The Stone which the builders rejected

Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah

#5 Isaiah 28

Isaiah 28 is a prophecy of judgment on the Jews who had given themselves to drunkenness and said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves" (15). This word of judgment is laced with messianic hope:

5  In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, 6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

This is Christ in us, our hope and life, glory and beauty.

10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

The Apostle Paul says this refers to the gift of tongues, and that one of the purposes of tongues is judgment on Israel (1 Corinthians 14:21-22).

Then this:
14 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, ye afflicted men, and ye princes of this people that is in Jerusalem. 
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with Hades, and agreements with death; if the rushing storm should pass, it shall not come upon us: we have made falsehood our hope, and by falsehood shall we be protected: 
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord, even the Lord, Behold, I lay for the foundations of Sion a costly stone, a choice, a corner-stone, a precious stone, for its foundations; and he that believes on him shall by no means be ashamed. 
17 And I will cause judgement to be for hope, and my compassion shall be for just measures, and ye that trust vainly in falsehood shall fall: for the storm shall by no means pass by you, 
18 except it also take away your covenant of death, and your trust in Hades shall by no means stand: if the rushing storm should come upon you, ye shall be beaten down by it. 
19 Whenever it shall pass by, it shall take you; morning by morning it shall pass by in the day, and in the night there shall be an evil hope. Learn to hear, 
20 ye that are distressed; we cannot fight, but we are ourselves too weak for you to be gathered.  (LXX)

The main prophecy of Christ being, 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord, even the Lord, Behold, I lay for the foundations of Sion a costly stone, a choice, a corner-stone, a precious stone, for its foundations; and he that believes on him shall by no means be ashamed.  

Christ will be a corner stone, the foundation for a building God will build, a new temple for his dwelling on earth.

This is an important verse for both Peter and Paul:

1 Peter 2:4-8
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

God is building a house, a spiritual temple, and Christ is the corner stone, the foundation. This stone is precious to him who believes, but the disobedient (those who refuse to believe and obey) stumble over him.
Peter actually alludes to three different prophecies: Isaiah 28 in v 6; Psalm 118:22-23 in v 7, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes; and Isaiah 8:14 in v 8, And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jesus also quoted Psalm 118:22-23 and applied it to himself in Matthew 21:42,
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

This is a fundamental truth of the New Testament – Christ is the corner stone for a new temple.

Romans 9:32-33
32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Paul, in explaining why the Jews, the covenant people, are not coming to Christ but the Gentiles are, quotes Isaiah 28:16. Actually, he combines Isaiah 28:16 with 8:14, seeing them as one.


This idea of Christ as a stone is foundational to the gospel. Peter and Paul quote Isaiah 28:16 to say Christ is the corner stone of a new and spiritual temple. They refer to Isaiah 8:14 to say Christ is a stumbling stone, a rock of offence. Peter adds Psalm 118:22 to say that Jesus is the stone which the builders refused, which has become the head stone of the corner (he had heard Jesus say this of himself). David spoke of this stone. 250 years later Isaiah spoke of it. Then some 150 years later Daniel spoke of it again when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces (2:32) which is explained in v 44, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Jesus, after quoting David, then refers to Daniel: Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:42-44). He says he is that stone.

God promised a stone, a precious corner stone, which would be the foundation of a new temple; which would also be a rock of offence and a stone of stumbling. Then through Daniel He told us this stone would become a mountain, a kingdom that shall stand for ever. Christ is this precious stone, the corner stone which the builder rejected but which God has made the head stone of the corner; and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Amen!

I lay in Zion for a foundation, a Stone,
I lay in Zion for a foundation, a Stone,
A tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone,
A sure Foundation, a sure Foundation.
A tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone,
he that believeth shall, shall not make haste.
~Leon Patillo, 1982

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible passages are KJV

And a king shall come forth from the sons of Jesse

Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah

#4 Isaiah 11

And a king shall come forth from the sons of Jesse, and from his children's children the Messiah shall be anointed. (Isaiah 11:1 Targum Jonathan‡)

Isaiah 11 contains a wonderful prophecy of Christ. The thought of this chapter really being in chapter 10, where we read: 33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. God likens the nations around Israel to a forest and says he will cut down the mighty trees of this forest. The tree of Judah was also cut down, leaving only a stump. It is in the light that we begin chapter 11*

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall come up from his root:  
What a promise, when all is bleak and looking hopeless, when the tree of David has been cut down to the root, there shall come forth a rod, a blossom - Christ, Son of David.

