S1: Speaking of the birth of Jesus, the Gospel of Matthew says,
S1: all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by
S1: the Lord through the prophet. And the prophet he was
S1: speaking of was Isaiah. What in the world was Matthew saying?
S1: Why did he say that? Stick with us. We're going
S1: to be talking about that today on a special edition
S1: of Open Line. Hello friends. So glad you could be
S1: with us today. My name is Michael Radonich. I am
S1: a professor of Jewish Studies and also dean of the
S1: undergraduate school at Moody Bible Institute, and I am here
S1: today with a several of my good friends. We're going
S1: to be doing some Bible studies about the book of
S1: Isaiah and its predictions of the coming Messiah. His book
S1: predicted the coming of the Messiah. And so we're going
S1: to talk about several of those passages. And so it's pre-recorded.
S1: No calls today. Normally you'd be calling with your questions,
S1: but today it's a special pre-recorded program. So don't call
S1: if you'd like to send a question in. You can
S1: always do that by going to our website Openline radio.org.
S1: You can click on the link that says Ask Michael
S1: a question. And that would be a place where you
S1: can leave your question, and it will be added to
S1: the mailbag for future weeks. But for today, we're going
S1: to be studying the scriptures together. And so I hope
S1: you have a cup of coffee. I hope you have
S1: your Bible open. And now I'd like to let you
S1: know who's going to be studying together with me today.
S1: First of all, my favorite Bible teacher, Eva Radonich. She's
S1: a professor at Moody as well as an author she
S1: wrote in the Moody Bible Commentary, The Moody Handbook of
S1: Messianic Prophecy. Hey, Eva. I'm glad you're here.
S2: It's great to be here.
S1: And also voice you hear all the time. Uh, Tricia McMillan,
S1: she's the producer of Open Line. She's the one that
S1: brings the mailbag every week. The Febc mailbag. And I'm
S1: so grateful that she's here. And glad you're with us
S1: to study today, Tricia.
S3: I'm so glad to be here.
S1: Yeah, it's fun to be with you. And then from
S1: the cactus compound in Arizona, joining us is Chris Fabry,
S1: who sometimes joins me when I do the two Michaels. Oh, no.
S1: I'm joining him, uh, at those, uh, Chris Avery is
S1: with us. I love doing these Bible studies with you. Chris,
S1: thanks for being part of this.
S4: I don't know how I got the opportunity and the privilege,
S4: but I'm so glad to be here. I have my
S4: throat coat tea, and I'm ready to go. Okay.
S2: We we saw you standing by the backyard fence and said,
S2: come on over. Yeah.
S1: That's right, that's right. I'm so glad that we're all
S1: together to study the scriptures today. Uh, now, you know,
S1: a lot of people are wondering when you read the
S1: New Testament, one of the things that gets said over
S1: and over is that all the events of the life
S1: of Jesus were predicted in the Old Testament. The Lord
S1: Jesus himself said everything that was written about me in
S1: the law and the prophets and and the writings. Or
S1: actually he says, the Psalms in Luke 24 were predicted. Uh,
S1: it talks about the same the law and the prophets
S1: in Luke 24 and other passage. There are always these
S1: this emphasis on messianic fulfillment, and in particular, at the
S1: beginning of the Gospels, we see a lot from the
S1: book of Isaiah. And so I thought that would be
S1: a kind of a fun thing to do today for
S1: this Bible study is to go through some of the
S1: key passages, not throughout throughout the whole book of Isaiah,
S1: but some of the early passages. Here's why. When I
S1: was in college, I remember that was when the NIV
S1: Bible was coming out, the new translation, and they published
S1: individual books at a time. They didn't have the whole
S1: thing done. And they. I remember when they published Isaiah
S1: and gave it out. It was called the Gospel of
S1: Isaiah because that was so messianic. And so I thought
S1: to begin with, right to start. Now let's talk a
S1: little bit about Isaiah the prophet and I. Eva, you're
S1: all set with that, aren't you? Oh, sure.
S2: Sure. Uh, probably he's the, the most, uh, he is
S2: the most quoted prophet in the New Testament. So I
S2: think someone counted up and said 65 times. Wow. You
S2: can find the quotations from Isaiah in the New Testament,
S2: and he's also the most quoted in the rabbinic writings
S2: of the prophets. So significant. He he had a long
S2: ministry period of about 64 years. If you look at
S2: the very first verse in Isaiah, it says that he
S2: was doing his prophetic work during the reigns of, of, um, Uzziah, Jotham,
S2: Ahaz and Hezekiah, who were the kings of Judah. So
S2: that takes you from, you know, like 790 back to
S2: almost to the 66, 86. So he had a very
S2: long reign or or prophetic ministry. A long ministry in
S2: the reigns of these important kings, primarily to, um, Judah
S2: and and Jerusalem. But his his message wasn't limited to them,
S2: was it Michael?
S1: No, his his message went to the northern kingdom, the
S1: southern kingdom. And it really was it was to extend
S1: all the way to the coastlands, which was a term
S1: for the Gentile nations. So if they ever got the Bible,
S1: they would read it and see about themselves as well. Now, listen,
S1: I know that, Chris, you went to Moody Bible Institute, right?
