Archive for Isaiah 7

Born of a Virgin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Christmas, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on December 24, 2020 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

The message is straight forward and not confusing in the original Hebrew… the Lord Himself will give you a sign. The Hebrew word for “sign” is ‘owth’. According to Strong’s Concordance the word means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning, token, ensign, standard, miracle, or proof.

Virgin, this is the word where the debate is taking place. According To Strong’s Concordance the word means the following: virgin, young woman, of marriageable age, maid or newly married. The Hebrew word is almah. The word is generally translated as young woman or maiden.

The critic would argue that since this word is not translated “virgin” elsewhere and it does not literally mean “virgin”, that it is a reach to translate the word “virgin”.

70 Jewish translators and scholars of the Bible in the 3rd century B.C. translated the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14. This was before the birth of Jesus. One cannot accuse the scholars of translating to fit an agenda. The concept of a “virgin” conception/birth was made at least 200 years before the world even knew of Christ.

In Matthew 1:23, the apostle quotes Isaiah 7:14. He uses the word “virgin”. The fact that Mary is a “virgin” is restated in Matthew 1:25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. The grammar of verse 25 in the Greek is indicative that Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus.

Previously in verses 18, 20, Matthew spells out that Joseph was aware Mary was pregnant prior to their marriage and she was a virgin.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 1:20, an angel communicates to Joseph that Mary has conceived from the Holy Spirit. Translation, she physically did not have sex and had not had sex prior to this event of conception.  

Matthew 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

The name Immanuel means “God with us” or “with us is God” in the Hebrew.

In the final analysis, it does not matter what I think. It does not what anybody else thinks. What matters is what you think. Do you believe the Bible? Was a man, Jesus, who claimed to be God, born of a virgin?

Merry Christmas!

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It Shall Not Stand… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Isaiah, Joshua Ghana with tags , , on February 11, 2020 by paulthepoke
@beholy404

Joshua of Ghana @beholy404 on Twitter

Isaiah 7:7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

History is filled with accounts of despots – rulers who exercised absolute power over their subjects and terrorized those who crossed their path. They were deluded to think that they had the final word in every situation; but alas, they were often proven wrong. Something always happened that would remind them that they were finite and feeble humans. Only God has the final word. When He says, “It shall not stand…”, we can bank on it.

When Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel with their confederate forces planned to invade and destroy Jerusalem, there was great panic in Judah. This combined army was formidable enough to destroy entire Judah and make an end of the rule of David’s lineage. To Rezin and Pekah, it was a done deal, but God said, “It shall not stand.” This was His message to even an ungodly Ahaz, king of Judah, who was already greatly worried by the news of the invasion.

God still “brings the counsel of the heathen to naught” (Psalm 33:10). Powerful, wicked and crafty people may perfect their plot against His people, but rest assured that “it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” It is vain for anyone or group to think that they can work against the will of God or work without His will and succeed (Lamentations 3:37).

The world in which we live is full of intrigues, oppression, wickedness and threats from Satan and his demonic and human agents. Very often, they target people who have a covenant relationship with God. If you are one of such blessed people and the enemy is posing a threat against you, let God’s words of assurance settle your nerves; “it shall not stand”. The details of how it will be done are not yours but God’s. Just take it to Him in prayer.

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:* The enemy has not the final word, God does.

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Gabriel: Jesus Is Coming

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

To add to Mary’s intense anxiousness and confusion, Mary is being told she is the chosen vessel for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Mary is going to be the promised sign.

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.

A couple of word studies on His name. In the Hebrew of Isaiah 7, Immanuel means: with us is God.

The New Testament Greek name is Ἰησοῦς/Iésous. The Greek name is translated from the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”.

In English, we call Him Jesus or Joshua.

Behold… The English translation of ἰδού/idou does not grab the intensity of the term in the Greek. This is an imperative verb. Look! See! Gabriel is attempting to further gain Mary’s attention.

…you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Gabriel is going to give Mary four points of information.

  • You are going to get pregnant.
  • You are going to give birth.
  • The child will be a boy.
  • Name Him Jesus.