2 and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill him; 3 the spirit of the fear of God. 
And the Spirit of God shall rest upon him. Not a portion of the Spirit, but all the fullness of the Spirit, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. This is why he is the Christ, he is anointed with the Spirit. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:16-17)

I am persuaded this explains that expression in Revelation, the seven Spirits of God:
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Revelation 3:1; also 1:4; 4:5; 5:6)

3 He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to report:  
4 but he shall judge the cause of the lowly, and shall reprove the lowly of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he destroy the ungodly one.  
5 And he shall have his loins girt with righteousness, and his sides clothed with truth.  
6 And the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the young calf and bull and lion shall feed together; and a little child shall lead them.  
7 And the ox and bear shall feed together; and their young shall be together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  
8 And an infant shall put his hand on the holes of asps, and on the nest of young asps.  
9 And they shall not hurt, nor shall they at all be able to destroy any one on my holy mountain: for the whole world is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the seas.  
Christ, the root of Jesse, will bring in the kingdom of God. The kingdom is described as a time of righteousness and peace.

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious.  
Another characteristic of the kingdom will be the gathering of the Gentiles. This is exactly what we have seen in the church - the gentiles coming to Christ. The apostle Paul says the gentiles glorify God for his mercy, quoting this verse in Romans 15:12:
And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

11 And it shall be in that day, that the Lord shall again shew his hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left of the people, which shall be left by the Assyrians, and that from Egypt, and from the country of Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and out of Arabia.  
12 And he shall lift up a standard for the nations, and he shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and he shall gather the dispersed of Juda from the four corners of the earth.  
13 And the envy of Ephraim shall be taken away, and the enemies of Juda shall perish: Ephraim shall not envy Juda, and Juda shall not afflict Ephraim.  
14 And they shall fly in the ships of the Philistines: they shall at the same time spoil the sea, and them that come from the east, and Idumea: and they shall lay their hands on Moab first; but the children of Ammon shall first obey them  
15 And the Lord shall make desolate the sea of Egypt; and he shall lay his hand on the river with a strong wind, and he shall smite the seven channels, so that men shall pass through it dry-shod.  
16 And there shall be a passage for my people that is left in Egypt: and it shall be to Israel as the day when he came forth out of the land of Egypt.
The prophecy also mentions that “12 ... he shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and he shall gather the dispersed of Juda from the four corners of the earth.

So, Christ will spring from the root of Jesse (born of the Virgin), he will be anointed with the Spirit of God, his will be a kingdom of righteousness and peace, the Gentiles will trust in him, and he will gather Israel. Amen! When is this all to be fulfilled?

Irenaeus, in The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, speaks to this
"59. Moreover Isaiah himself yet further says: And there shall come forth a rod out of the roots of Jesse, and a flower from his root shall come forth. And the Spirit of God shall rest upon him ; the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of knowledge and of godliness : the spirit of the fear of God shall fill him. Not according to opinion shall he judge, and not according to speech shall he reprove: but he shall judge judgment for the humble, and show mercy to the humble of the earth. And he shall smite the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the impious man. And he shall be girt about his loins with righteousness, and with truth encompassed about his reins. And the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard  with the kid, and the calf' and the lion shall pasture together. And a sucking child shall put his hand on the hole of the asps, and on the lair of the offspring of the asps, and they shall not hurt him. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that riseth up to rule the Gentiles: in him shall the Gentiles hope : and his rising up shall be honour. By these words he states that He was born from her who was of the race of David and of Abraham. For Jesse was the descendant of Abraham, and the father of David; (and David's) descendant the virgin was who conceived Christ. Now (as to) the rod: for this cause also Moses with a rod showed the mighty works to Pharaoh: and with other men also the rod is a sign of rule. And by flower he means His flesh; for from spirit it budded forth, as we have said before.

