A Sign

``Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel'' (Isaiah 7:14 NIV).

The virgin birth of Jesus was foretold almost seven centuries before it happened. It was a ``sign.''

This sign shows that the sending of God's Son to this earth was no accident. It was all part of His plan.

This sign tells us that God used a humanly impossible method to bring Jesus to this world. A virgin was enabled to bear a child.

This sign tells us that Jesus was born sinless. It was made possible only through His virgin birth. Let us remember David's lament: ``Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me'' (Psalm 51:5 NIV). That means that every man born through a physical union between a man and woman carries with him the sinful nature even from the moment of conception. But because Jesus had a virgin birth He was born sinless.

This sign foretells the birth of a ``son.'' Let us read it along with Exodus 12:5. There it talks about the Passover lamb. It was commanded that the animal chosen for Passover sacrifice must be a male. Let us now read it along with 1 Corinthians 5:7: ``For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.''

The sign finally tells us about God's heart. He wants to be with us. Therefore the Son would be called ``Immanuel,'' meaning ``God with us!''

What a sign has God given us!