John 15: 1- 17 Bearing Fruit for God’s glory in 2026

 

 

Welcome to 2026!  

Everyone longs to live an effective, meaningful and fruitful life. That is the reason why we like making new years resolutions. Nobody wants to waste their life. Everyone wants to create a fruitful legacy and fond memories. And that is good. It is wonderful to remember those whose fruitful lives have enriched us and who have left rich memories for us to cherish.  We owe much to people who have lived fruitfully, and whose legacy we now enjoy. 

We randomly think of people like Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468) who invented the movable-type printing press, the father of modern printing. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was the father of the electric motor.  Louis Pasteur (b. 27th Dec.1822 d.  Sept. 1895) gave us   the first laboratory-produced vaccine and  is perhaps best known for pasteurized milk.   Alexander Bell (1847-1922) gave us the telephone.  Marie Curie (1867-1934) laid the foundation for modern nuclear physics, cancer treatments, and radiography. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) a German physicist discovered X-rays in 1895.  All of these were ‘fruitful people’.  Some of these were professing Christians.

Whilst acknowledging that these people have made physical life so much easier for all of us, we must still ask that huge question raised by Jesus in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?  It is very good to live good lives and to make life changing contributions that benefit all of humanity in this life, but what matters ultimately?   

JOHN 15:1-17

Our text directs us to the subject of godly fruitfulness. What is the essence of true fruitfulness? What matters ultimately?  To answer that we must begin by looking at the greater context. I remind you that the most fruitful human being that ever lived is Jesus. He gave His life that we might live...  and that our joy may be full (15:11)

CONTEXT   

John 13-17 contains Jesus’ upper room discourses - things that Jesus did and said to His disciples on the night that He was betrayed. Last words are generally weighty words.  Here we find ...

·       Jesus’ foot-washing and teaching on the nature of servanthood (13:1-20)

·        The great commandment to love one another (13:31-35)

·       Jesus’ personal promise to prepare a place in heaven for His people, and of His return, and of the necessity of believing in Him (13:36 - 14:11)

·        Jesus’ promise that if He left, He would not leave His people as orphans, but that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them and to empower them (14:16-31)

And now in 15:1-17 we find His vital teaching on being fruitful ourselves (15:1-17). Nothing tells the truth about us as much as this. Here we need to be aware that this fruitfulness cannot measured by mere appearance. Jesus’ own life demonstrates this. His own life and words were appreciated by comparatively few in His day, and yet who can deny His supreme fruitfulness?  Some of the most fruitful people in God’s economy are not those who occupy public office and pulpits, but faithful women and men that display the fruit of the Spirit in quiet and unassuming ways.    

It is very fitting that our key illustration for fruitfulness is a vine - something found in great abundance in the Breede River valley. 

1.      THE SOURCE OF FRUITFULNESS

The source of the fruitfulness is our Tri-une God.  I am the true Vine (15:1a); I am the Vine (15:5). Jesus is the Vine stem. God the Father is the vinedresser (15:1b).  The work of the vinedresser is to prune the branches of the vine regularly so that it may produce fruit. Please note that the Son and the Father are both involved in making the branches fruitful. What about the Holy Spirit?  Well, He is found to the left (14:15ff) and to the right (16:7-15) of our passage. In fact, the fruit that we are called to bear,  eventually are called the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal.5:22).

We draw the strength of fruitfulness by abiding in Christ (15:4)  - the true Vine, pruned and made even more fruitful by God the Father. More about that in a moment...

2.      THE SUBJECTS OF FRUITFULNESS

15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  One of the most essential works that our Heavenly Vinedresser does is to cleanse us from all sin.  Those that are rooted in Christ are called “clean” (cf. 13:10,11).  If you are a Christian, if you trust in Christ, born again (Jn 3:7) then you are clean. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7).  

The work of the heavenly vinedresser continues as He prunes us from time to time SO THAT we may be more fruitful.  