6o. Now, Not according to opinion shall he judge, and not according to speech shall he reprove : but he shall judge judgment for the humble, and shall show mercy to the humble on the earth – (by this) he the more establishes and declares His godhead. For to judge without respect of persons and partiality, and not as favouring the illustrious, but affording to the humble worthy and like and equal treatment, accords with the height and summit of the right-eousness of God: for God is influenced and moved by none, save only the righteous. And to show mercy is the peculiar attribute of God, who by mercy is able to save. And He shall smite the earth with a word, and slay the impious with a word only: this belongs to God who worketh all things with a word. And in saying: He shall be girt about his loins with righteousness, and with truth encompassed about his reins, he declares His human form and aspect, and His own surpassing righteousness.

61. Now as to the union and concord and peace of the animals of different kinds, which by nature are opposed and hostile to each other, the Elders say that so it will be in truth at the coming of Christ, when He is to reign over all. For already in a symbol he announces the gathering together in peace and concord, through the name of Christ, of men of unlike races and (yet) of like dispositions. For, when thus united, on the righteous, who are likened to calves and lambs and kids and sucking children, those inflict no hurt at all who in the former time were, through their rapacity, like wild beasts in manners and disposition, both men and women; so much so that some of them were like wolves and lions, ravaging the weaker and warring on their equals; while the women (were like) leopards or asps, who slew, it may be, even their loved ones with deadly poisons, or by reason of lustful desire. (But now) coming together in one name they have acquired righteous habits by the grace of God, changing their wild and untamed nature. And this has come to pass already. For those who were before exceeding wicked, so that they left no work of ungodliness undone, learning of Christ and believing on Him, have at once believed and been changed, so as to leave no excellency of righteousness undone; so great is the transformation which faith in Christ the Son of God effects for those who believe on Him. And he says: Rising up to rule the Gentiles, because He is to die and rise again, and be confessed and believed as the Son of God (and) King. On this account he says: And His rising up shall be honour: that is, glory; for then was He glorified as God, when He rose."


Oh there is so much more that could be said about this, insights from Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and more from Irenaeus, but it is enough to know this speaks of Christ and his kingdom. Paul told us, the kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We saw the righteousness and peace, where is the joy? Of course there is joy in the coming of Christ, but the prophecy spills over into chapter 12, which is a song of salvation, 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (KJV)

This Christ is Jesus, son of David; born of a virgin; who has brought the righteousness and peace and joy of the kingdom of God; the Gentiles are trusting in Him, and he shall gather the lost ones of Israel at His return!

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‡ Targum – paraphrase/explanation of the Jewish scriptures in the language of the listeners. "The Targum to the Prophets was composed by Jonathan b. Uzziel "from the mouths of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi," thus implying that it was based on traditions derived from the last prophets." (Jewish Encyclopedia)

* LXX or Septuagint

Further word on root of Jesse
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious.  

Christ will spring from the root of Jesse, be the son of David, but is here called “a root of Jesse.” The Book of Revelation takes up this idea:

5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 

22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 

Jesus himself says, I am the root and offspring of David. He is not only of the house of David, his offspring, a rod from his root, he is the root of David - He gave the promise to David and is the fulfillment of the promise. This is the answer to his question put to the Pharisees:

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? 
They say unto him, The Son of David.  
He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?  (Matthew 22:41-45)

He wanted them to see that he was both Son of David and Lord of David. He is a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom come up from his root, but he is also the root itself. He raised up David, established him as king, and promised Christ would come from his family.

If you ask me

February 14 Nikolas Cruz walked into a school and killed 17 people. Yesterday high school students around the country staged a protest, walking out of school to demand more gun control. I have seen many reactions to this, both concerning the walk-out and the matter of more gun control laws. You may be wondering, What do you think? Well, since you asked . . .

