The Miracle of the Incarnation

Two kings gathered forces to invade and defeat the city of Jerusalem. The threat of war struck fear into the hearts of the people and king of the land of Jerusalem, which, at the time was Judah. But amidst the threats from Jerusalem’s two enemies, came a voice of comfort. The Lord God spoke words of assurance to Ahaz, king of Judah.

The Lord assured Ahaz that the plans of the two enemies would not succeed. And to help King Ahaz understand the Lord’s message, a sign was given by God through the prophet, Isaiah.

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 7:14 ESV

The sign is to show King Ahaz that if he trusted God’s plan, the two enemies plotting to overthrow him would fail. And in that sense, Ahaz is promised salvation if he simply trusts in the Lord. Additionally, the sign given to Ahaz is also a sign for us today.

The Bible explicitly links the sign given to Ahaz with the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. We find this link in Matthew’s gospel. In the context of Jesus’ birth, Matthew writes this.

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).The sign given through Isaiah to Ahaz found its complete fulfilment years later in the birth of Jesus. The sign spoke of a real event that took place in Bethlehem. the event was God becoming a man, the incarnation. The incarnation was God’s plan to deliver mankind from two enemies, death and hell.
Matthew 1:22, 23 ESV
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The incarnation is a miraculous event. It marks God taking on the nature of man in order to save mankind from sin. In becoming human, Jesus Christ delivers sinners from the penalty of sin.