ADVENT 14: MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14
Double Rainbow
We have all have read the verse above and we know, for certain, that this is about Jesus. But did you know it’s also about someone else? Wait, what? Yeah, this is one of those situations where God makes a prophecy that has an immediate fulfillment and then a later fulfillment. This is another amazing example of God’s specific sovereignty over all of human history. The people of Israel needed something to give them hope and God gave it to them. What they didn’t know at the time was that this was also going to give
hope to the whole world.
Signs of Deliverance
Here is what is happening in the context of Isaiah 7. The king of Israel, Ahaz, is freaking out because there are 2 other kings threatening war with him. So, God sends Isaiah to comfort him. That is where this prophecy comes into play. Let’s read it again but this time let’s go just a little bit farther.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”” – Isaiah 7:14-17
What is Isaiah saying to Ahaz, and why is it important? God is foretelling the birth of a little boy. When this boy is really young the threat will be over. The whole point of this is to calm Ahaz down and let him know that he doesn’t need to be afraid. This is going to happen in his lifetime, and this is a sign for him that God is going to keep his word.
So Is This About Jesus or Not?
Yes. This is about Jesus, but first, it’s about Maher-shalal-hash-baz. You see the whole point of this sign is that it provides something tangible for Ahaz to see. That’s why we get the first fulfillment one page over in chapter 8. To understand this we need to know a little something about the Hebrew language (because the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew). You see the word translated as “virgin” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “virgin” and could just mean “young woman”. This little boy is actually born to Isaiah and his wife. God confirms this when he tells Isaiah that before his son is even old enough to say his parents’ names the threat will be over.
But you might be thinking, how then do we know that it’s about Jesus? Great question and there are 2 clear ways that we see this. First, is that in the original prophecy there are hints that more is going on here. For instance, Isaiah says that they will call the baby, “Immanuel” which means, “God with us” and this part does not apply to Maher-shalal-hash-baz. It is obviously looking forward to something better.
The second clear way we know this is because Matthew tells us in the New Testament. Matthew 1:23 takes this verse and applies it to Jesus. And something really cool about the Greek language (what the New Testament was originally written in) is that this word can only mean “virgin”. This makes it even more specific, and even more miraculous.
Reflection
What should this make us think about Christmas? We need to worship God because he is in total and complete control. We should praise him because the more that we recognize the ways he works, the more amazing it becomes. When Ahaz felt like all was lost, God gave him a sign that he would deliver him. This provided a temporary deliverance. However, the bigger problem
wasn’t national, or political
, it was spiritual. The answer to this problem doesn’t come until around 700 years later when God himself becomes for us the fulfillment of his own prophecy. This little baby is more than a sign, he’s the answer. He actually is God with us.
Zach Mabry- Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters
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