The Fulfillment of Isaiah 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. (Isaiah 7:14)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:18-23)

The angel’s message to Joseph is good news. Jesus, as the meaning of his Hebrew name “Joshua” indicates, brings the salvation of the Lord. He will save people not merely in the physical sense (8:25; 10:22) but in the most fundamental sense because he will bring salvation from sins. Everyone has sinned against God, failing to give him the thanks he deserves and creating chaos within human society (Rom. 1:18–32; 3:9–20, 23), but in Jesus God has displayed with great clarity the merciful and forgiving character that he also exhibited in the Old Testament (Ps. 130:3–4, 7–8).

When Jesus came, he could be described as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 because he was God, and so when he was among his people, God was with them (Matt. 8:23–27). God dwelling with his people was the climactic and greatest blessing in the Old Testament (Ex. 29:46; Lev. 26:11–12), but a blessing hindered by their rebellion against him. In Jesus, God has provided for salvation from sin and has healed the broken relationship between himself and his people, making it possible for God, in Jesus, to be “with” his disciples “always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

He alone uniquely fulfills God’s promise to be “with us” (Matt. 1:23; cf. e.g., Rom. 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:7; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7). He alone will ground the promises of God, not merely in words but in his life, death, and resurrection. He alone will be faithful even amid the greatest temptations and trials, even unto death. Therefore, he is now the anchor and center of our faith and trust.

Adapted from the Gospel Transformation Bible