S1: And I'm sure that when you you did the one year,
S1: the old program, we had the advanced studies program. Yeah.
S1: And I'm sure you took a course in the prophets,
S1: you know, like Old Testament survey, New Testament survey. And
S1: one of the most important things is they teach the
S1: two fold ministry of prophets. Do you remember what that
S1: was about?
S4: Ministry of Promises. I didn't know this was going to
S4: be a quiz.
S1: I know, I just wondering about predicting and challenging. Do
S1: you remember predicting.
S4: And challenging, as I recall. Yeah. From my days, you know.
S1: They used to call it foretelling or foretelling. Yes. And,
S1: you know, here's what I think is so important about
S1: that is often the prophets. We think of them today
S1: as only making predictions. Right. But they also challenged issues
S1: of their time. And sometimes they did it one after another,
S1: you know, foretelling, foretelling. And what does that do for
S1: us today? Does it give us any encouragement, any hope?
S4: Well, I, I think even as Ivar was talking about
S4: Isaiah one, I see the ox knows its owner and
S4: the donkey its master's feeding trough. But Israel does not know.
S4: My people do not understand, O sinful nation, people weighed
S4: down with iniquity. And you can think of the prophets too,
S4: as these really harsh, mean, you know, vindictive, you know,
S4: the God's wrath type thing. But it was because of
S4: his mercy that he said he could have just let
S4: them go, let the people go. But he didn't. He
S4: sent these prophets as representatives of himself and of his
S4: grace and mercy, to call them back to himself and
S4: to me. That gives me great hope today for my
S4: own iniquitous heart.
S1: And, you know, it's interesting, too, because it says, you know,
S1: that's pretty challenging verse there in Isaiah one, of course.
S1: How does Isaiah 40 begin? Comfort, comfort my people.
S2: Yeah.
S1: Comfort my people. Uh, and so they're not just, you know,
S1: it's the old thing about preachers. The role of the
S1: preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
S2: Yeah.
S1: And that's what prophets did. They they did that very thing.
S1: And they talked about the future. And now here's my
S1: question for you, Tricia. Did Isaiah the prophet know what
S1: he was talking about? Or did somehow you think that
S1: he just he became like, uh balaam's donkey and just
S1: talked without knowing what he was talking about?
S3: You know, I'm not entirely sure, but I could see
S3: it kind of being a both and that there would
S3: be some, some knowledge of what he was foretelling, but
S3: perhaps not understanding exactly how it would play out. Kind
S3: of like even the way that we interpret prophecy, like,
S3: as we look back at then, prophecy that has already
S3: been fulfilled, that that might not be the way that
S3: we would have described it, you know, like it.
S1: Happened literally, but it didn't happen the way we would
S1: have anticipated. Right.
S3: And what they're describing, you know, like, do they did
S3: he know, uh, I can't remember if Isaiah is the
S3: one with the, uh, the statue with the for Daniel.
S3: That was Daniel. Okay. With the four layers. Like, did
S3: he know these are what these specifically mean and how
S3: long these rains are and that kind of thing.
S1: Or he knew that it was the kingdom of Babylon
S1: and the kingdom of Medo-persia. He knew that.
S3: But did he know the specific years and all of
S3: these details that we know, looking back to see that
S3: prophecy fulfilled? So I, I wonder how much he understood.
S3: I'm sure he understood some of it, but I don't know,
S3: like to what extent did he fully.
S1: Let's look at a passage about that. Look at let's
S1: turn to first Peter. Every one of us to chapter one,
S1: verse ten through 12. Now this is a verse that
S1: is commonly used to say that the prophets didn't understand
S1: about what they were speaking. And then if you read
S1: it really carefully, what you'll find is that it's saying
S1: something quite the opposite. So, Eva, you've got the official
S1: version there.
S2: Sure. First Peter one.
S1: Whatever's official version is she doesn't even like it when
S1: I read the hcsb out loud, because she's got the
S1: new American standard there.
S2: That's it's a it's a real and true. First Peter
S2: 110 and 11.
S1: All the way through.
S2: 1212. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of
S2: the grace that would come to you made careful searches
S2: and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the
S2: Spirit of Messiah within them was, indicating, as he predicted,
S2: the sufferings of Messiah and the glories to follow. It
S2: was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves
S2: but you in these things which now have been announced
S2: to you through those who preach the gospel to you
S2: by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which
S2: angels long to look.
S1: Okay. So let's let's look at that verse. What did
S1: they not understand? They were seeking to understand what.
S4: The grace that would come to you.
S1: Well, they understood that there was grace coming to them. Right?
S3: The the time or circumstances?
S1: Time or circumstances. That's how the hcsb translates. Yeah.
S2: And Iva 11 says they were seeking to know what
S2: person or time the spirit of Messiah within them was indicating.
S1: Yeah, it could be sort of a little circumlocution. That's
S1: a big word. Yes, a little repetitive statement. Time of circumstances.
S1: That could be a translation or possibly, and I think
S1: more literally what person or time.
S2: Who it was going to be and when it was
S2: going to happen. Yeah.