The subjects of fruitfulness are those that are clean, who abide in Christ  i.e.  who are born again of the Spirit of God (John 3:1-8) 

3.      THE PURPOSE: BRANCHES ARE DESIGNED FOR SPIRITUAL FRUIT-BEARING

Here we want to make a few observations:

(i)                  Branches derive their fruitfulness from abiding in Christ. It comes from nowhere else. It does not come from our own efforts. If we are not abiding 'in Christ', then there is not just no spiritual life within us, but there can also be no spiritual fruit. We must get this clear.  We may be good people; we may be decent and moral people; we may be good citizens and parents in the eyes of our society, but we may not necessarily be fruitful according to God’s Word. The goodness of our fruit-bearing is rooted in Christ. 

(ii)                Branches must be pruned from time to time in order to be more fruitful. 15:2 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.”  15:4 "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  15:5. "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

There are two types of branches: those that bear fruit (15:2b,5,8); those that do not (15:2a,6). Fruitful branches are pruned – trimmed to make them even more fruitful – this happens to every true Christian. These can be painful times, but the outcome is always good.  Unfruitful branches (who do not abide in Christ – 15:6) are cut off altogether and thrown into the fire. Does this mean that dead, unfruitful branches are Christians that have lost their salvation?  No, it doesn’t. That would bring us into conflict with the nature and the power of Christ’s salvation. But it does illustrate something that we will easily overlook. There is such a person as the “Almost Christian”[1]. There are at all times people like Judas, of whom Jesus speaks in John 13:2,11,21.  This man has walked with Christ for a while, but he had no spiritual life in him to continue. He has finally proven to be a dead, fruitless branch, while the 11 disciples (unpromising as they look at times) will ultimately display proofs of fruitfulness. 

(iii)              Branches display the glory of the Vine 15:8: "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples".   The ultimate end to which we bear fruit ( the end to which we live) is to give glory to God!

We must assert the importance of fruitfulness. Absence of fruit is a bad sign. The value of the vine depends on the fruit.  If any branches of the vine do not bear fruit that branch is actually useless. It is in danger of being thrown away into the fire (images of eternal hell) See how often the metaphor of an unproductive tree is used in the gospels by Jesus (Matt 3:10; 7:15-20; 12:33; Lk 3:9; 6:43-44)

Applying this to our Christian profession we learn by way of application that this is a “do or die” thing. Fruit is the ultimate   proof of the authenticity/value of a tree.  Spiritual fruit-bearing  of Christian authenticity. The absence thereof proves that we are not (Gal. 5:19-25).

4.      WHAT KIND OF FRUIT MUST WE BEAR TO SHOW OURSELVES TO BE CHRIST’S DISCIPLES?

 i)      We have already considered the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...

(ii)    Of that fruit in John 15: 9 -17, Jesus mentions joy (15:11) but He focuses mainly on that greatest of fruit which will last into eternity - LOVE (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13).  We will merely summarise what Jesus says here

·       15:9,10 Love is the basis of the relationship between the Father and the Son

·       15:10 Christians are called to imitate that love among one another. To that end they must draw from the strength that they receive not from their own willpower or ability  but by drawing on the resources that God supplies.  PLEASE NOTE the  promise given  if we pray for such strength to love in 15:7

·       15:12-17 This love is not an option for Christians. It is commanded, and if commanded it is possible (because of 15:7). The supreme act of love is laying down our lives / preferences for one another. The manifestation of the fruit of love is the acid test of being a Christian. It is the greatest mark of the church.  The love of believers for one another is not just a nice thought; it is the very essence of discipleship and the most potent tool for convincing a sceptical world of Christ's reality (Francis Schaeffer). This love isn't just a feeling but must be visibly demonstrated in actions like apologizing, forgiving, and serving one another, even when this is difficult. Again, it is possible, because the source of such love is drawn not from ourselves but from God.

BEARING FRUIT IN 2026

·       You want to live a meaningful, fruitful life. Let God define it for you. Not your new years resolutions.

·       If you are powerless, ask: Have I been grafted into Him - the vine,  so that there is this spiritual sap in my life? Am I ‘in Christ’- abiding in Him? (15:4). Have I been born again? (3:3-8). If you are a Christian, and you still feel powerless to love - pray (15:7)

·       Understand that you may need pruning from time to time in order to be more fruitful. The experience may be bitter but the fruit will be sweet.

