What blessing did King Ahaz receive because he believed God? He received a very special blessing. The Lord allowed him to hear of the prophecy of the coming Messiah.
After God told Ahaz he could ask for a sign and Ahaz refused to ask a sign, Isaiah said to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign…” (Isaiah 7:13b,14a) What sign would the Lord give them? “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (verse 14b)
In the previous little study, I had mentioned that Ahaz said the words of verse 13. However, in looking at the fulfillment of this prophesy in the book of Matthew, it appears that these words were actually spoken by the prophet Isaiah who had been sent by the Lord to talk with King Ahaz. Matthew 1:20-23 tells about the fulfillment of this prophecy, “20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” The prophet foretold the coming of Jesus and that His name would be called Emmanuel. The name “Emmanuel” means “God with us.”
This child which would be born, Emmanuel, was not an ordinary child. He was born of a virgin through the work of the Holy Ghost, and He was the Son of God and God the Son. I Timothy 3:16 explains it by saying, “God was manifest in the flesh.”
This wonderful Emmanuel, Jesus, the Son of God and God the Son, was coming to be the Messiah for the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and for all the children of Israel. What a wonderful promise the Lord was allowing Ahaz and the people to hear! Not only would He give them protection from their enemies now and keep their enemies from overthrowing Ahaz and establishing their own king; but God would also send them a Savior, Emmanuel, the One who could redeem Israel from all their sins. If Ahaz and the people of Judah and Jerusalem could believe that God would save them from their present fleshly enemies, they could also believe that God would send them Emmanuel, and they could look forward to the time that Emmanuel would come and be saved by believing on Him. Sadly, many of the children of Israel did not recognize the Messiah when He came, but some did. And Emmanuel still waits and still welcomes all who believe on Him today. Judah, Jerusalem, all Israel, and even the Gentiles who are alive today benefited from Ahaz believing the word of the Lord.