Devotional

Isaiah speaks of a child to be born. He repeats it in chapter 9 as well. This was generally understood by Jewish scholars to refer to the coming of the ‘anointed one.’ God would send a Messiah. He would be born into the line of David. Matthew connects the events of Jesus birth to the exact prophesy in Isaiah 7.

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" (Matthew 1:23)

There are many reasons why the virgin birth of Jesus is important. But one clear reason why is that it fulfils the messianic prophecies. Jesus’ birth was like no other birth because he was like no other human. He was not born from a union between a man and a woman like everyone else, but miraculously born from a divine intervention. Mary was pregnant even though she was a virgin. He was fully human because he was born of a human woman but he was fully God because he was born by the intervention of the Holy Spirit. What is the most impressive thing about this is that the event was spoken of hundreds of years earlier. The events surrounding the Christmas story are deep, profound, and miraculous. Ponder them in your heart as we head toward Christmas day.

God bless you and your family,
Brett