I’m generally not a fan of more laws or more taxes. I don’t know much about the particular laws concerning the purchasing and owning of guns, but I really don’t think the problem is whether or not he legally purchased the weapon et al. Rather, I believe there are two larger issues involved in this situation, issues that are actually to blame for what happened.

Law enforcement - Why didn’t they do anything? Anything at all? The FBI knew about this kid. The local police and sheriff’s department, knew about this kid. We are everywhere told, “If you see something, say something.” The public saw something and told law enforcement. Multiple times. And they were completely ignored. He had 39 run ins with law enforcement, yet he was not on their radar. Worse, even when the sheriff’s department was on the scene, they literally did nothing. They huddled outside the building, safe behind their cars, waiting until it was safe. I’m outraged that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has not been fired; that heads haven’t rolled in the FBI.

the kind of photos Cruz published on social media

The system - According to the laws on the books right now, Nikolas Cruz, 19, should not have been able to purchase a gun of any kind, yet there were no red flags. Why? Why not? Why is there no system to track arrests and mental health issues? They keep track of my traffic violations, my arrest record, my financial dealings, my credit score. When I apply for a job they do a background check. I’ve had simple background checks and a much more extensive one done by the federal government. I know of someone who recently had a background check reveal an arrest that he had to get cleared from his record in order to get hired. Facebook and Google keep track of every site I visit (I know this because of the ads that show up on Facebook), and yet there is no system in place to red flag gun purchases. Why not? This is ridiculous and inexcusable!

So what do I think? We don’t need more laws, we need to fix the system. The laws we have now would have worked just fine if law enforcement would have paid any attention at all, if there was some kind of data base tracking arrests and mental health issues. If you asked me, that’s what I would say.

Christ in Isaiah - Isaiah 9

Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah

#3 Isaiah 9

9:1 Act quickly, O land of Zabulon, land of Nephthalim, and the rest inhabiting the sea-coast, and the land beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.  
2 The people who walk in darkness saw a great light, those who dwell in the region and shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you.*

A great light will shine upon Galilee of the Gentiles. Matthew 4:12-16 tells us:

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Thus it was prophesied that Christ would have a ministry in Galilee, as he in fact did.

Isaiah goes on to say,
9:3 The multitude of the people which thou hast brought down in thy joy, they shall even rejoice before thee as they that rejoice in harvest, and as they that divide the spoil.  
4 Because the yoke that was laid upon them has been taken away, and the rod that was on their neck: for he has broken the rod of the exactors, as in the day of Madiam.  

When shall this joyous deliverance come? When Christ comes:

6 for a child was born to us and a son was given to us, the rule was upon his shoulder, and his name is called messenger of great counsel, wonderful counselor, strong God, ruler, prince of peace, father of the coming age; for I bring peace upon the rulers, peace and soundness.
7 His government shall be great, and of his peace there is no end: it shall be upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to support it with judgement and with righteousness, from henceforth and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.  

What a wonderful prophecy! It is well known, being quoted often during Christmas. However, it is never directly quoted in the New Testament. But I believe the angel Gabriel had this in mind when he said to Mary (Luke 1:31-33):

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Amen! And the ancient Jews understood this of Christ as well:

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon writes to Jacob Alfajumi:
“God named Him (the Messiah) with six names as He says concerning Him: ‘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, God, Mighty, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’. That He calleth Him God in a distinctive manner, is to say with it, that His glory surpasses that of all other children of men.”

Targum Isaiah:
“The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and He has taken the law upon Himself to keep it, and His name had been called from of old, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, He Who Lives Forever, The Anointed One (or Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us.”

