Swindoll's Living Insights Commentary Matthew 1a - Flipbook - Page 37
Standing in Joseph’s Sandals | Matthew 1:18-25
Jewish audience—especially those who would be likely to roll their eyes
and say, “Gimme a break! Conceived by the Holy Spirit? Born of a virgin? Who’s ever heard of such a thing?” Matthew knew his skeptical
audience well. To preempt their objections, he asserted that the virgin
conception of the Messiah was, in fact, in keeping with a prophecy in
the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
When it comes to Old Testament texts related to the Messiah, some
passages might be what we would call direct and clear prophecies. In
this category, the single, direct referent of the prophecy is the future
Messiah. This would include passages like Isaiah 9:6‑7, in which the
child to be born who would reign on the throne of David is none other
than Jesus, and Isaiah 52:13–53:12, which refers to a suffering, dying,
and rising righteous Servant, a prophecy clearly fulfilled in the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
Other Old Testament passages could be called direct but veiled
prophecies, in which the referent is the Messiah, but the original audience may not have seen this clearly without the help of additional
revelation. The reference to the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 falls
into this category, as does the reference to the seed (“descendants”) in
Genesis 12:7, which Paul tells us is a veiled but direct reference to Jesus
(Gal. 3:16).
Another category of messianic Old Testament passages may be
called indirect and veiled prophecies. This would include types in the
Old Testament that find their parallels in Christ, such as the Passover
lamb, the sacrificial system, and certain figures (like Moses and David)
who prefigure the Messiah either by comparison or contrast. Additionally, it may include prophecies that had a near or partial fulfillment at
the time of the original prophecy but that also point forward to a greater
fulfillment in the future at the coming of the Messiah.
Matthew’s reference to Isaiah 7:14 and its application to Jesus’ virgin conception falls most comfortably in the third category.14 To grasp
how Matthew understood this passage, we need to explore its significance to the original audience in the days of King Ahaz of Judah. At
that time, Ahaz feared that his kingdom—and indeed, the entire line of
David—would be terminated by an alliance of his enemies, the northern kingdom of Israel and its neighbor Syria (Isa. 7:1‑9). To strengthen
Ahaz’s confidence, God offered that the king ask for a sign, which he
refused to do. In response, God provided His own sign of His enduring
faithfulness against the threat. He told Ahaz that a woman who was a
virgin at the time would conceive and bring forth a child who would be
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