S1: They they knew they were talking about something about the future,
S1: about the grace that was to come to people. They
S1: knew it was messianic. What they didn't know is who
S1: would be that Messiah. And when he would come, sort
S1: of like, you know, I came to know the Lord
S1: in the early 70s and people were going, of course,
S1: everyone's experience can say this. In 1972, people were saying, oh,
S1: Henry Kissinger is the Antichrist. Yeah, they're trying to figure
S1: out they know the Bible is teaching. There's an Antichrist coming,
S1: But they don't know who it will be. And of course, Henry.
S3: It will be.
S1: Or when it will be. Exactly. So they're talking about that.
S1: That's what they're investigating. And then they got an answer.
S1: What was revealed to them.
S2: In verse 12 and verse 12.
S1: Yet it was revealed to them what.
S2: That the things which now have been, which have been
S2: preached to you, the gospel by the Holy Spirit, sent
S2: from heaven? Yeah.
S1: They were not serving themselves, but they were serving you.
S1: In other words, their messages weren't just for their own day.
S1: They're for a future day that they were looking forward
S1: in time to the coming of the Messiah, when he
S1: would come and bring deliverance and salvation and the glories
S1: of the Messiah and the sufferings, the sufferings of the
S1: Messiah and the glories that would follow. So, you know,
S1: I think that's really an interesting verse because people use
S1: that verse. Say the prophets didn't understand the messianic hope,
S1: but what is this passage saying?
S2: Opposite. They did understand the messianic hope. They just didn't
S2: know who this the name of this person was going
S2: to be.
S1: Or that's called the referent. They didn't know the referent.
S2: Or exactly when it was going to take place, but they.
S1: Were speaking about a future deliverance. Isn't that exciting that.
S1: So when the people in the first century are looking
S1: at the messianic passage, they're saying, hey, this is for us.
S1: This is for us. This is what this is what
S1: we should be looking for the Messiah, because he should
S1: be coming any time now. I think that's pretty exciting.
S1: Don't you think.
S4: So? The other thing that I see is that Peter
S4: is the one who's writing this, and Peter was the
S4: one who said, you know, when Jesus said he was
S4: going to Jerusalem and was going to suffer these things? No, no.
S4: You know, Peter was. No, no, you're not going to
S4: do that. And so these messianic sufferings, when he was thinking,
S4: Jesus is the Messiah, he wasn't thinking of the cross.
S4: He wasn't, you know, and I glory in that. That
S4: that gives me a lot of comfort too.
S1: Yeah. He was only thinking about the glories that were
S1: to follow. He wasn't thinking about the suffering. Uh, yeah.
S1: He he he didn't want the hard part. He he
S1: wanted the glorious part. I think that's kind of interesting. Well,
S1: we're going to come back and start talking about some
S1: of these prophecies. Uh, this is a special edition. A
S1: special Christmas edition of Open Line. Tricia McMillan is here.
S1: Chris Fabry, Eva Radonich. We're talking through various prophecies in
S1: the book of Isaiah that foretell told the coming of
S1: the Messiah. My name is Michael Ray Dolnick, and we'll
S1: be right back. So stay with us. Are you looking
S1: to deepen your grasp of Paul's powerful epistles, the Moody
S1: Bible commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians is your
S1: key to unlocking these treasured books with clear explanations and
S1: practical insights, this resource illuminates Paul's teachings on grace, unity, joy,
S1: and the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. Request your copy
S1: of this Moody Bible Commentary excerpt. When you give to
S1: open line, call (888) 644-7122 or visit Open Line radio.org. Everyone
S1: has questions about God, the Bible and living out our faith.
S1: And that's why we're here on Open Line. We take
S1: your questions and provide answers straight from Scripture. But we
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S5: O come.
UU: O come, Emmanuel and Ransom Captive Israel. One of my.
S1: Favorite Christmas songs with a great arrangement there by Selah.
S1: What a great song, don't you think? Reminding us about
S1: the coming of Emmanuel. So that's what we're doing today.
S1: We're talking with a very special pre-recorded Bible study. So
S1: don't call with Tricia McMillan, Chris Fabry, Eva Radonich and me,
S1: Michael Radonich. We're going through various, uh, of the, uh,
S1: Passages in the book of Isaiah. And we're going to
S1: start with the famous Immanuel passage in Isaiah seven. But
S1: I want to start with a question. What do you
S1: consider an impossible situation? I'll tell you what I do.
S1: I remember trying to explain logic to adolescents when I
S1: was or students. So there are impossible circumstances. What do
S1: you think of?
S4: I think of people who are addicted that I care about,
S4: that I love and or change in people, and the
S4: ability or inability of me to to think of what
S4: God can do. Yeah. And can can change a heart
S4: and see that kind of change in people. I have
S4: such doubt and, and disbelief that God's powerful enough to change,
S4: you know, somebody else. And and then I look at
S4: myself and it's like, well, he did it for me.
S4: You know.
S1: Sometimes I think that there are areas of my life
S1: I wish he would change. And I feel sometimes a
S1: little discouraged because here I've been a believer for 52
S1: years at least, and and I'm still longing for change
S1: in some areas, and that seems impossible. But it's. I
S1: agree with you about that.
S2: One of the one of the lines in the New
S2: Testament that is that rings most true is, yes, Lord,
S2: I believe, help me with my unbelief.
