Why Jesus’ Birth Is The True Christmas Miracle

“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:10-14, ESV

It’s Christmas time! And if you’re anything like me you also love taking long strolls through Christmas décor (hello, Hobby Lobby!). The feeling is almost magical as I walk through aisles and aisles of what seems to be a winter wonderland. Darling ornaments, adorable gingerbread men and of course, the beautifully handcrafted calligraphy signs.

One of my favorite signs reads one word: believe. That one word that carries so much meaning for the believer.

There’s no doubt that we live in a skeptical world. A world that’s doubtful of miracles and cynical of a loving God that sent His son for us. But THAT’S the Christmas story!

Christians believe in the miracle of Christmas – that the Son of God came from a virgin birth.

We as believers need to be prepared to give our foundational proof and reasoning as to why we believe what we do. And what a beautiful opportunity Advent gives us to do so!

Let’s dig in, shall we?

A Virgin Birth Foretold

In our main passage, Ahaz, King of Judah, refused to respond to God’s invitation to ask for a sign. A sign so incredibly miraculous that there could be no confusion – only God could have done it! So, despite Ahaz’s cold, hard heart, God introduced the sign He would give to the people: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

With this incredible sign there would be no mistake that the child was the long awaited one – the Savior of the world.

Almah is the Hebrew word that is then translated virgin in our language. Here in this passage it doubtlessly refers to a “maiden.” In the Old Testament context a maiden was an unmarried young woman who was sexually pure. He was speaking specifically of a virgin. What is the proof that almah did indeed refer to “virgin” and not simply a “young woman”?

Almah is used a handful of times in the Old Testament and every time it’s used it refers to virginity. Check out Genesis 24:16, 43; Exodus 2:8 (“girl”); Psalm 68:25; Song of Solomon 1:3; 6:8; and Proverbs 30:19.

The second proof would be the word Jewish scholars used to translate almah in the Septuagint (the earliest Greek version of the Old Testament), a couple hundred years before Christ.

That means when we read Isaiah 7:14 we can be sure that the prophecy clearly spoke of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son.

A Virgin Birth Fulfilled

Now that we understand and can give evidence to the validity of the virgin birth prophecy, how can we give a defense that Jesus Christ actually did fulfill it? That Matthew 1:23 actually happened?

Christ is recorded as fulfilling many prophecies – not just the virgin birth. Here’s a handful to get the ball rolling:

• He’d be born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2
• Ministry would begin in Galilee – Isaiah 9:1-2
• He would perform miracles – Isaiah 35:5-6
• He’d be proceeded by a forerunner – Isaiah 40:3-4
• He’d be despised and rejected – Isaiah 53:1-3
• He would set the captives free – Isaiah 61:1
• He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey – Zechariah 9:9
• He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver – Zechariah 11:12-13

To fulfill all these prophecies literally makes Him one in millions. There is greater probability of you becoming the next president of the U.S. than all the above prophecies being completed. Yet, we have eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ doing just that.

This Christmas, as you celebrate what this season is all about, be still and think of what an incredible miracle the virgin birth was! A sign from God Himself.

And we believe it.

Questions for Your Heart:

1. How does this truth about God’s Word give you confidence to share your faith?
2. Why was it important for Jesus to fulfill this specific prophecy? How does it also show us His holiness – making Him worthy of being the perfect sacrifice for our sin?
3. With this God again shows us His ability to do the impossible. Praise Him in prayer today and ask for Him to keep revealing His glory to you.

Author: Hannah Hermann