All throughout the Book of Isaiah, the prophet writes of the future Messiah, savior of Israel and the whole world. Isaiah describes his birth, his name, his ancestry, his personality and how the world will react to him. I don’t believe any other book in the Bible gives such a clear picture of who this man is and will be. Next in my on-going study called Challenging Judaism, I examine the Book of Isaiah, chapters 7, 9 & 11. Please read it, question it and give input–and take the poll.

The ‘Sign’ In Isaiah 7

It is written in the Book of Isaiah 7:4-18Isaiah 7:4-18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. neither...: Heb. let not thy heart be tender ⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, ⁶ Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: vex: or, waken ⁷ Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. ⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. that...: Heb. from a people ⁹ And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. If...: or, Do ye not believe? it is because ye are not stable ¹⁰ Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Moreover...: Heb. And the LORD added to speak ¹¹ Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ask it...: or, make thy petition deep ¹² But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. ¹³ And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. shall call: or, thou, O virgin, shalt call ¹⁵ Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. ¹⁷ The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. ¹⁸ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.  

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“…And say to him: Be firm and be calm. Do not be afraid and do not lose heart on account of those two smoking stubs of firebrands, on account of the raging of Rezin and his Arameans and the son of Remaliah. Because the Arameans–with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah–have plotted against you, saying, ‘We will march against Judah and invade and conquer it, and we will set up as king in it the son of Tabeel,’ thus said my Lord GOD: it shall not succeed, it shall not come to pass. For the chief city of Aram is Damascus, and the chief of Damascus is Rezin; the chief city of Ephraim is Samaria, and the chief of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And in another sixty-five years, Ephraim shall be shattered as a people. If you will not believe, for you cannot be trusted…”

The LORD spoke further to Ahaz: “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, anywhere down to Sheol or up to the sky.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask, and I will not test the LORD.”

“Listen, House of David,” [Isaiah] retorted, “is it not enough for you to treat men as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless? Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel. (By the time he learns to reject the bad and chose the god, people will be feeding on curds and honey.” For before the lad knows to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground whose two kings you dread shall be abandoned…”

GOD sent Isaiah to reassure King Ahaz that Jerusalem would not fall into the hands of these two kings from Aram and Remaliah, and that House of Ephraim (aligned with Remaliah), would fall in 65 years. The LORD says since Ahaz is a doubter and he might as well ask for a sign, which he pretends he doesn’t want, but Isaiah (insulted) gives him one anyway. Isaiah says (or the LORD), “The young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel.”

The Tanakh says the meaning of Immanuel is ‘with us is GOD.’

The sign which the LORD says He will give is not figurative or allegorical; He speaks of real people and events — a young woman who will give birth to a boy, whom she will call Immanuel. For Isaiah goes on to describe ‘the lad,’ as he calls him, eventually learning to discern good and bad, and choosing the good.

Other ‘Signs’ In The Bible

Before we move on, it may be necessary to point out what a sign is. We all know that when the sun is out, that means it is daylight; as for when the moon has dominance, we know it is night. Likewise, if we hear thunder or see lightening and/or the clouds darken, we know rain my be on the way. Signs are physical, real –we can see them, touch them, hear them, feel them,or smell them, etc.

Let’s look at some other signs in the Bible the LORD promises to give, all of which we should be familiar with:

1. GOD said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times–the days and the years. (Genesis 1:14Genesis 1:14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: the day...: Heb. between the day and between the night  

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2. And GOD said to Noah and to his sons with him, “I now establish My covenant with you and your offspring to come, and with every living thing that is with you… This is the sign that I set for the covenant between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for all ages to come. I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth… When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between GOD and all living creatures, all flesh that is on earth. (Genesis 9:8-17Genesis 9:8-17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰ And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. ¹¹ And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.  

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3. The LORD said to him [Moses] further “Put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales! And He said, “Put your hadn back into your bosom.”–He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body.–”And if they do not believe your or pay heed to the first sign [Moses' rod turns into a snake, and back into a rod], they will believe the second. And if they are not convince by both these signs and still do not heed you…” (Exodus 4:6-9Exodus 4:6-9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. ⁷ And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. ⁸ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ⁹ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. shall become: Heb. shall be and shall be  

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4. [the LORD instructs Moses and Aaron in Egypt] They shall take some of the blood [from the prepared lamb] and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they are to eat it… For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; …And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:1-13Exodus 12:1-13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 ¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ² This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. ³ Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: lamb: or, kid ⁴ And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: of...: Heb. son of a year ⁶ And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. in...: Heb. between the two evenings ⁷ And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. ⁸ And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹ Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. ¹⁰ And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. ¹¹ And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. ¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. gods: or, princes ¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. to destroy...: Heb. for a destruction  

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5. Previously, the LORD had spoken to Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, untie the sackcloth from your loins and take your sandals off your feet,” which he had done, going naked and barefoot. And now the LORD said, “It is a sign and a portent for Egypt and Nubia. Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years, so shall the king of Assyria drive off the captives of Egypt..”

As we just noted above, signs are real — people, places and things that can be observed via the senses. Now, if it is written Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel. — do you doubt GOD meant what He said? If the LORD says a young woman would have a boy child and name him Immanuel, then expect there to be a young woman who gets pregnant and gives birth to a boy, and expect her to name him Immanuel.

The ‘Child’ Of Isaiah 9 And The ‘Shoot’ Of Isaiah 11

It is written in Isaiah 9:5-6Isaiah 9:5-6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For...: or, When the whole battle of the warrior was, etc but...: or, and it was, etc fuel: Heb. meat ⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  

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For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty GOD is planning grace; the Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler”–In token of abundant authority and peace without limit upon David’s throne and kingdom, that it may be firmly established in justice and in equity now and evermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts shall bring this to pass.

Is it possible that Isaiah speaks of two Holy Boys…since the first one referenced to in Isaiah 7:14Isaiah 7:14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. shall call: or, thou, O virgin, shalt call  

WP-Bible plugin will be named Immanuel [with us is GOD] and the one described in Isaiah 9:5-6Isaiah 9:5-6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For...: or, When the whole battle of the warrior was, etc but...: or, and it was, etc fuel: Heb. meat ⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  

WP-Bible plugin will also named “the Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler?” We know Isaiah is clearly speaking of one person, Messiah, and that both verses speak only of him. Messiah will be named Immanuel and will be born of a young woman and will sit on and rule righteously from David’s throne.

It is written in Isaiah 11:1-10Isaiah 11:1-10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 ¹ And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: ² And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; ³ And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: quick...: Heb. scent or, smell ⁴ But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. reprove: or, argue ⁵ And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. ⁶ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷ And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸ And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. cockatrice': or, adders ⁹ They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁰ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. glorious: Heb. glory  

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But a shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse [David's father], a twig shall sprout from his stock. The spirit of the LORD shall alight upon him: a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and valor, a spirit of devotion and reverence for the LORD. He shall sense the truth by his reverence for the LORD: h shall not judge by what his eyes behold, nor decide by what his ears perceive. Thus he shall judge the poor with equity and decide with justice for the lowly of the land with the rod of his mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of his lips. Justice shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his waist. …In that day, the stock of Jesse that has remained standing shall become a standard to peoples–nations shall seek his counsel and his abode shall be honored.

This passage in Isaiah 11 explains how Messiah, the boy born of a young woman and named Immanuel, will rule from David’s throne.

I would appreciate any feedback and/or questions.

See related posts:

What Jews Believe: One Cannot Die For The Sins Of Another (April 3, 2008l 3, 2008
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
 

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Who Twists Isaiah 53 – Jews Or Christians (April 6, 2008l 6, 2008
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GOD Is Not A Man, So Who Is Jesus? (April 10, 2008l 10, 2008
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
 

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