1In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.
3Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field. 4Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying, 6“Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.” 7This is what the Lord Yahweh says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.” 8For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people. 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’”
10Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
12But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt Yahweh.”
13He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken. 17Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.
18It will happen in that day that Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19They shall come, and shall all rest in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, on all thorn hedges, and on all pastures.
20In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
21It shall happen in that day that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep. 22It shall happen, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter, for everyone will eat butter and honey that is left within the land.
23It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, will be for briers and thorns. 24People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns. 25All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending out of oxen, and for sheep to tread on.”
When you open your Bible to the New Testament, the first book you encounter is the book of Matthew. Have you ever wondered why this book occurs first? Though scholars are divided in their opinions about which is the first Gospel and who wrote the book, this was not true for 1700 years of church history. The fathers of the church believed that the apostle Matthew wrote the book and that it was the first book composed among the four accounts of the life of Jesus the Messiah. The book was accepted as a part of Scripture, as were the other Gospels, from the earliest period of church history. Early church fathers such as Ignatius and Polycarp attest to it. As well, the Didache, a late first-century A.D. church manual, may rely on Matthew for some of its teaching.
There is also internal evidence that the apostle Matthew wrote the book, rather than a group of Jews or Jewish converts to Christianity at the end of the first century, as some have argued. The book reveals that the author was a Jew, with detailed knowledge of Jewish practices, customs, and history.
The Gospel according to Matthew is written, most likely, to a Christian community in the city of Antioch, or the region around it. The apostle sought to explain to these early Jewish believers regarding Jesus, that He was the promised Messiah to Israel, but also the light of salvation to the Gentile world. The Jews, no doubt, wondered why the prophecies of the Old Testament that the Messiah would establish His kingdom had not transpired. Matthew demonstrates that the anticipated earthly rule of the Messiah over the Jewish nation was not to be fulfilled in His coming at that time, but rather He brought the spiritual reign of God to those who embraced the Messiah as savior. In contrast to the Gospel of Luke, which tells the birth and early years of Jesus from His mother Mary’s perspective, Matthew’s account is from the vantage point of His stepfather Joseph’s view. This is necessary, in view of the emphasis on Jesus being in the line of David and heir to the throne. Matthew emphasizes prophetic and historical passages that relate to the birth of the king of the Jews.
The prophecy of the virginal conception of Jesus from Isaiah 7:14, in the clear teaching of Matthew, refers to God’s Son born of a virgin. The return of the Son of God from Egypt, to which Joseph had taken Jesus and Mary for protection, is similar to God bringing Israel, His son, from Egyptian bondage.
In view of the strong Jewish emphasis of the book, it is surprising to see a number of passages that focus on Gentiles, such as the Magi’s visit to the child Jesus toward the beginning of the book and the command to disciple the Gentiles that is found at the end of the book. Moreover, Matthew is the only Gospel that has the use of the word church, both its founding by Messiah Jesus and discipline to be exercised within the community. We find in the first verse of the book that Jesus’ lineage is traced to the father of the Jews, Abraham, and also to David the king, upon whose earthly throne Jesus the Messiah would sit. The last chapter reveals that, as the resurrected Lord, He has been given authority over both heaven and earth.
NKJV Study Bible: Second Edition Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D. General Editor Ronald B. Allen, Th.D. Old Testament Editor H. Wayne House, Th.D., J.D. New Testament Editor (Nelson, Thomas. NKJV, The NKJV Study Bible (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.) See the Introduction Chart on Matthew