Promises Kept Inspire Hope. - Isaiah 7

BBCC Bible Study Notes

Promises Kept Inspire Hope — Isaiah 7 & Matthew 1

December 1, 2024 · Pastor Samuel Sutter

Introduction

God's promises come to desperate people, not merely curious ones.

I. Prophetic Foundation

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

II. Historical Context: Crisis in Jerusalem

The setting is Jerusalem under King Ahaz, around 734 BC. Two enemy kings — Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Aram — had formed an alliance and were threatening to invade Judah and replace Ahaz with a puppet king. The people's hearts were shaken like trees in the wind.

III. God's Three-Part Response

1. Keep Calm and Don't Be Afraid
"Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood." (Isaiah 7:4)

2. God's Sovereignty Over the Crisis
"Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'It will not take place, it will not happen.'" (Isaiah 7:7)

3. The Sign of Immanuel
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel… for 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." (Isaiah 7:14–16)

The Hebrew term 'almah in Isaiah 7:14 means "maiden" or "young girl," and scholars widely agree it almost always refers to an unmarried, virgin woman. When translated into Greek, the translators used parthenos — a word that nearly without exception specifies a sexually mature, unmarried virgin. (Wilkins)

IV. Fulfillment in Christ

"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:18)

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')." (Matthew 1:22–23)

For centuries Jewish religious leaders knew Isaiah's prophecy but did not think it should be taken literally. Matthew is saying this promise is greater than anyone imagined — it came true not figuratively but literally. Jesus Christ is "God with us" because the life growing in Mary's womb was a miracle performed by God himself. The Jews' distinctive view of God made them the people on earth least open to the idea that a human being could be God. And yet Jesus — by his life, his claims, and his resurrection — convinced his closest Jewish followers that he was not merely a prophet telling them how to find God, but God himself come to find us. (Keller)

V. Themes of Hope and Waiting

God's promises come precisely in desperate times. Waiting requires trust and patience. And God's presence — Immanuel — is the ultimate answer to our deepest needs.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

Practical Steps While Waiting:

1. Keep calm and don't be afraid (Isaiah 7:4)
2. Trust God's promises even when circumstances seem impossible
3. Remember Immanuel — God is with us

BBCC Verse of the Week — Isaiah 7:4b (NIV)

"…Keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart…"

Study & Discussion Guide

Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 directly, declaring that what was promised in the darkest days of national threat under Ahaz is now fulfilled — not figuratively, but literally. The same God who told a terrified king "it will not happen" is the God who enters human history as a child born to a virgin. God's faithfulness across seven centuries of waiting should shape how we hold our own fears and uncertainties today.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean that God's promises tend to come to desperate people rather than merely curious ones? When have you experienced this in your own life?
2. Ahaz was told to "keep calm and don't be afraid" in the middle of a genuine political and military crisis. What does that kind of calm look like in practice — and what makes it so difficult?
3. Matthew argues that Isaiah 7:14 is fulfilled literally, not just figuratively, in Jesus. Why would that have been surprising — even scandalous — to a Jewish audience? What does it mean for you that God is literally "with us"?
4. The prophecies about Jesus span centuries and come from many different writers, yet they converge with remarkable specificity. How does this shape your confidence in God's faithfulness to his promises today?