S4: Unbelief.
S1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wish I could. It's impossible for
S1: me to have more faith I feel sometimes. Yeah. So
S1: do you have an impossible circumstance situation that you're thinking of?
S3: I think when it comes to, I think even for me,
S3: thinking of biblical prophecy. Not that not that it's impossible,
S3: but it's impossible for me to try and figure it out.
S3: Or if someone says, hey, this is going to happen,
S3: it's hard for me to see how I can get
S3: from point A to point B, because I don't see
S3: a clear way for that to happen. So it could
S3: be related to anything. Um, but but I think specifically
S3: in seeing like I teach a, I teach Sunday school
S3: at my church, and even as I teach them about
S3: how God kept his promises and keeps his promises. How
S3: how would people have known? Like like Abraham, you know,
S3: given this promise of here is what I will give you.
S3: But you know, how many years does that take? Like
S3: he he has no child when he's given this, but
S3: he'll have this great nation. What impossible circumstance? Impossible. How
S3: is that going to happen? Yeah. So? So things like that.
S1: And what I think is so interesting, we think Abraham
S1: was looking at the Abrahamic covenant on in the text
S1: of the Bible. All he had was a direct conversation
S1: with God, apparently. Right. You know, and it wasn't written
S1: down until later by Moses. Right.
S3: And how often do we doubt things we hear? It's like,
S3: did I hear that right? Maybe I misheard him or
S3: misunderstood him. Yeah.
S1: That's it.
S4: I think that's that's probably endemic to our nature, is
S4: we look for. I was thinking of the election. Well,
S4: what is the path here? The clear path is this
S4: way and the path is narrowing. And you know the
S4: path is closed here. We can't see that. And I
S4: see the same thing in my own life and, you know,
S4: 400 years of silence. And then here's the cry of
S4: a baby, you know, in Bethlehem, nobody saw that path. No, nobody,
S4: you know, thought, well, this is the way it's going
S4: to happen right here. Um, and they had worked it out.
S1: There's a hint. Now, the reason I brought up impossible
S1: situations is during the reign of King Ahaz, uh, the
S1: son of Jotham in Isaiah seven, the son of Uzziah. Uh,
S1: two kings try to drag King Ahaz into a war
S1: that they wanted to have with Assyria. There was the
S1: king of Syria. Also some versions call him the king
S1: of Aram. Uh, resin. King of Aram. Aram is the
S1: ancient name for the land of Syria. Uh, so he.
S1: And then the King of Israel. Pekah, son of Remaliah,
S1: is the king of the northern ten tribes, and they
S1: are sick and tired of Assyria's domination of their countries.
S1: And they want to get all the different vassal states
S1: to rebel against Assyria. And you know, King Ahaz is
S1: not a picture of faith or courage. And so he's saying, no,
S1: I don't want to do that. Uh, and so what
S1: they do is they draft him, they basically say, okay,
S1: if you won't join us, we're going to bring our
S1: armies right into the north of you, and we're going
S1: to drag you. We're going to go to war with you,
S1: and we're going to kill you, and we're going to
S1: replace you. Here's what it says. The Lord said to Isaiah,
S1: this verse seven, uh, uh, I think that's verse seven. Uh, no.
S1: It says verse two, when it came down to known
S1: to the house of David that Aram or Syria had
S1: occupied Ephraim or Israel, the heart of Ahaz, and the
S1: hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest
S1: shaking in the wind. They were terrified. Why? Uh, then
S1: verse five, for Aram, that's Syria again, along with Ephraim.
S1: That's Israel, the northern ten tribes. They say, let us
S1: go up against Judah. Terrorize it and conquer it for ourselves.
S1: Then we can install the son of Tabeel as king
S1: in it. In other words, they're going to say, if
S1: you won't join this war, we're going to take over
S1: your country, and we're going to take over the kingship,
S1: and we're going to put the one we want on
S1: the throne to make to deal with this and think
S1: about that. Because what do you think they would do
S1: to the other members of the House of David if
S1: they killed Ahaz?
S4: Then the same thing. Yeah.
S1: Exactly.
S4: But I can't get past the great writing there. The
S4: hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest.
S4: Shaking in the wind. Yeah. That is such great writing. Yeah.
S1: It's terrifying, isn't it? And here's.
S2: I think it's hard for us to just kind of
S2: read this and think, well, yeah, that was scary. But
S2: it was really scary because Assyria was the greatest world
S2: power at that time, and it was on the move
S2: and it was threatening Assyria. Assyria? Yeah. Assyria was on
S2: the move against the northern kingdom and that whole region.
S2: And so they're saying we got to band together, or
S2: else we're all going to fall to Assyria. You've got
S2: to help us. Judah.
S1: And Judah doesn't want to. They want. They want to.
S1: Ahaz wants to rely and be a vassal king to
S1: Assyria and and keep his safety that way. But now
S1: he's so. Now he's being endangered in two directions. If
S1: he rebels against Assyria, he's doomed. If he doesn't rebel,
S1: then he's going to be doomed by these two nations
S1: that are going to drag him into the war by
S1: replacing him. And it's an impossible situation, and that's what
S1: he's really concerned about. He's facing impossible odds. That's why
S1: I asked about impossible situations. Now, let's point out one
S1: other thing. About what if they succeed and they kill
S1: the whole house of David? What promise is now being threatened?
