be convicted
by his own stubbornness. The words
about eating butter and honey could
be a reference to the land being laid
waste so that they would have to survive
on whatever was available. Indeed,
the Assyrians did destroy the land
of Israel only a year or two after
this prophecy was given.
Having said this, however, one does
not necessarily have to choose one
interpretation over the other. Bible
texts have often been reinterpreted
and reapplied to new situations. In
this passage, Isaiah predicts that
a baby boy would be given as a sign
from God. When Matthew was writing
about what God did through Jesus,
these words stood out as a beacon
to him. He saw in these OT words a
foreshadowing and a verification of
the birth of Christ Jesus. This was
not a random happenstance, but the
fulfillment of a plan prophesied centuries
earlier. He was convinced that in
Jesus, God was again making His presence
known by sending a deliverer. (This
is only one of eleven fulfillment
prophecies that he quotes from the
Old Testament.) Matthew used Isaiah's
words to show that Jesus was the long-awaited
messiah, and that he not only fulfilled
the old, but also initiated something
new. The name, Emmanuel, indeed, fulfills
the promise that in Jesus, we see
that God is with us. It is not so
much a personal name as it is a description
of the office Jesus fulfills. By bringing
the presence of God to man, Jesus
brought salvation - which is what
the name "Jesus" means -
God saves! Through Jesus, God is bringing
to pass the salvation of his people.
|
