SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/2/2019
10:40 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The
Virgin Birth Connected”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
1:22-23
Message of the verses: “22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken
by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD
AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated
means, "GOD WITH US.’”
We
want to continue to look at the background for the quotes that Matthew uses
from the 7th chapter of Isaiah, with this question: “How did the prediction of the virgin birth
of Messiah fit that ancient scene? When
Isaiah met with the wicked king Ahaz he was pointing out to him that no one was
going to destroy the people of God or the royal line of David. Isaiah states to Ahaz “The Lord shall give
you a sign,” in this statement John MacArthur states “he used a plural you,
indicating that Isaiah was also speaking to the entire nation, telling them
that God would not allow Rezin and Pekah, or anyone else, to destroy them and
the line of David (cf. Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:13). Even though the people came into the hands of
Tiglath-pileser, who destroyed the northern kingdom and overran Judah on four
occasions God persevered them just as He promised.”
I
want to now look at Isaiah 7:15-16 “15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time
He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 "For before the boy will know enough
to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be
forsaken.” This speaks of another child
to be born whose name is “Maher-shalal-hash-baz). And as you follow these verses you can see
that before this boy comes to the age of accountability that the two kings that
were feared by Ahaz will not be any trouble to Judah. MacArthur explains “Sure enough, before the
child born to Isaiah’s wife was three years old those two kings were dead. Just as that ancient prophecy of a child came
to pass, so did the prophecy of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both were signs that God would not ultimately
forsake His people. The greatest sign
was that ‘Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us,’ would come.”
In
his commentary John MacArthur gives more attention to the Hebrew word for
virgin: In Isaiah 7:14, the verse here
quoted by Matthew, the prophet used the Hebrew word ‘alma.’ Old Testament usage
of ‘alma’ favors the translation ‘virgin.’
The word first appears in Genesis 24:43, in connection with Rebekah, the
future bride of Isaac. The King James
Version reads, ‘Behold I stand by the well of water, and it shall come to pass,
that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water.’ In verse 16 of the same chapter Rebekah is
described as a ‘damsels’ (na’ara) and
a ‘virgin’ (btula). I should be concluded that ‘alma’ is never
used to refer to a married woman. The
word occurs five other times in Scripture (Ex. 2:8; Ps. 68:25; Prov. 39:19;
Song of Sol. 1:3, 6:8), and in each case contains the idea of a virgin. Until recent times, it was always translated
as such by both Jewish and Christian scholars.
“The
most famous medieval Jewish interpreter, Rashi (1040-1105), who was an opponent
of Christianity, made the following comment:
‘Behold the ‘alma shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name
Immanuel’ means that our Creator shall be with us. And this is the sign: The one who will conceive is a girl (na’ard)
who never in her life has had intercourse with any man. Upon this one shall the Holy Spirit have
power.’ It should be noted that in
modern Hebrew the word virgin is either ‘alma or btula. Why did not Isaiah use betuld? Because it is sometimes used in the Old
Testament of a married woman who is not a virgin (Deut. 22:19; Joel 1:8.
“Alma can mean ‘virgin,’ and that is how
the Jewish translators of the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) translated the
word in Isaiah 7:14 (by the Greek parthemos,
virgin’)—several hundred years before the birth of Christ. The ‘sign’ of which Isaiah spoke was given
specifically to King Ahaz, who feared that the royal line of Judah might be
destroyed by Syria and Israel. The
prophet assured the king that God would protect that line. The birth of a son and the death of the kings
would be the sings guaranteeing His protection and preservation. And in the future there would be a greater
birth, the virgin birth of God incarnate, to assure the covenant with God’s people.
“Matthew
did not give the term ‘alma a Christian ‘twist,’ but used it with the same
meaning with which all Jews of that time used it. In any case, his teaching of the virgin birth
does not hinge on that word. It is made
incontestably clear by the preceding statements that Jesus’ conception was ‘by
the Holy Spirit’ (vv. 18, 20).
“The
‘name’ of the ‘Son’ born to a virgin would be ‘Immanuel, which translated
means, ‘God with us.’ That ‘name’ was
used more as a title or description than as a proper name. In His incarnation Jesus was, in the most
literal sense, ‘God with us.’
“The
fact that a ‘virgin shall be with child’ is marvelous—a pregnant virgin! Equally marvelous is that she ‘shall call His
name Immanuel.’
“The
Old Testament repeatedly promises that God is present with His people, so
secure their destiny in His covenant.
The Tabernacle and Temple were intended to be symbols of that divine
presence. The term for tabernacle is mishkan, which comes from Shekinah, meaning to dwell, rest, or
abide. From that root the term Shekinah has come, referring to the
presence of God’s glory. The child born
was to be the Shekinah, the true Tabernacle of God (cf. John 1:14). Isaiah was the instrument through which the
Word of the Lord announced that God would dwell among men in visible flesh and
blood incarnation—more intimate and personal than the Tabernacle or Temple in
which Israel had worshiped.”
I
apologize for the length of this quotation, but it seemed to me that this
information is something that those who read these Spiritual Diaries probably
need to understand.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am so thankful to better understand what
John MacArthur has written about the virgin birth. I have always believed of the importance of
the virgin birth since was a believer, but now am happy to understand it better
makes a difference.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I am thankful for what the Lord has and
continues to teach me about humility.
Quotation from “Love in Action” comes
from Proverbs 22:6:
Train up a child in the way he should go
and when he is old he will
not depart from it.
12/2/2019 11:46 AM
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