Luke 1:32 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,

Then Gabriel goes on to explain the character of her Promised Son.

He will be great or μέγας/megas. This Greek term is where we get the English prefix “mega”. For example, lottery players hope to win “mega” millions. Jesus will be great in the grandest sense.

…will be called the Son of the Most High.

Gabriel is announcing Jesus is the Son of God or Most High or Highest. The point is, there is none above Him. He is Deity.

Definitions and translations provided by Strong’s Concordance.

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And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David…

Gabriel connects the dots from Mary back to King David. The prophets foretold of a coming time when a ruler would come from the line of David. The boy to be named Jesus, who is about to be born, is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David.

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom.

Mary herself knew she was of the line of David. Luke points this out in his documented genealogy of Jesus from Mary back to David. See Luke 3:23-31.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

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Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Gabriel makes the point two times to Mary. When your earthly son assumes the role of King, it is His non stop. His kingdom will be without end.

The eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom is promised to King David in 2 Samuel 7 and multiple places in Psalms 45 and 89. The prophet Daniel in chapters 2, 4, 6 and 7 makes multiple, definitive and emphatic statements. His kingdom will never end.

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever…

The same promise Gabriel made to Mary over 2,000 years ago is true for us today. Jesus is coming. And when He comes back the second time, He will be firmly planted as King for eternity.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

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Gabriel Visits a Virgin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags , , , , , , on January 5, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:27 …to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke says Mary is a “virgin”. This is the Greek word παρθένος/parthenos. Let’s focus on a couple of definitions from Strong’s and Helps Word Studies.

Strong’s defines the term as a maiden, virgin; extended to men who have not known women.

Helps states properly, a virgin; a woman who has never had sexual relations; a female (virgin), beyond puberty but not yet married.

παρθένος/parthenos is noted 15 times in the New Testament. Three (3) times the term is used in reference to Mary. The virgin is going to give birth to a child. For Jews of the day, the idea of a virgin giving birth would bring Isaiah 7:14 to mind. Prophecy is going to be fulfilled.

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.

The Hebrew term for virgin is “almah“. Strong’s defines the word as a young woman, a virgin, a maiden. Almah is noted seven (7) times in the Old Testament. It is translated as maid, maiden, or virgin.

Historically, there has been much debate over the meaning of the term almah in Isaiah 7:14. Many Old Testament commentators take the term to mean “the concealed one”.

When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to Greek in the Septuagint, almah was translated to αρθένος/parthenos. In both cases (Hebrew and Greek), there is a definite article before both terms. In English, we know this as “the” virgin.

I take it Greek Orthodox scholars understand. See the link below for great detail of linguistic study.

https://www.goarch.org/-/the-word-almah-in-isaiah-7-14

Mary herself makes the claim she is a virgin. Many translators use the term “virgin” in Luke 1:34. The text is literally translated below as…

Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I do not know a man?”

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…of the house of David.

The genealogies of Luke 3 and Matthew 1 are clear. Jesus is of the line of David. It does not matter which parent, Mary or Joseph. Both have direct links to David. Luke is making the case. The Child to be born of the virgin Mary is of the line of David. The Messiah is promised from 2 Samuel 7, roughly 1,000 years and 14 generations before the conception of the Child.

2 Samuel 7:8-17 “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

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Isaiah 7:23-25 Shekels and Thorns and Thistles

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:23 And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns.

How much is a shekel worth in modern day terms? We know these particular shekels were made of silver.  There is no definitive statement of accuracy in regards to how much a shekel weighs. The best estimate is a shekel weighs roughly .5 ounces. In March of 2013, silver is worth approximately $30.00 per ounce. Based on the text, one grape vine equals one shekel of silver.

1000 shekels X ½ ounce per shekel = 500 ounces of silver.

500 ounces X $30.00 per ounce of silver = $15,000 in today’s economy.

$15,000 divided by 1,000 plants = $15 per plant.

Genesis 3:18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field…Thorns and thistles are a reminder of disobedience that took place in the Garden of Eden. Thorns and thistles exist because Adam listened to his wife instead of to God. Adam ate the fruit from the tree that God said, “You shall not eat from it”. The ground was cursed and as a result, we now have thorns and thistles. According to God, thorns exist because of disobedience to Him. Consider this the next time you look at a beautiful red rose. It did not have thorns in the beginning. Every thorn we see should be a reminder.