S3: Anyone know the Davidic Covenant?
S1: Exactly.
S3: Because then there's no. There's no heir from David to
S3: be the Messiah.
S1: Exactly. So this is not just a threat against Ahaz
S1: in his household. It's a threat against the entire Davidic
S1: promise that the messianic king would come. And so sometimes
S1: people say, why would Isaiah bring up the messianic king's birth? Well,
S1: that's because the great threat was to the Davidic covenant.
S1: And that's. You nailed it there, Tricia. That's exactly right.
S1: And what I love about this passage is it shows
S1: us that there are some things that we can rely
S1: on when we face impossible situations, whether it's, uh, you know,
S1: an addiction, as Chris mentioned, or, uh, it can show us,
S1: you know, how to face it. If there's an illness
S1: and we think that there's no hope here, where can
S1: we find some hope in an impossible situation?
S2: You lost your job, and you think you're going to
S2: can't pay your mortgage, and you're going to be evicted? Yeah.
S1: Then there's hope in an in something. And that's where
S1: this messianic passage comes in. Because Ahaz had no hope.
S1: The Davidic line was about to collapse. The Davidic promises
S1: were going to go away. The messianic Son of David
S1: would never come. What are we going to do? And
S1: Isaiah comes along and he gives not one but two prophecies.
S1: And that's what we're going to talk about when we
S1: when we come back, we're going to really hit the, the,
S1: the main Emmanuel prophecy. That's what we're going to talk
S1: about when we come back in, and then we're also
S1: going to look and see how it fits the context,
S1: which is what's so important, and then hopefully draw some
S1: applications about what we should do when we face impossible circumstances.
S1: Stick with us, because I've got Chris Fabry here, Tricia
S1: McMillan and me, Michael Radonich, and we're studying the messianic
S1: hope of the book of Isaiah. We'll be right back.
S1: And don't go away. You don't want to miss this.
S1: We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with
S1: Doctor Michael Radonich, bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn
S1: how Far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the
S1: world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all
S1: have heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives
S1: changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again, you can
S1: hear the podcast when you visit febc. Org that's febc.org.
UU: Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Wonderful.
S1: Counselor, I guess I better say something. I just like
S1: listening to the music. That's. I love this prophecy of Emmanuel,
S1: God with us. And what a great reminder from this
S1: song that we're looking here in Isaiah seven for Emmanuel. So. Well,
S1: joining me with I'm Michael Radonich. Joining me is Tricia McMillan,
S1: Eva Radonich and Chris Fabry. We are working our way
S1: through various prophecies, by the predictions by the prophet Isaiah
S1: about the coming messianic king, and we're starting to ask
S1: a question.
S4: I want to ask you a question. Yeah. Why does
S4: why does Emmanuel why is it spelled with I sometimes
S4: and e other times. Ah.
S2: There you go.
S1: Because Hebrew transliteration is is, uh.
S2: Random.
S1: Random. Yeah. That's it, that's it. It's the same word.
S1: It's exactly the same word. It seems to me, if
S1: I remember right, the Hebrew transliteration. No. I'm sorry. The
S1: Jewish transliteration very commonly, like if you see a synagogue
S1: named Temple Emmanuel, it's with an e. And if you
S1: look at a Christian translation of the Bible, it's with
S1: an I. And if you want to know why, I
S1: don't have the answer. Yeah, I don't know.
S4: I stumped him, I stumped him. I'll tell you, the.
S1: Funniest thing is when you go to Israel and you
S1: see things that are transliterated into English from Hebrew.
S2: Like road signs.
S1: Road signs. You'll go from one street to the next,
S1: and one street will transliterate it one way. And then
S1: you go a block away and it's transliterated in a
S1: different way. Wow. You know, and there's no consistency. There
S1: was an attempt in Israel a few years ago to say,
S1: you know what, we need to get one system and
S1: transliterate everything consistently. And they looked into the price of
S1: changing all their signs and they said, nah, we don't
S1: have the budget for that. And so it's figured.
S4: Out yourself, right?
S2: And you meet Jewish people today whose name is Immanuel.
S1: Yeah.
S2: That's right. And they spell it with an E.
S1: And that's a that's a really good good point. I
S1: have a good friend named Emmanuel. Uh, if you if
S1: you meet an Israeli and his name is Manny, you know,
S1: his real name is Emmanuel. So there we go. Okay,
S1: so let's look here at Isaiah seven. What happens is
S1: he's talking to Ahaz. Uh, Isaiah is told to bring
S1: his son. And I want to point out one thing
S1: that is told to him that we don't we can't miss. Uh,
S1: it says that he's supposed to bring his son, Shah Yesu.
S1: Verse three to the upper pool. Uh, if you're from Texas,
S1: you'd say shearjashub.
S4: But, uh, that's what I was going to say.
S1: Yeah, but Shah Yussuf is supposed to be brought there.
S1: And I think that this is really a vital part
S1: of this discussion. People think that that's just a little throwaway,
S1: but no, it's important. Uh, it's what, uh. Uh, the
S1: famous Russian playwright. What was his name again? Uh, Chekhov. Chekhov's. Chekhov's, uh, rule.