The early church also knew this passage spoke of Christ. Irenaeus quotes this verse:

“Now, the Scriptures would not have testified these things of Him, if, like others, He had been a mere man. But that He had, beyond all others, in Himself that pre-eminent birth which is from the Most High Father, and also experienced that pre-eminent generation which is from the Virgin, the divine Scriptures do in both respects testify of Him: also, that He was a man without comeliness, and liable to suffering; that He sat upon the foal of an ass; that He received for drink, vinegar and gall; that He was despised among the people, and humbled Himself even to death and that He is the holy Lord, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Beautiful in appearance, and the Mighty God, coming on the clouds as the Judge of all men; — all these things did the Scriptures prophesy of Him.” †

Tertullian also quotes this verse, and says it speaks of the cross
“Come now, when you read in the words of David, how that “the Lord reigns from the tree,” I want to know what you understand by it. Perhaps you think some wooden king of the Jews is meant!— and not Christ, who overcame death by His suffering on the cross, and thence reigned! Now, although death reigned from Adam even to Christ, why may not Christ be said to have reigned from the tree, from His having shut up the kingdom of death by dying upon the tree of His cross? Likewise Isaiah also says: For unto us a child is born. But what is there unusual in this, unless he speaks of the Son of God? To us is given He whose government is upon His shoulder. Now, what king is there who bears the ensign of his dominion upon his shoulder, and not rather upon his head as a diadem, or in his hand as a sceptre, or else as a mark in some royal apparel? But the one new King of the new ages, Jesus Christ, carried on His shoulder both the power and the excellence of His new glory, even His cross; so that, according to our former prophecy, He might thenceforth reign from the tree as Lord.” ‡

Praise the Lord! Jesus is this Christ!

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* All Old Testament Scripture quotations are from the Septuagint (LXX).
Why am I using the LXX? This was the version used by Jesus, the apostles, and the early church, as well as the one quoted by Matthew.

† Irenaeus (AD 115-202), Against Heresies, Book 3, chapter 19 paragraph 2 here

‡ Tertullian (AD 155–240), Against Marcion, Book III Chapter 19 “Prophecies of the Death of Christ” here

Why do I always quote Ante-Nicene Fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian? Simply put, because I want the earliest sources, those nearest to the Apostles.

Christ in Isaiah – Isaiah 7:14

Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah – Isaiah 7:14

Today we come to one of the best known prophecies in Isaiah: 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.*

Amen! Christ is to be born of a virgin and called Emmanuel. In fact, chapters 7 and 8 mention Emmanuel two more times. It is these further references that help us understand what Emmanuel means.

8:8 and he shall take away from Juda every man who shall be able to lift up his head, and every one able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of thy land, God with us.

8:10 And whatsoever counsel ye shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nought; and whatsoever word ye shall speak, it shall not stand among you: for God is with us.

Emmanuel means God with us. This virgin born son is God with us. Amen!

(I offer an overview of these two chapters at the end of this post.)

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.

Matthew 1:18-23
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Here is the direct statement that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. We also read this in Luke 1:26-35,

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

This is foundational to the gospel: Isaiah said a virgin would bear a son - Mary is that virgin, Jesus is that son. Being born of Mary means he is the promised son of David, and thus Messiah; Mary being a virgin means he is the Son of the Highest, the Son of God, and thus Emmanuel. This is why the virgin birth is attacked and denied, because if Jesus was not born of the Virgin Mary he cannot be the Christ, he cannot be Emmanuel. Thus the virgin birth is one of the two pillars the Gospel rests upon (the other being the resurrection from the dead).

Irenaeus § offered some great insights on this prophecy:

“For the one and the same Spirit of God, who proclaimed by the prophets what and of what sort the advent of the Lord should be, did by these elders [the Jews who translated the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek] give a just interpretation of what had been truly prophesied; and He did Himself, by the apostles, announce that the fullness of the times of the adoption had arrived, that the kingdom of heaven had drawn near, and that He was dwelling within those that believe in Him who was born Emmanuel of the Virgin . . . Carefully, then, has the Holy Ghost pointed out, by what has been said, His birth from a virgin, and His essence, that He is God (for the name Emmanuel indicates this). And He shows that He is a man, when He says, “Butter and honey shall He eat;” and in that He terms Him a child also, in saying, “before He knows good and evil;” for these are all the tokens of a human infant. But that “He will not consent to evil, that He may choose that which is good,”— this is proper to God; that by the fact, that He shall eat butter and honey, we should not understand that He is a mere man only, nor, on the other hand, from the name Emmanuel, should suspect Him to be God without flesh.” †

