“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call His name Immanuel.”
(Isaiah 7:14)
More than 700 years beforehand, Isaiah prophesied that Christ’s coming would be quite miraculous. And one of the most miraculous signs that would identify the Messiah of God was His virgin birth. Isaiah announces that this prophecy, as well as its divine fulfillment, is a sign from God Himself, as only God could accomplish such a supernatural event as a baby born of a virgin.
Henry Smith points out, “This would not have been strange if the Hebrew word signified only “a young woman,” (as some rabbis later tried to affirm). For it is not a strange thing or new thing, but rather common and ordinary, for young women to conceive and bear children. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament translates the word “parthenos,” which properly signifies “a virgin,” and this is what the older Jews understood it to mean. The prophesy that the mother of the Messiah would be a virgin also appears in Jeremiah, where God says, “I will create a new thing in the earth, a woman shall encompass a man,” (Jer. 31:22). Now this would be nothing new, but usual and of general custom, except he understood this to mean a virgin should bear a child.”
The virgin birth was an essential initiative in God’s redemptive plan because natural man is wholly inadequate to redeem himself. One already tainted with sin cannot serve as a sacrificial substitute, and man conceived of man carries a sin nature from the point of conception (Ps. 51:5). God required a pure, innocent lamb for our sin sacrifice, so the Lamb of God had to be God to be sinless. Man conceived of God was the only way.
At the same time, pure divinity could not serve as the substitutional sacrifice because God could not be tainted with sin, and He could not die. Christ had to be human before He could bear our sins in His body on the tree. The virgin birth provided the means by which God’s sacrificial Lamb was both perfect God and perfect man. In the single person of Christ, both the fully human and fully divine natures combine – born of a virgin mother, conceived by the Holy Spirit of God.
This dual nature of Christ is referenced earlier in Isaiah’s writings as well. In Isaiah 4:2 he states the coming Messiah will be both the Branch of the Lord and the fruit of the land, witnessing that Christ is both the Son of God (the Branch of the Lord) and the Son of Man (the fruit of the land) simultaneously.
The significance of the virgin birth is further iterated when Isaiah adds, “They shall call His name Immanuel,” (Isa. 7:14) which means “God with us,” (Matt. 1:23). God in the flesh. God in human form. God came from heaven to earth to be with His people in the person of His Son, as John 1:1, 14 plainly state: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
All these powerful truths are wrapped up in this singular yet profound prophecy: “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” No doubt, while still reflecting on the significance of this for God’s people, under continued inspiration Isaiah further notes that these truths are so wonderful, and so magnificent, and so astounding, that even His name is “Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,” (Isa. 9:6). All this – perfect God and perfect man – in a babe, the one miraculously born of a virgin.
- Lord, You came to earth and were born of a virgin, in a manger. This has so great a weight that I can barely conceive of what it all means. Though prophesied in Scripture, it is still a great mystery. Help me understand more deeply the manner of Your coming and its significance relative to my salvation.
- How wonderful to understand that this Christ was God. He who was born miraculously of a virgin performed by divine power the work of redemption. As the Son of God and the Son of man, You fulfilled the Father’s plan for redeeming sinners like me and established Your kingdom forever.
- Lord Jesus, Your virgin birth was altogether miraculous. You were conceived, not by ordinary human generation, but by the power of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous work. The Spirit wonderfully formed Your human nature from the substance of the Virgin Mary, perfectly sanctifying it in the first moment of conception. You were conceived in the womb of a virgin, and she remained a virgin until after Your birth. You were conceived in the womb of a sinner, yet without sin. Help me to wonder and be amazed at Your coming!
Further References for Isaiah 7:14
Matt. 1:23; Isa. 8:8, 9:6; Gen. 3:15; Luke 1:31; John 1:14