S1: Chekhov's law was that if you introduce a gun in
S1: the first act, you better have a murder by the
S1: second act. Uh, and the idea here is if if
S1: we bring in this child, he's got to play some
S1: sort of role. And he's brought there. And Isaiah comes
S1: along and this is what I he's told by the
S1: Lord to go to him. And it said, uh, in
S1: verse ten, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz through the
S1: prophet Isaiah, ask for a sign from the Lord. This
S1: is verse ten and 11 from the Lord your God,
S1: from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven.
S1: Verse 12. But Ahaz replied, I will not ask. I
S1: will not test the Lord. Okay. What kind of sign
S1: is Ahaz being offered? Because, you know, the word sign
S1: can mean a miraculous sign. Like we use the word
S1: signs and wonders. Is it?
S4: Is it something that's true? Absolutely true. You can't go
S4: any further than it's going to be true. Yeah.
S1: Is it? Here's the question. Is it miraculous that he's
S1: being told to ask for or just some ordinary thing?
S4: Oh, miraculous. Yeah.
S1: Why would you say miraculous?
S4: Because it it's compared with the depths of Sheol to
S4: the heights. Yeah.
S1: It's like ask for anything in the whole universe.
S4: Yes.
S1: Think about that. It's not, you know, just ask about.
S1: And this becomes really important because later on, as the
S1: passage develops, the sign that's given is about a young
S1: woman having a baby. Right. Mhm. How unusual is that.
S3: That's not unusual.
S1: There we go. It's got to be a big deal.
S1: It's got to be a big deal. So. But now
S1: how do you feel about Ahaz rejecting it.
S4: He rejects. I wondered about that. I wonder, you know,
S4: is it because it almost sounds like he's very humble,
S4: you know, it's like he's. Oh, I'm not going to
S4: ask that. I'm going to, you know, I'm just going
S4: to trust God. But I don't think that's it. I
S4: think he was probably a little prideful. Yeah.
S1: What do you think, Eva?
S2: I think he was a big hypocrite. He was one
S2: of the bad kings of Judah. I think he was
S2: being a little sanctimonious there. Yeah. I would not do that.
S2: He's the.
S1: Guy that offered children to the Lord baby's.
S2: Sacrifices during his reign.
S1: He was a terribly wicked king, and all of a
S1: sudden he gets a dose of spirituality. Here, this makes
S1: no sense. He's just looking for an excuse not to
S1: ask for a sign, because he just wants to go
S1: ahead with his plan. I'm trusting Assyria to get me
S1: through this, this attack. And so he rejects it. I
S1: will not ask. I will not test the Lord. By
S1: the way, when is it? You know, it says in Deuteronomy,
S1: don't test the Lord your God. Right, right. It says
S1: that the Lord Jesus quoted that when he was being tempted.
S1: What is it okay to test God.
S3: When it's God telling you.
S2: To ask for a sign?
S1: Exactly. In Malachi it says, test me. You know about giving, right? Yeah. Uh, here,
S1: God says to Ahaz, test me. Uh, when God invites
S1: us to put him to the test, do you know
S1: what we should do?
S4: But under the test.
S1: Yeah, exactly. I think that's one of the funnier things.
S1: I will not test the Lord. That false sanctimony right there. Uh, anyway, uh,
S1: then what we come up to is a shift in
S1: verse 13, and it's not not a shift that each
S1: of us could see in English. You have to be
S1: able to read Hebrew. And I'm going to clue you
S1: in on this. You know, you live south of the
S1: border even though you're in the west. Chris. Yeah. Uh,
S1: what do you say in the South, if you're talking
S1: to using the second person and you you're talking to
S1: a group of people.
S4: Y'all.
S1: Y'all. That's right. And what do you say in New York?
S2: You guys.
S1: Use.
S4: Guys?
S1: Yeah.
S4: Use, use. Yeah.
S1: Uh, use guys use. And then, uh, if you're really
S1: insistent in the South, do you know what you say?
S3: All y'all.
S1: All y'all. That's right. Well, this is what happens in verse,
S1: uh 13 verse. Up through verse 12 Isaiah is using
S1: the second person singular. He's just talking to Ahaz. Then
S1: in verse 13 it shifts. Listen, House of David. He's
S1: now going to talk to the whole house of David,
S1: because the whole house of David is under a threat.
S1: It's not enough for you to try the patience of men.
S1: Will you also try the patience of my God? Therefore
S1: the Lord himself will give all y'all.
S2: This a plural there in.
S1: Verse 14. Plural? Use guys a sign. This is not
S1: just a sign for Ahaz. This is a miraculous sign
S1: for the whole house of David. This is a miraculous
S1: sign for everyone. And what is that sign? The virgin
S1: will conceive, have a son, and name him Emmanuel. So
S1: now what I think is interesting is there's the first dispute,
S1: I don't know. Have you heard about this one? is.
S1: Does the word actually mean virgin?
S4: Yes, I've heard that.