And again,

“For I have shown from the Scriptures, that no one of the sons of Adam is as to everything, and absolutely, called God, or named Lord. But that He is Himself in His own right, beyond all men who ever lived, God, and Lord, and King Eternal, and the Incarnate Word, proclaimed by all the prophets, the apostles, and by the Spirit Himself, may be seen by all who have attained to even a small portion of the truth. Now, the Scriptures would not have testified these things of Him, if, like others, He had been a mere man. But that He had, beyond all others, in Himself that pre-eminent birth which is from the Most High Father, and also experienced that pre-eminent generation which is from the Virgin, the divine Scriptures do in both respects testify of Him...

He therefore, the Son of God, our Lord, being the Word of the Father, and the Son of man, since He had a generation as to His human nature from Mary — who was descended from mankind, and who was herself a human being — was made the Son of man. Wherefore also the Lord Himself gave us a sign, in the depth below, and in the height above, which man did not ask for, because he never expected that a virgin could conceive, or that it was possible that one remaining a virgin could bring forth a son, and that what was thus born should be God with us, and descend to those things which are of the earth beneath, seeking the sheep which had perished, which was indeed His own peculiar handiwork, and ascend to the height above, offering and commending to His Father that human nature which had been found, making in His own person the first-fruits of the resurrection of man.” ‡

And one more word, Tertullian• wrote:

“The utterance is Hebrew, Emmanuel, of the prophet’s own nation; but the meaning of the word, God with us, is by the interpretation made common property. Now since Emmanuel is God-with-us, and God-with-us is Christ, who is in us (for “as many of you as are baptized into Christ, have put on Christ”), Christ is as properly implied in the meaning of the name, which is God-with-us, as He is in the pronunciation of the name, which is Emmanuel. And thus it is evident that He is now come who was foretold as Emmanuel, because what Emmanuel signifies is come, that is to say, God-with-us.”


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*All Old Testament Scripture quotations are from the LXX

§ Irenaeus – AD 115-202; Bishop of Lyon; noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in what is now the south of France and for combating heresy and defending orthodoxy. It is certain that, while still very young, Irenaeus had seen and heard Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John (who also ordained him Bishop of Smyrna).

†Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 21) you can read it here

‡ Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 19) you can read it here

• Tertullian – AD 155–240; full name Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, prolific early Christian author; has been called "the father of Latin Christianity"
Against Marcion (Book III, Chapter 12) you can read it here


Overview of Isaiah 7 & 8
7:1-2 Jerusalem is being besieged by the kings of Aram and Israel
7:3-9 Isaiah is sent to Achaz with assurances of victory
7:10-16 The sign – a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son; Messiah
7:16-25 The Lord returns to their present conflict and promises victory
8:1-4 Isaiah has a son whom he names Mahershalalhashbaz, which means “Spoil quickly, plunder speedily”
Could this son be the fulfillment of 7:14? No, there we read a “virgin shall conceive” and in 8:3 we read, “I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son.”

8:5-10 Conflict with Assyria; Jerusalem to overcome through Emmanuel (God with us)
8:11-17 The Lord is a sanctuary for those who trust in him
8:18-22 Isaiah and his children shall be for signs

Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah

Isaiah lived some 800 years before Jesus of Nazareth, yet Jesus and the apostles declared that he prophesied of Jesus and the gospel of salvation. Isaiah is the first of the prophetic books and that’s why I began with him.

I said in my introduction, “I have to admit, I had to exercise a good bit of restraint – there is so much good stuff in Isaiah, I had to restrict myself to the prophecies of the first coming and life of Christ!” For example, 2:1-5 speaks of the salvation Christ will bring and 5:1-7 is a passage Jesus alluded to when he said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” As wonderful as these passages are, and as much as they speak of Christ, I don’t think they speak of the life or ministry of Christ, so I will begin with Isaiah 6. Specifically, verses 8-10. (Unless otherwise indicated, I will be using the Septuagint  (LXX) since this is the version most often quoted in the New Testament.)

