"The virgin shall be with child"

Isaiah 7:14 is quoted every Christmas season.  And with good reason!  This is the verse that reads, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  I find it peculiar how some want to make the claim that the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 doesn’t mean a chaste, sexually pure girl, but it simply means a young maiden.  This argument just doesn’t hold water.  It doesn’t make sense in the text from Isaiah 7, or in the New Testament.

You say, “What do you mean what you state that it doesn’t make sense in the text from Isaiah 7?”  Did you notice the very beginning of the verse?  Let me quote it again.  “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (italics mine for emphasis).

Pastor Dave Love, in a sermon I heard not long ago, said that God’s plan was to give an unmistakable sign.  He wanted to make it crystal clear that the coming Messiah had indeed arrived.  How?  By having Him be born from the womb of a virgin.  It makes no logical sense, therefore, to suggest that it was just a young maiden, not a virgin, who gave birth to the promised Messiah.  After all, young maidens gave birth all the time; how could that be considered “a sign from God” to announce the Messiah?

But there’s more.  As I said, this “young maiden” notion also doesn’t make sense in light of the rest of the Bible.  A great example is found in Luke 1.  Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel.  He says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (verse 31).

I find Mary’s response fascinating.  First, notice what Mary doesn’t say.  She doesn’t say, “I’m going to give birth to a son?  Okay, cool.  I’m so glad to hear it.  Joseph and I have been trying to get pregnant.  Thanks for the heads-up.”  Mary didn’t say that.  She is actually shocked at this news.  Her exact words were: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:35).  By her own mouth, Mary debunks this whole “young maiden, but not a literal virgin” theory.

The angel had to explain to her that this baby was going to be unique because the conception actually wasn’t going to involve a man in any way.  Since, as Gabriel went on to explain, “With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).  How someone can read Mary’s words and conclude that Mary was simply a “young maiden” and not the chaste, pure, virgin that Isaiah predicted is beyond me.  The truth is God did give us a clear sign: a virgin gave birth to a child: Jesus Christ; He is Immanuel, God with us.

Kevin

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us” – Matthew 1:22