MONDAY: THE PROPHECY OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH

Dec 5, 2022
3 min read

Lord, I should be anticipating Your work in the world each day. You have already told me through Your Word what the world will be like, so I shouldn’t be surprised when You fulfill Your Word!

Isaiah 7:10-14

Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:20-23

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to 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 be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

There are times when I ask God for a sign, but I don’t think I deserve it. God told Ahaz to ask in faith for a sign, but unbelieving Ahaz thought asking was testing God. I have learned it’s not a test if God tells me to ask Him in faith.

The sign God revealed was many years in the future, but indeed spectacular. God disclosed He would send His Son to earth in the form of a baby. He selected a pure, faithful virgin to symbolize His holiness; what was conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: It is easy to believe the worst in people. Mary had a hard time convincing people she was a virgin after she was found to be carrying a child. When I set my focus on God as my Supreme Authority, I know He will show me the Truth. I also know that anything is possible with God.

In this case, everyone should have been expecting a virgin birth, and the people should have been anticipating this event. But, because their understanding was engulfed by their own agenda, the people had a faulty concept of what the Messiah would do, and therefore overlooked a key prophecy in His coming: how He would come to earth.

Sometimes my lack of understanding is also clouded by what I hope God will do; I want Him to do things the way I think they should be done. I learn that I should be asking God for HIS sign rather than telling Him what sign I hope to see. Lord, show me Your sign today, so I can learn what You are teaching me: You do impossible things in most unusual ways.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman