The Promise
December 17, 2023
Isaiah 7:13-14
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Read Isaiah 7:13-14
1. Have you heard this passage of scripture before? How familiar are you with it?
2. How do we know that this passage is a prophecy about Jesus?
3. Some people point out that the word translated as ‘virgin’ can also be interpreted as ‘young lady.’ Which interpretation makes the most sense to you? Why? (Hint: the key to this interpretive decision may be related to the word ‘sign’ later in the verse.)
4. What is significant about the name (Immanuel) that will be given to this prophesied child?
Read Isaiah 9:6-7
5. As a group, create a list of all the specific things that are prophesied about Jesus in this passage.
6. One by one, discuss how Jesus actually fulfills these prophesies.
7. How does it strike you that the Lord Almighty has ‘zeal?’
Read Micah 5:2
8. As a stand-alone prophecy, how far does this prophecy go toward convincing you that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah?
9. When compiled with all the prophecies above and other prophesies in the Old Testament, how far does this prophecy go toward convincing you that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah?