Christmas is soon approaching, and I love the Christmas season. I remember when I was a kid going to my grandma’s house every Christmas Eve and opening presents or waking up on Christmas morning and eating eggnog cinnamon rolls. This season has always been one that I love because of the snow and family gatherings.
This season is primarily focused on rejoicing that our Savior, the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, was born of a virgin, grew in wisdom and stature, died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins, and rose to new life for the justification of all believers.
Jesus’ story is a beautiful message that has been taught for almost 2000 years. But before the events of his birth, death, and resurrection occurred, there was a man who would write about Jesus 700 years before the Christmas event. His name was Isaiah.
The book of Isaiah helps provide various prophecies concerning the Messiah. Many people call Isaiah the “evangelical prophet” because he was incredibly good at telling people about Jesus before Jesus was even born. For this blog series, I want to go on a journey with you through only a few of the prophecies and give some simple thoughts about them.
The first prophecy comes from Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” This prophecy states that God will give a sign of a son, born of a virgin, in which his mother will call him Immanuel. It sounds quite a lot like what Matthew writes about in his gospel, “an angel of the Lord appeared to him [Joseph] in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.’”
Jesus was prophesied to come and he is now born with the name Immanuel. Immanuel is a Hebrew word that means “God with us” or “with us is God.” It is a promise or a symbol of God’s presence; a child who would deliver his people from sin.
I love this promise, and I am thankful for it, and I hope you are too. Jesus, the child of a virgin, the Son of God, has chosen to lay down his life for me, a sinner, to make me into a saint; a person who is clean from my sins. And he has done this also for you: Jesus has taken away your sin making you clean. The good news is that you are no longer a sinner, but a saint because of his birth, death, and resurrection.
This season, we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus. As you reflect on the blessing of Jesus’ birth this month, I want to leave with you another prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah for you to meditate on.
Isaiah 9:2-7 encourages this:
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us, a child is born,
to us, a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.”