·       Let your love for God translate into a real, genuine love for that which God loves –  Love for  Jesus, His people (your church 15:12), His Word; His glory and kingdom; Your holiness of life; His Coming.  (all summarised in the Lord’s prayer)

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[1] Matthew Meade

ISAIAH 8 DARKNESS BEFORE LIGHT

 

Isaiah 7-12 (The Immanuel book) provides us with the fuller picture behind the fulfillment of the prophecy in Matthew 1:21-23, announcing the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 6 we previously considered Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple and his subsequent call to the prophetic ministry. Isaiah was commissioned to prophesy to a hard-of-hearing, non-understanding, unresponsive people (Isa.6:9-10). The prototype of this sort of person is Ahaz, the king of Judah. 

In Isaiah 7 Isaiah was called by God to convince Ahaz that he needed not to fear the alliance between the northern kingdom of Israel and Syria, threatening to attack Judah and Jerusalem. He needed only to put his trust in the Lord.   Ahaz did not want to trust the LORD. He only trusted in a political alliance with the Assyrians – the most powerful nation at that time.

Isaiah challenged Ahaz to trust in the Word of the Lord, even offering him to ask for a sign from the Lord (7:11) which king Ahaz declined. Isaiah then cried out in exasperation: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (7:14).

We have seen that God speaks to a deaf, unresponsive, dull people. (Darkness) 

DARKNESS BEFORE LIGHT! 

We must remember that He does this because He is committed to the fulfillment of His own covenant, which in time would be fulfilled in His Immanuel – the Saviour (Matt. 1:21-23) the Lord Jesus Christ, born to redeem God’s foreknown children. (Light) 

 ISAIAH  8

8:1-4 Then the Lord said to me…

The God of the covenant is absolutely committed to His eternal plan- but “He does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

Isaiah is now commanded to make a tablet and write upon it these words, “Belonging to Maher Shalal Hash Baz“, translated “speed- spoil- haste –booty “.  A very odd statement, but enough to arouse the curiosity of the people and to provoke questions. Keep the context in mind. This message relates to the threatened invasion of Jerusalem by the northern kingdom, which is allied with Syria.

God instructs Isaiah to get two reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah[1] to testify that Isaiah had indeed written this banner. But the prophecy isn’t yet completed. It also had to become flesh in the form of a son that would be born to Isaiah’s wife[2]. When that son is eventually born (at least 9 months later), he will receive that prophetic name, which conveys that same message. His name was intended to be a sign (see 8:18) to Ahaz and to Judah. 

In 8:4 we are informed that before this boy would be able to talk, the Assyrians would successfully attack the Syrians and Israel, utterly defeating them, and therefore swiftly carrying off the spoil or booty.  Please note – God was going to do this! Ahaz did not need to enter into an alliance with the Assyrians to protect himself.

8:5-10 God continues to speak strongly through Isaiah: “The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” 9 Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered;  give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered. 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.  

“This people“ refers to the northern kingdom of Israel. These 10 northern tribes (under Jeroboam) had separated themselves from Jerusalem and the temple. They had refused the gentle waters of Shiloah. The waters of Shiloah flow from the Gihon spring into Jerusalem.  At Gihon,  Solomon, the son of David, was anointed and declared to be king (1 Kings 1:32-35). It was also here that Isaiah first found king Ahaz (7:3) who was worried that the enemy would cut off this water supply from Jerusalem.  

These people, the northern kingdom had alienated themselves from that life giving water, and from the LORD a   long time ago.    God was against them!

The Lord says here that they (the NK and their ally Syria) would endure the Assyrian flood, which would threaten Judah as well, BUT Jerusalem would not be conquered at this time. The Assyrian waters would well come “up to the neck” (8:8), but no further.  This happened in king Hezekiah’s day, when Jerusalem was threatened by the Assyrians, but there the Lord struck down 185 000 Assyrians (2 Ki.19:35) !  That was basically the end of Assyria. 

A strong point is made in 8:9,10 that this is Immanuel’s land!  THEREFORE (and not for any other reason) we are reminded once more that God’s plan and promises cannot be thwarted by any human power.  8:10 could also be loosely translated, “Go ahead, make your crazy plan; it will fail” 

All this begs us to reflect upon a very comforting doctrine: The sovereignty God!  No weapon formed against God and His purposes will stand (Isa 54:17).

To contextualize that:

Every opposition against God’s kingdom will fail.

Everyone that wants to exterminate the people of God – the true church (from among all nations)  must fail!   

The reason is plain. God is with us, and if God be for us, who can be against us?  (Rom 8:28). The true church (the qahal or assembly of God) is in Immanuel’s hand. Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church! (Matt. 16:18). She is Immanuel’s land, Immanuel’s treasured possession, Immanuel’s bride!

This thought gives rise to the next section in 8:11 – 22 

ISAIAH 8:11-22

The LORD continues to speak to Isaiah, and from these remaining verses in chapter 8 we must draw at least three  powerful conclusions 

1. 8: 11-13 In times of spiritual threat we must guard our hearts and minds by not following a pragmatic route of escape.  Isaiah is warned not to follow the unspiritual thinking of the world around him: “For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”

Godly people must learn not to fear what people around them fear. Godly people must fear the LORD alone. They must believe His Word.

 2.   8:14-15: Know that God is either for you or against you. There is no middle-ground: “And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”  The Lord is either a sanctuary or a stone of offense/ stumbling (Gr. skandalon) for all people. In the OT the sanctuary was the holy place where He promised to dwell and where people were invited to dwell under the shelter of His wings. But He is also a stumbling stone for those who will not take Him seriously. 

So too Jesus is there either for our protection or our downfall. The old prophet Simeon prophesied this about the Lord Jesus:  He is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel“ (Luke 2:34).  Many people stumble because they disobey the message about Christ (1 Peter 2:8). To those who believe in Him and obey Him, He will be a sanctuary.   Jesus is either a snare, a stumbling block or a Saviour.  What is He to you? There is no third way, and no one can ultimately get away from Christ. He is the coming Judge!

3. 8:16-20 Hold on to the Word of God and not on to lies: “Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching (law) and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”

When times are desperate it is important to hold on to God’s word. In such times it is important to be aware of false prophets.   What God has said through Isaiah was God’s word.  “The LORD spoke thus to me with His strong hand upon me (8:11).

Note that Isaiah’s family signs and symbols that communicated truth. One of Isaiah’s sons name, (Shear-Jashub- 7:3) promised that there would be a remnant; another son’s name, Maher-Shalal Hash Baz was a prediction that swift destruction would come on Judah’s enemies. It happened while this boy was still a baby who could not yet talk! And don’t forget that Isaiah’s own name means “the Lord saves”, a gospel message in itself!  Immanuel would INDEED appear in the fullness of time   in the flesh (Jn. 1:14, Gal. 4:4) and in the line of David centuries after Isaiah spoke!

Sadly, those who reject God’s word always seek alternative counsel and wisdom, therefore we are not surprised to read that they turned to mediums and necromancers who chirp and mutter (8:19). By so doing they broke God’s law (Deut.18:9-13), preferring to hear a word from the dead over the Word of the Living God.  They were rejecting the law and the testimony (8:20)

In doing so they ultimately lost their heritage, their blessing, and their life. Their unbelief would bring distress, darkness, and fearful gloom in time to come, and if it were not for the amazing mercy of God they would have remained in darkness. So, the words in 8:21& 22 are all too true: “They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”

THE OLD TESTAMENT SPEAKS TO YOU!   

Do not be tempted, like Ahaz, to reject God’s law or the word of His prophets (OT) or like Judas, the final Word that was spoken by Jesus (Hebr.1:1-3), and communicated by the apostles.

If we reject God’s revelation and direction in favor of human saviours or by consulting the dead etc. we will not have light at all but darkness, and the despairing gloom that comes with it.

On Christmas day we are going to take a close look at Isa 9: 1-7, in which we see Immanuel dispelling the gloom of people that have been walking in darkness. We will take a good look at the child with the four Names, in ALONE can be all our hope.

Thank God for Immanuel. Thank  God that  the darkness  cannot extinguish the light. 

Amen!

 

 

 

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[1] See 2 Ki. 16:10-16;18:2 This Zechariah  cannot be identical with the prophet  and author Zechariah, who prophesied around 520 B.C.

