Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel,” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 WEB
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel revealed to Joseph that his promised wife was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Until receiving this assurance, Joseph planned to discreetly sever the relationship thinking that she was pregnant by another man.
Matthew’s gospel account relates how the virgin birth of Christ fulfilled prophecy. He references Isaiah which reads, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. WEB” There is some debate as to whether the word translated as “virgin” from this prophecy is accurate. The Hebrew word “almāh” is sometimes translated as “young women.”
God With Us
However, Jewish scholars who translated “almāh” into Greek before the birth of Chris used the Greek word “parthenos.” The Greek “parthenos” translates to “virgin” in English. What is clear is that Matthew’s gospel associates the passage from Isaiah with the angel’s assurance that Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit without ever knowing a man.
Immanuel means, “God with us.” The angel who appeared in Joseph’s dream instructs him to name the child Jesus. Further, the angel encourages Joseph to understand that Jesus will save his people from their sins. When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel instructed, keeping Mary as his intended wife. This ends Matthew’s account of the birth of Christ.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the gospel recorded by your faithful servants. Thank you for sending your Son to redeem the repentant from our sins. Give me wisdom to put your word into practice in my daily life. Help me to live according to your will. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: A Census