From a humanist perspective, it was just a piece of fruit. What is the big deal?

The humanist cannot say, “Nobody was harmed or died because of this action”. We all die because of disobedience to a simple request. Do not eat from one tree.

And let’s not get all pious and bust on Adam for eating the fruit. Who are we kidding? Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?

Isaiah 7:24 People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns.

This ground is a barren waste land. People are hunting for food in the wild. Bows and arrows are the tools used for hunting game. The people are hungry.

Isaiah 7:25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.

Previously, this land was used for growing food. Choice vines were tendered as noted in verse 23. It was productive farm land. It will become a space for animals to wander around looking for food.

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Isaiah 7:20-22 Razor Close Shave

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 9, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

God is using the King of Assyria as an instrument. Here is some background as to how Jewish culture viewed a razor, shaving, hair, and a beard. Presentation of hair was important to the Jewish people. During this time, hair was worn long by men and women. People would curl their hair for effect. Baldness was considered humiliating or embarrassing. Bald people were made fun of or insulted. (Holman Bible Dictionary).

The beard was considered an ornament.  The beard was not shaved but trimmed. Size and fullness of beard were symbols of respectability and trustworthiness. The beard was an object of an oath with blessings or shame stated (New Unger’s Bible Dictionary).

The bodies of people were completely shaved from head to toe including the beard. The phrase “hair of the legs” is interesting. Some have interpreted this to be idiomatic language for pubic hair. The idea was total humiliation.

Figurative language is used in verse 20. The “razor” is likely the future king Sennacherib. Judah was flattened in 701 BC. According to the records of Sennacherib, forty-six cities were destroyed in Judah.  Approximately 200,000 people were captured and taken from the land (Wycliffe Bible Commentary).

Isaiah 7:21 Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep;

Each person has limited livestock at this time, three animals. A heifer is a young cow that has not produced off spring. There is no mention of a bull. This could make reproduction and growth of populations difficult.

Isaiah 7:22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.

If a person was alive and survived, people will live off of these animals. There is no other food source. The lack of vegetation and crops will be discussed in the next verses.

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Isaiah 7:17-19 Flies and Bees

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:17 “The LORD will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria.”

A warning and judgment from God is coming to your people, Judah, the southern kingdom.  They have not experienced judgment from God since Israel had split. The kingdom split in 1 Kings 12. The event itself is noted in 1 Kings 12:16. When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel departed to their tents. The year of the split was approximately 920-930 BC. God tells them who the instrument of punishment is going to be, the king Assyria.

Isaiah 7:18 In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

God causes this to happen.  The Hebrew word for “remotest” is qatesh. It means end, mouth, extremity, border, or outskirts per Strong’s Concordance.  He calls for the Egyptians with a hiss or a whistle from the “mouth” of the rivers. I take it to be from the Nile Delta. Assyria is symbolized as a bee. These two insects or countries will meet in the middle in the land of Judah. The flies will swarm and the bees will sting. Egypt and Assyria clashed in 701 BC (Ryrie Study Notes).

Isaiah 7:19 They will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places.

These forces from Egypt and Assyria come in and take over. The word “all” is used three times in this verse. It refers to the foreign forces, thorn bushes, and water resources. It is the Hebrew word “kol”. It is defined as all, the whole of, any, each, every, anything, totality, everything. Foreign troups are everywhere. They stress out an area that already has depleted resources and limited food.

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Isaiah 7:15 Refuses Evil and Chooses Good

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good,

Curds and honey were foods of the common person. These foods were staples in the diet of the time. Typically, they are symbols of abundance. God referred to the land of Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey in Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey… At this point in history with Ahaz as king, curds and honey are the only foods remaining. The food supply had been decimated.

The “He” in verse 15 is Jesus. These are the credentials of the One who was born of a virgin and named Immanuel in verse 14. He will eat the food, curds and honey, of the common man. He does not have the diet of royalty.