S1: Yeah, that's a big deal. There was a big deal
S1: when the Revised Standard Version years ago translated at Young Woman. Actually,
S1: one of the things that I've done is I've looked
S1: through every usage of the word alma in the whole
S1: Old Testament, and in every one it refers to a
S1: virgin or you can't tell. It's just it's being used
S1: of a young woman. It doesn't say whether she's pure
S1: or not, but like it's used of of Rebekah in
S1: Genesis 24 and specifies that she's also a virgin and
S1: has not known a man. It's used repeatedly like that.
S1: So it's distinctively a word of a young maiden who
S1: is a virgin. That's why there's only one verse. And
S1: maybe we should look at it, uh, Proverbs 30, that
S1: that has the usage that people say, oh, this doesn't
S1: mean Virgin. Uh, let's look at Proverbs 30. Everybody, and
S1: I'll see what you guys think this verse means.
S4: Use guys.
S1: Use guys. All. Exactly. Uh, it says three things. Verse 18.
S1: Proverbs 30, verse 18. Three things are beyond me. For
S1: I can't understand the way of an eagle in the sky.
S1: The way of a snake on a rock. The way
S1: of a ship at sea. The way of a man
S1: with a young woman. Or with an alma. That's the
S1: word right there, young woman. This is the way of
S1: an adulteress. She eats and wipes her mouth and says,
S1: I've done nothing wrong. He says there's four things he
S1: doesn't understand. How does an eagle fly in the sky?
S1: How does a snake slither on a rock without legs?
S1: How does a ship navigate at sea without anything but
S1: the stars? And how? What is the way of a
S1: man with an alma? What does that mean? What do
S1: you think? That's, uh, that's kind of an unusual idea.
S3: Well, that by itself seems to make sense. Yeah, it's
S3: when you add verse 20 that talks about it being
S3: the way of an adulteress that kind of throws off.
S3: It's like, oh, okay, I could see a man with a,
S3: with a maiden like, yeah, that there's a special connection.
S3: But then you throw in verse 20 with the way
S3: of an adulteress. It's like, well, wait a minute, is
S3: that is.
S1: It's a contrast is what that is. Okay. Uh, you know,
S1: do you remember, uh, when when we were kids? I
S1: know this was true of guys. I have two women here,
S1: but Chris will remember this when we were nine years
S1: old and we thought girls were gunky. Yeah.
S3: And boys had.
S1: Cooties. Yeah. Boys had cooties. And then something happens called adolescence.
S1: And all of a sudden, it's not like that. That's
S1: the way of a man with a maiden. The attraction
S1: that happens that's unexplained. It's. It's sort of miraculous. is
S1: what the Proverbs writer is saying, but do what is
S1: beyond his comprehension. A woman who is impure, an adulterous
S1: who practices this behavior and says, I've done nothing wrong,
S1: that there's no stain that comes with it. So, so,
S1: so that to me shows that the word is really
S1: referring to an almah.
S2: To a maid.
S1: A maiden, a pure maiden, a virgin, because it's a contrast.
S1: So every usage is of a virgin. And so I
S1: think that's the best way to translate it. A young
S1: maiden who is pure. And we'll talk more about that
S1: when we come back, when we talk about the one
S1: she gives birth to. This is a special edition of
S1: Open Line. Stick with us. We'll be right back. People
S1: frequently think of Christmas as a Christian holiday and Hanukkah
S1: as a Jewish celebration. But if we really understood Christmas,
S1: we see that it's deeply connected to the Jewish people.
S1: I mean, we even sing born as the King of Israel,
S1: now Chosen People Ministries, one of open lines underwriters and
S1: a ministry that brings the good news to Jewish people
S1: around the world, is offering Christmas through Jewish eyes. This
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S1: For your free copy of Christmas Through Jewish Eyes, just
S1: go to the Open Line website. Open Line radio.org. Scroll down.
S1: You'll see a link that says A free gift from
S1: Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll be taken
S1: to a page where you can sign up for your
S1: own copy of Christmas Through Jewish Eyes.
S6: Baby king, baby king, you've got to get ready for
S6: a baby king. You might dance, daddy. You might sing.
S6: But you never seen nothing like a baby king. Whoo hoo!
S1: What a great song. A reminder here in Isaiah seven,
S1: as we've been studying, that even though the Davidic Covenant
S1: was Endangered by this threat are the baby king is
S1: still going to come, and we'll recognize him when a
S1: virgin gives birth and has a son. In fact, you know,
S1: one of the more interesting things about the Hebrew is
S1: that it doesn't say a virgin will conceive. It actually
S1: says a pregnant virgin will bear a son. A pregnant virgin.
S1: You talk about a sign as big as the sky.
S1: You know, as high as heaven, deep as Sheol. Yes,
S1: that's a sign, don't you think? And in fact, where
S1: we get the idea of the virgin will conceive, making
S1: it a future like that is from the Septuagint. Because
S1: when the Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Greek translation second
S1: century BC, they translate the Hebrew, and they recognize that
S1: this was clearly a virginal young woman. And they thought, well,
S1: it's not possible for a pregnant young woman, a pregnant virgin.
S1: That's not possible. And so what did they say?
S3: They will conceive.