[2] The title ‘prophetess ‘ was probably given to Isaiah’s wife here because she was literally the bearer  of the  Lord’s Word, incarnate in her son  (Motyer, p.90)

ISAIAH 7:1-14 THE IMMANUEL SIGN

 

Isaiah 7 contains the prophecy of the virgin birth of a son called Immanuel (7:14)[1].  The name of Immanuel and the circumstances under which he was conceived are as mysterious and unique as was the life of king Melchizedek,  who is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days or end of life…”  cf. Genesis 14:17ff cf. Hebr. 7:3. The mystery   is thankfully lifted when we read Matthew 1:20-23. But more about that in a moment.

We may be somewhat surprised when reading and meditating on this text. It does not come across very “Christmassy”[2]  at all when we consider the historical picture. Sadly,  many Christmas sermons are sentimentalized and rarely ever recognize the historical context and prophetic profundity of these texts.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Isaiah’s commission begins with a great vision of God  (6:1-8). It ends with a very difficult commission and message  from God in 6:9,10. There, God said to Isaiah,

“Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Let us consider the basic facts. 

Isaiah was commissioned to preach the Word of God to a proud and stubborn people.  He is called to speak to a people who do not want to hear or see the Word of the Lord – in fact, in addition to their own rebellious spirit, God has added judicial blindness, so that they are actually twice hardened: they hardened their own hearts and God hardened their hearts! The concept of judicial hardening in also found in 29:9-13. In New Testament language, these  are a people handed over (Rom. 1:18ff) 

On Isaiah’s very first assignment, God called Isaiah to speak to king Ahaz in Jerusalem. He found king Ahaz at the upper pool near the Washer’s field (7:3). Ahaz was concerned that the water supplies were going to be cut off by the invading armies of Syria, allied with the Northern kingdom of Israel. The message from God in  7:4 was this,

 “And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and (Pekah) the son of Remaliah, the current king of the Northern  alliance.”  

Isaiah’s message  to Ahaz in a nutshell: Call him to trust in me – His God!

Ahaz, although he was a descendant of David (and mentioned in the covenantal line of the Messiah – Matt. 1:9), he wasn’t a godly, spiritual man who trusted in the Word of the Lord.  In 2 Ki.16:3 we read that, “he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.” 

So, Ahaz trusted more in an alliance with the Syrian king than in the God of his father David.  And it’s going to bite him: “Within 65 years, Ephraim – the Northern kingdom  would seize to be a nation (7:8). This is exactly what happened. Indeed, within 65 years the Northern Kingdom and their Allies, Syria would be destroyed by Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; 16:9). All this happened, just as God said it would.  The study of the prophecies and their fulfillments in history are a great testimony to the reliability   and authority of Scripture. 

ASK FOR A SIGN (7:10–17)

Against this terrible background we find a God who is good, and kind to rebellious and ungrateful people.

He sends Isaiah to Ahaz at the upper pool (7:3), worried about the water supply which may be cut off by the invading armies. Isaiah comes to him with words that we would not have expected to be spoken to this godless, faithless king. Isaiah comes with an encouraging (good news) message from God. BUT along with this he also brings a warning: “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” [7:9]

Isaiah finds king Ahaz apathetic to this positive challenge. So, God in His patient mercy says to king Ahaz in 7:10-11: 

“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 

He is saying,  Ahaz, you don’t believe me? Ask me to confirm this to you via a miraculous sign.

God is surely patient with this faithless son of the covenant, and there is the key! Why does God do this? He does this for the sake of His covenant and for the sake of the throne of David, and for the sake of the Messiah, and not because Ahaz deserves God’s patience.

God tells Ahaz to choose a sign as evidence that the  message  from Isaiah is true: 

“Make it as difficult as you like – make it as deep as Sheol, or high as heaven" (7:11).  

What an offer – what an opportunity to see God at work. Imagine you were given that opportunity!   What would you have asked for?

Astonishingly we read in 7:12: 

“But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.”  

Some think here that Ahaz is being merely   humble or modest - perhaps he is thinking about Deut. 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test”.  But, as others have pointed out correctly, when God invites us to ask for a sign, we are not putting God to the test. If the truth be told, Ahaz response actually masks a very stubborn unbelief. We need no reminder that some of the strongest unbelief hides behind religious language[3]!

Now you can hear Isaiah’s frustration beginning to manifest in 7:13: 

“Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?   