Christ was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus was tempted with food when He was hungry. Satan tempted Him with His life. Jesus was tempted with absolute power if He would submit to Satan. The tempter tried to entice the Son to reject the words of the Father and follow him. He chose good and refused evil.

It is stated two times. He will refuse evil and choose good. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Isaiah 7:16 “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

In other words, Ahaz relax. Syria and the northern kingdom are toast. You all will be okay. Historically, Syria and the northern kingdom alliance get theirs way before the birth of the One who refused evil and chose good.

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Isaiah7:3-9 Be Calm, God Knows

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:3-4 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.

God gives a direct command for Isaiah to take his son with him to meet King Ahaz. Imagine if you were Ahaz and you saw Isaiah and son headed your direction, especially when you take the meaning of their names into account. Isaiah means “Jehovah has saved”, and Shear-jashub means (a remnant will return) according to Strong’s Concordance. This should provide some comfort knowing “Jehovah has saved” and “a remnant will return” is coming your direction as messengers from God.

Isaiah repeats a simple message four times, do not be afraid. Yes, these two adversaries are really ticked but they are losing their fire and just smoking and smoldering. The log is about to burn out.

Isaiah 7:5-6 ‘Because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”

God knows their plans and tells Ahaz. Essentially, God is saying “I know what these guys are up to”. They have plans of being king makers. This northern alliance is looking to replace an enemy with an ally. They look to put a friend in power for political gain. This would be a natural alliance to strengthen their foothold in the region. The idea seems reasonable. They want to put the son of “God is good” (Tabeel) in charge in the south.

They have battle plans in place. They are going to break down the wall in Jerusalem and invade. You can make all the plans you want, God may have other ideas for you.

Isaiah 7:7 thus says the Lord GOD: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.”

Isaiah 7:9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.”’”

God has a plan for eternal life. The issue for us is the same issue as it was for Ahaz, faith. Do you trust God? Do you believe Him? It is there for the taking, free of charge…

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Isaiah 7:1-2 Family Feud

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:1 Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it.

Effectively, the northern kingdom of Israel has formed an alliance with Aram, modern day Syria. The northern kingdom has turned against family, the southern kingdom of Judah. This takes place in roughly 735 BC. The northern alliance decides to go south and attack Jerusalem. The campaign was not a success.

The primary characters are the following. Ahaz is the king of the Judah in the south. His name means “he has grasped”. He was the eleventh king of Judah. Ahaz was a direct ancestor to Jesus Christ. He was not a good king. He was wicked and turned to idolatry. He believed in mulitculturalism and introduced other religions and foreigners. Ahaz also turned against his family in the north. He formed an alliance with the Assyrians and Tiglath-pileser in response to the alliance in the north that was formed against him. Ahaz was king for sixteen years and died when he was 35 (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible People).

Pekah is the king of northern Israel. His name means “opened”. He was the nineteenth king of Israel and he reigned for nine years. He gained power by plotting and executing an assassination of King Pekahiah. He was not a good king. Pekah was power hungry. As God would have it, Pekah lost his life and crown with a conspiracy. Hoshea conspired and killed Pekah (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible People).

Rezin is the king of Aram, modern day Syria. His name means “firm”. He was the last king of Syria. The line ends with him (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible People).

Isaiah 7:2 When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.

Ahaz is in the house of David. We know this because of the genealogies documented throughout the Old Testament. Specifically, a complete genealogy of Christ is stated in Matthew 1. Ahaz, David, and Jesus are all documented to be in the same family tree.

The meaning of Aram or Arameans is “exalted”. The exalted ones had moved into the hill country of northern Israel. Ephraim is a name used for the northern kingdom in Isaiah. Ephraim is a tribe of Jews that is from the second son of Joseph back in Genesis.

This action by the northern alliance is clearly unsettling to the king and his people in the south. Their inner soul or being shook. The Hebrew word for shook is nuwa’. According to Strong’s Concordance it means: to wave, quiver, vibrate, swing, stagger, tremble, be unstable, to totter, or go tottering. Bravery was not a strong suit of Ahaz and he was perceived to be weak.

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