Isaiah 6:1 And it came to pass in the year in which king Ozias died, that I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of his glory.  
2 And seraphs stood round about him: each one had six wings: and with two they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  
3 And one cried to the other, and they said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.  
4 And the lintel shook at the voice they uttered, and the house was filled with smoke.  
5 And I said, Woe is me, for I am pricked to the heart; for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen with mine eyes the King, the Lord of hosts.  
6 And there was sent to me one of the seraphs, and he had in his hand a coal, which he had taken off the altar with the tongs:  
7 and he touched my mouth, and said, Behold, this has touched thy lips, and will take away thine iniquities, and will purge off thy sins.  
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? And I said, behold, I am here, send me. And he said, Go, and say to this people,  
9 Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall see indeed, but ye shall not perceive.  
10 For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

In chapter 6 Isaiah had an amazing vision of the Lord, and as a result he is sent on what is to be an unsuccessful mission (8-10). And it turns out verses 8-10 are some of the most frequently quoted verses from the Old Testament, being quoted five (5) times in the New Testament. (I admit, I did not know this until I did this study.) This emphasis is, as we shall see, significant.

Matthew 13:10-17
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

Jesus quotes this passage in answer to the question, Why do you speak to them in parables? He says it is a judgment on them because they closed their ears and shut their eyes. Therefore he speaks in parables to hide the truth from the disinterested; those who are interested, those who are hungry, those who desire to see and hear these things will seek for understanding and find it.

This quotation in Matthew is why I chose to use the Septuagint – while the English doesn’t necessarily show it, in the Greek Matthew and Isaiah agree (nearly) word for word.

This is a powerful passage. It explains the teaching style of Jesus and its repeated use in the New Testament answers the vexing question, Why aren’t the Jews believing in their own Messiah? As Jesus said, “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias (Isaiah).”

Mark 4:10-12
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

This is the same situation and question, with the same answer and quote. But there is one difference, which is quite cool. Isaiah and Matthew have,

Lest at any time they should … be converted, and I should heal them.

Mark has
lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Mark explains what I should heal them means – their sins should be forgiven them.

Luke 8:10
And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

John 12:37-41
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:  
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?  
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,  
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.  
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

John’s presentation of this difficult passage seems the harshest, for he says, “Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again...” What does this mean, “they could not believe”? St. Augustine said: "If I be asked why they Could not believe? I immediately answer, Because They Would Not. And God, having foreseen their Bad Will, foretold it by the prophet."

“Because they did not believe the report of the prophets concerning Christ; therefore they credited not the miracles which he wrought as a proof that he was the person foretold by the prophets, and promised to their fathers. Having thus resisted the report of the prophets, and the evidence of Christ's own miracles, God gave them up to the darkness and hardness of their own hearts, so that they continued to reject every overture of Divine mercy; and God refused to heal their national wound, but, on the contrary, commissioned the Romans against them, so that their political existence was totally destroyed.” (Adam Clarke)

Acts 28:23-28
23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.  
24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.  
25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,  
26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:  
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

This is a pivotal passage for the gospel. As Paul declared to those Jews in Rome, “I brought the gospel to you but you will not listen so as to be converted to Christ, therefore this salvation is being sent to the Gentiles.” Their stubborn refusal to hear, mixed with God’s judgment, means they have been blinded. It is not total blindness of the Jews (“some believed”) nor that all Gentiles are saved, but it does explain why the Jews as a people do not respond to the Gospel while the Gentiles are coming in as “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.”

By what right does Jesus take these words spoken to Isaiah and apply them to himself? He was the very One Isaiah saw when he said, “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne.” And He was the One who spoke the words to Isaiah. Therefore, He knew He was referring to His own ministry. This passage also explains the Gospel. As Paul said, “Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, ‘Their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted.’ Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”

An introduction to Christ in Isaiah

A couple of weeks ago I was reading Justin Martyr’s First Apology † which was addressed to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. In addition to arguing against the persecution of individuals solely for being Christian, Justin also provides the Emperor with a defense of  Christianity.