It is very likely that Isaiah was saying this not only to the king but to a multitude assembled at the upper pool at the Washer’s field.  Many may have heard this word that now came to Ahaz (7:14): “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 

 A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON?

The Hebrew word used here for virgin is ‘almah’. This refers to a marriageable young woman of unblemished and pure character. Many have a problem with this because virgins (by definition) cannot conceive or give birth! And yet this is not a grammatical mistake. Many years before Christ was born, Jewish scholars translated the OT into the Greek language (the Septuagint or the LXX).  When it came to translating this word “virgin” they used the word “parthenos”.  The Greek language here is precise and unambiguous.  A parthenos is a virgin! They did not use the word, “young woman” or another equivalent.

That makes this prophecy is truly astonishing.  Yes, virgins do not conceive; and they do not give birth. So, this was going to be something extraordinary.  Ahaz would be given the opportunity to witness the pregnancy and birth of a son called Immanuel, born to a woman who had no man in her life. This sign was impossible beyond the deepest depths of Sheol and the highest heights of heaven (7:10).

But here is the greater miracle: Hidden deep within Israel’s darkest history and unbelief there is the prospect of a light shining (cf. 9:2). Isaiah, employs prophetic perspective, far above that which even he could understand or fathom, and by which God would be true to His promises to David the covenant king.  A virgin would give birth to a male child. The male child would be called “Immanuel”, meaning “God with us”.   Immanuel is mentioned again in 8:8 & 10. Concerning Him we learn,

• The land which was under the rule of the House of David was His land.
• He is addressed in prayer (8:8). Therefore  Immanuel  must be the LORD. He is the Lord who frustrates the plans of His opponents in 8:10.

All this would have remained a mystery had we not received the interpretation  in  Matt 1:20-23 :

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

 And Luke 1:30-37 reads:

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Please note the deliberate language used here by Mary in  Luke 1:34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since a man I have not known? (i.e. I am a virgin) ?” 

From this follows the fact that  this birth is going to be an extra-ordinary birth! 

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born  will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, (here is an extra sign and a confirmation!)  your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

APPLICATION 

1.      Much of the OT (the prophecy of Isaiah by way of application) does not make much sense without the revelation of Christ, our Immanuel. The light of the New Testament  illumines  the Old Testament, which is richly furnished, but dimly lighted. The introduction of light  brings into it  nothing which was not  in it before, but  reveals it in full clarity (B.B. Warfield) 

2.      The Christian faith  rests upon the foundation of this prophecy in Isaiah 7. Immanuel defines  our  Christian faith.

3.      The deliverance of Judah’s hopeless position at the time of king Ahaz comes not by human might or power, but by God‘s miraculous intervention – and that despite the deafness and stubbornness of king and people (or if you like – government and nation). There are simply no human alliances that will get the world out of this sticky mess, this entanglement of sin.  We need the gospel of Jesus. He is the same Saviour that must now come and deliver us from  our messy world. Thank God that, with the help of the NT we know Immanuel. We must boldly appeal to Him in prayer.      

4.      This story of Isaiah and Ahaz proves to us once again, that the gospel comes to us utterly undeserved and unsought.  It comes to us because God is faithful to His covenant. In that covenant He has given a people (a bride) to His Son. The Son has prayed for that bride in John 17.  All that the Father has given to the Son will come.   His  sheep know Him and they follow Him (John 10: 14, 27).  Evil, unbelieving, faithless people like Ahaz will not stand in the way of God’s gospel – in fact, evil people like Ahaz are sometimes overwhelmed by the gospel and brought into submission of the gospel.  The apostle Paul was a spiritual Ahaz before the grace of God overwhelmed him. 

5.     May God would be pleased to pour out His great gospel grace   into the heart of many an Ahaz today.  May God be pleased to turn the spiritual coldness, apathy and blindness of this present age   once again into a profound love for Immanuel. May His kingdom come. May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

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[1]  For the name Immanuel: See Isa 7: 14; 8:8,10

[2] Every now and then we must invent a word to explain ourselves!

[3] Think for instance of the parable of the tax-collector and the Pharisee in Lk 18:9-14. The Pharisee hides his unbelief behind strong religious language