Friday, December 13: “Behold My Messenger, Day VI”

Isaiah 7: 14: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.”

Speaking to Ahaz, the wicked king of Judah, who, in his pompous religiosity, has rejected God’s offer of a sign of deliverance, Isaiah gives what seems to be a word strictly for that time and place. In reality, he utters one of the most famous Messianic prophecies, quoted in St. Matthew’s Gospel and well-loved by believers of every place, in every era, especially at this time of year. Sometimes, a messenger’s anointed words go far beyond where even the messenger has envisioned!