S1: They've made it a future, because it is possible for
S1: a virgin to have relations and then conceive. And so
S1: they made it the future. And every English translation that
S1: has the virgin will conceive. They're following the Septuagint. They're
S1: not following the Hebrew. The Hebrew is pregnant. Virgin.
S4: Is that Matthew one? Uh, now all this took place
S4: to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the
S4: prophet Isaiah. See, the Virgin will become pregnant. This is
S4: how and will give birth to a son. And they
S4: will name him Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. Yeah.
S1: That's it. That's exactly what it's about, that this is
S1: what the prophecy is about. It was directed, remember, the
S1: second person plural. All y'all. God directs this message that
S1: the Virgin is going to have a baby, and you're
S1: in an impossible situation with the House of David being
S1: under threat. But don't worry. Why? Because the the Son
S1: of David will come and you'll know it when the
S1: Virgin gives birth. And that's a far, far prophecy from Isaiah.
S1: And then what happens in verse 16? There's a shift
S1: and it goes back to this singular second person, you
S1: for the before the boy. Which boy? I like to
S1: call him old schlep along. Remember? Shaar Yashuv.
S4: Shearjashub. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Shearjashub before this boy is really how the Hebrew
S1: should be read before this boy that I've schlepped along
S1: here and brought with me knows how to reject what
S1: is bad and choose what is good. The land of
S1: the two kings you dread will be abandoned. Don't worry.
S1: First of all, the Son of David prophecy will be fulfilled.
S1: The Virgin will bear a son. Uh, and that's verses
S1: 13 through 15. Then verse 16. But about the current
S1: problem that you're facing. Don't worry about that either, because
S1: before old schlep along, this is the remember, uh, talked
S1: about Chekhov's law. This is the gun going off. This
S1: is the boy that was schlepped along. And before this boy,
S1: now we're talking to you individually as these two kings
S1: you dread. They're going to be removed. They're going to.
S1: They're going to fail. And you'll still be safe and
S1: secure on the throne. And so you really have, in
S1: verse 13 through 15, a long term prophecy. And then
S1: verse 16, a short term prophecy dealing with the problem
S1: that A has had.
S7: What does verse.
S3: 15, by the time he learns to reject what is
S3: bad and choose what is good, he will be eating
S3: butter and honey. That's referring to Emmanuel.
S1: Yeah, that's referring to Emmanuel. Uh, it's saying, but that's
S1: by the time he comes of age because he's an infant.
S1: Just in a few years when he knows to reject
S1: the evil and choose the good, uh, he'll be eating
S1: butter and honey. That's one version. What does yours say, Eva? Curds.
S2: Curds? Yea, curds like cottage cheese.
S1: If you keep reading in Isaiah seven, the food of
S1: oppression occurs in honey. Why? Because you can't have agricultural development.
S1: When you're under oppression. And so Assyria is going to
S1: come and shave the land and all that, and the
S1: only food you will have are the wild. You'll have
S1: the wild, honey, because that will still be there, and
S1: the cows will be able to, and the goats will
S1: be able to graze, and you'll be able to get
S1: dairy and make curds. Or, uh, what is this version?
S1: Say butter and you can eat that. And so because
S1: we know butter and honey or curds and honey is
S1: the food of oppression, it is saying that this child
S1: will be born, but he'll be born of a virgin
S1: in a time of political oppression. And when was Jesus born.
S3: In a time of political oppression?
S1: Exactly, exactly.
S4: Romans. You know what? This speaks to me, Michael. More
S4: than anything, is the sovereignty of God. Because Isaiah is
S4: told to say to Ahaz, and this is my life
S4: verse I told you in the break, calm down and
S4: be quiet. Yeah. Don't be afraid or cowardly. You know
S4: when you think it's impossible, there's something bigger. There's something
S4: bigger going on here, and it's going to be going on.
S4: And you can trust the God of the universe who
S4: has this all in control. It doesn't mean that I
S4: can't feel what I feel, because certainly Ahaz was in that,
S4: you know, catch 22 that you described a little earlier.
S4: So it's like, okay, the psalmist did that. We can
S4: feel that. But where is our trust and hope? Is
S4: it in us figuring it out or in us placing
S4: our full faith and trust in what God has done,
S4: is doing and will do?
S1: Exactly. And what's the hope in? It's in Immanuel, the
S1: child that's born who is God with us. So we're
S1: in an impossible situation. Remember what Jesus said? What did
S1: he say about impossible situations? Nothing is impossible.
S2: Nothing is impossible with God.
S1: And if God is with us, who can be against us?
S1: And so I don't know what circumstance people may be facing.
S1: But just remember this the all powerful, all knowing, always
S1: faithful God is with us and that should give us hope,
S1: just as it did was supposed to do for Ahaz,
S1: just as it did for the the house of David.
S1: And just as it should do for all Israel in
S1: the world. Isn't that true? That he's the one that
S1: gives us hope? Well, that's the first hour of Open
S1: Line of our special Christmas Bible study on Isaiah seven.
S1: We're going to keep talking about Isaiah's prophecies of the Messiah,
S1: chapter nine and chapter 11. As you if you stick
S1: with us for the second hour of open line, this
S1: important Bible study across America will continue in the second hour.
S1: Stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick
S1: is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
S1: Bible Institute. See you next hour.