Apology comes from the Greek word ἀπολογία (apologia) which means "verbal defense." The purpose of an apology is to present historical, reasoned, and evidential bases for Christianity, defending it against objections. Justin begins thus, “I, Justin . . . present this address and petition on behalf of those of all nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.”

In this Apology, Justin said, “these God predicted by the Spirit of prophecy as about to come to pass, in order that, when they came to pass, there might be no unbelief, but faith, because of their prediction.” He was talking specifically about one prediction, the virgin birth, but this is a principle – God announced, through the prophets, the coming of Christ, so that when it came to pass we might believe in him.

Then I read about Tertullian. He said that the Old Testament prophecies are required in order to fully understand the two advents of Messiah and to identify Jesus of Nazareth as that Messiah. He stressed that the miracles of Jesus are not sufficient to identify Him as Messiah. The added weight of fulfilled prophecy is necessary.*

As I read these things I had a thought, Why not go through the prophets and note the prophecies of the first coming of Christ? So I began with Isaiah. I have to admit, I had to exercise a good bit of restraint – there is so much good stuff in Isaiah, I had to restrict myself to the prophecies of the first coming and life of Christ!

But before I begin my posts on what I saw in Isaiah, a few explanatory words from Justin:

The different ways prophecy was uttered
“But when you hear the utterances of the prophets spoken as it were personally, you must not suppose that they are spoken by the inspired themselves, but by the Divine Word who moves them. For sometimes He declares things that are to come to pass, in the manner of one who foretells the future; sometimes He speaks as from the person of God the Lord and Father of all; sometimes as from the person of Christ; sometimes as from the person of the people answering the Lord or His Father, just as you can see even in your own writers, one man being the writer of the whole, but introducing the persons who converse. And this the Jews who possessed the books of the prophets did not understand, and therefore did not recognise Christ even when He came, but even hate us who say that He has come, and who prove that, as was predicted, He was crucified by them.”

Prophecy using the past tense
“But when the Spirit of prophecy speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place, — as may be observed even in the passages already cited by me, — that this circumstance may afford no excuse to readers [for misinterpreting them], we will make even this also quite plain. The things which He absolutely knows will take place, He predicts as if already they had taken place. And that the utterances must be thus received, you will perceive, if you give your attention to them. The words cited above (And again, in another prophecy, the Spirit of prophecy, through the same David, intimated that Christ, after He had been crucified, should reign, and spoke as follows: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and day by day declare His salvation. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols of devils; but God made the heavens. Glory and praise are before His face, strength and glorying are in the habitation of His holiness. Give Glory to the Lord, the Father everlasting. Receive grace, and enter His presence, and worship in His holy courts. Let all the earth fear before His face; let it be established, and not shaken. Let them rejoice among the nations. The Lord has reigned from the tree.), David uttered 1500 years before Christ became a man and was crucified; and no one of those who lived before Him, nor yet of His contemporaries, afforded joy to the Gentiles by being crucified. But our Jesus Christ, being crucified and dead, rose again, and having ascended to heaven, reigned; and by those things which were published in His name among all nations by the apostles, there is joy afforded to those who expect the immortality promised by Him.”

And with this further word resonating in my spirit . . .

“For with what reason should we believe of a crucified man that He is the first-born of the unbegotten God, and Himself will pass judgment on the whole human race, unless we had found testimonies concerning Him published before He came and was born as man, and unless we saw that things had happened accordingly.”

. . . I went to Isaiah to look for these “testimonies concerning Him published before He came”, and over the next several weeks, at least once a week, I will post what I found in Isaiah – Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah. I’m very excited about this! I’ve already been blessed and I pray that everyone who reads these will be blessed as well.


† The First Apology of Justin Martyr, written between AD 155 and 157 read it here

* Exploring the Interpretation of Isaiah 53 by Early Ante-Nicene Theologians read it here