Context for Isaiah 7:1-8:15
The verses of Isaiah 7-9:7 are a prophecy given to Isaiah for Ahaz, king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem sometime from 742-715 BC. During this time, Israel (then northern kingdom) had allied with the nation of Aram (now modern Syria) against Judah. While their attack was not successful, it did result in Judah forming an alliance with and being subjugated by Assyria in return for protection against its enemies.
Within these verses are two of the most famous prophecies of the coming of the Christ, found in 7:14 and 9:1-7. While these verses are part of the greater speaking of God’s judgment against Judah, they speak to the end of that judgment in the form of the coming of the savior of all.
God’s grace toward us is a mysterious and marvelous thing, for even though we have totally rebelled against and rejected Him, He still sent His son to die for our sins. In fact, it was during just that sort of rebellion- in this case, Ahaz refusing to trust in God’s promise by accepting God’s promise of a sign of His faithfulness- that Isaiah spoke one of God’s most poignant reminders of God’s promise to redeem us in Isaiah 7:14.
This sign was spoken not just as a promise, but also as an indictment against Ahaz and Judah’s rebellion. God would allow Jerusalem and Judah to fall to their enemies, but that fall would have an end in the coming of the Christ. While ruin was promised, the promise of salvation never faltered, and for those who believed in this promise and in the result of its fulfillment, reunion with God through faith was the result.
DLH
