^NIV Isaiah 7:1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. ² Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. ³ Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. ⁴ Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood-- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, ⁶ "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." ⁷ Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, ⁸ for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. ⁹ The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"

Isaiah 7 contains one of the best known and most remarkable prophecies about the Messiah. What is not known is the historical context in which the prophecy was given. In addition to Isaiah 7, the historical context for this amazing prophecy is given in 2 Kings 16:1-20 and 2 Chronicles 28:1-27.

The situation was this. Wicked and idolatrous King Ahaz (744-728 BC), descendent of David, was ruling over Judah. Early in his reign, two neighboring kings joined forces to invade and conquer Judah. They were Rezin, king of Aram (Syria), and Pekah, King of Israel (Ephraim). Their plan was to conquer Judah, divide it, and place a vassal king (the son of Tabeel) over it. Though they failed in their initial attempt to conquer Jerusalem, they devastated Judah. King Rezin of Aram defeated Judah in battle and took a large number of prisoners back to Damascus. Even worse, the army of Israel slaughtered 120,000 soldiers of Judah in one day, and 200,000 citizens were taken captive (2 Chronicles 28:5-8). All of this caused “the hearts of Ahaz and his people” to be “shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” (Isaiah 7:2). They were terrified.

2 Chronicles 28:5 tells us that this fearful situation was punishment from God for Ahaz’s idolatry and evil. So it was the height of mercy on God’s part when he sent Isaiah and Isaiah’s son to Ahaz with a message of great comfort and hope: “Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood-- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. . . . 'It will not take place, it will not happen . . . Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. . . . If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

According to Scripture, Isaiah’s prediction was fulfilled. Both Aram and Israel were conquered by the Assyrian empire and their populations were deported (See 2 Kings 16-17).

^NIV Isaiah 7:10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." ¹² But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." ¹³ Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. ¹⁵ He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. ¹⁶ But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’”

In the previous section, Yahweh had promised Ahaz that Israel and Aram would not succeed in their plan of conquering Jerusalem; moreover, Ahaz was told that they themselves would be shattered. Yet God knew that Ahaz’s faith was weak, so he now offers him to choose a visible sign that will confirm the spoken promise. Beginning with the rainbow after the flood (Genesis 9:12-17) God sometimes gave a miraculous sign (tAa --°ôt) to prove or confirm that

the promise he had previously spoken would indeed be kept (See also 2 Kings 20:9 and Judges 6:17ff).

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."

Though Ahaz seems to be piously obeying Deut 6:16 (“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test”), his response to God’s offer is a rejection of God’s grace and a total lack of faith. It is likely that Ahaz had already decided his course of action, to appeal to the king of Assyria for help through bribery and submission, which he eventually did do (2 Kings 16:7-9).

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. . . . But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Since Ahaz refused to choose a sign, the Lord (°¹dônai) gives a miraculous sign: “The virgin . . . will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” The Hebrew word translated virgin here is hm'l.[; (±almâ). Though it can be translated “young woman” it always means virgin. Otherwise the sign would not be a miraculous proof.

Because Ahaz had refused choosing a sign, God’s sign was rather unusual. Rather than a present confirming sign, it was a future sign of a much greater deliverance: the virgin birth of the Messiah, who is here named “Immanuel” (lae WnM'[I ±imm¹nû°¢l, which means “With us is God).” The God who had repeatedly promised to be with his people, would be with them in the most profound way possible, in the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ. Isaiah is saying, “Because God has promised to deliver us through the Messiah, he will deliver us now, since the Messiah will be a descendent of Ahaz and the tribe of Judah.”

How do we know this passage refers to the Messiah? Matthew specifically quotes it in Matthew 1:23. Luke 1:35 is also corresponding evidence. See also Galatians 4:4.

This marvelous prophecy marks an important development. The first Messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15 had referred to him as “the seed of the woman.” Now the woman is identified for the first time as a virgin.

But how does the Messianic interpretation hold true when Isaiah predicts that before the boy knows right from wrong the land of the two kings will be laid waste? Indeed before the boy Jesus reached the age of reason, the two kingdoms of Aram and Israel were laid waste. Remember that Isaiah had already prophesied that in 65 years Ephraim (Israel) would be shattered as a people (Isaiah 7:8). To make the boy a contemporary of Isaiah would contradict that thought.