Isaiah contrasted the lives of father and son. Ahaz did not seek YHWH’s will and refused to believe in YHWH’s sign of the virgin giving birth to a son, the seed of a woman who grew up eating curds and honey in a time of scarcity. Assyria overran Judah. His son, Hezekiah, sought YHWH at His temple and humbled himself, praying in belief. He trusted in YHWH’s sign of the land Sabbath and Jubilee, a time of eating the seed of the land that voluntarily grew from the uncultivated earth. Since he turned to YHWH, an angel slew Assyria’s 185,000-man army surrounding the city. Sovereign over Assyria’s forces, YHWH also raised up Hezekiah from a life-threatening illness, promising that in three days, he would worship Him in the House of YHWH. And in the third year (his seventeenth year reigning), Hezekiah’s son was born to David’s house in the Jubilee year.

In 2 Samuel 7:8-16, YHWH promised to build and establish David a house, a dynasty, a great name with a kingdom and throne forever. The force of YHWH’s covenant with David drove His response to both Ahaz, the king who did evil, and Hezekiah, who did that which was right in the eyes of YHWH. As a figure of restoration, YHWH added fifteen years to Hezekiah with the promise of a son.

YHWH’s faithfulness to His covenant with David was assured through two parallel signs: a virgin birthing a son called Immanuel, “God with Us,” who “will save us from the hand of our enemies,” and the land Sabbath and Jubilee to Jerusalem’s remnant seed taking root downward and bear fruit upward. The Day of Atonements trumpets the Jubilee after seven times seven years (7²). In Isaiah’s prophecy, the seed of the woman, Immanuel, becomes a new Jerusalem, overcoming barrenness and bearing fruit before the nations that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that YHWH Elohim alone is God (Isa. 37:20). The new Jerusalem, a city on a hill shining out to all nations, is Isaiah’s grand telos of his message, the Jubilee for all people. Hezekiah’s sign was Israel’s fifteenth Jubilee.

Moving forward to Matthew’s Gospel, it explains how Yeshua is the fulfillment (pleroo) of Moses and the Prophets, naming Him the Immanuel, born of a virgin, who came to save us from our sins (Mat. 1:21) through His death and resurrection. YHWH’s covenant love to the House of David was fully accomplished through His atonement and forgiveness of our sins so that we might be planted in the house of YHWH upon His holy mountain (Jubilee). His love for us fulfilled the Torah completely (Mat. 5:17-20, Rom. 13:10). The sign given to Ahaz (Isa.7:14) is Matthew’s first Old Testament quote of seven in his gospel introduction portraying Yeshua as the son of David and Moses figures (shepherd and deliverer). Replaying Israel’s history, His birthing occurred at a time of distress and danger, of murderous foreign rulers seeking to take His life. Joseph fled with Mary and Yeshua in exile to Egypt. Returning to Nazareth, Yeshua lived among the evil of His own people, ultimately to save us from our enemies by laying down His life, three days and nights in the heart of the earth. As Jonah was a sign (read on Yom haKippurim), so was the Son of Man (Mat. 12:39-42; Luk. 11:29-30).

Interlaced in the Biblical narrative, the Messiah’s mention of Jonah’s three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, his death and rebirth, was a sign to Nineveh. Likewise, Yeshua stated that He was the sign to Israel’s wicked generation. Fulfilling His promise to David, He was born in the flesh so that He could die and give everlasting life to those who believe in Him (Jhn. 3:16), building up God’s house and restoring Eden’s fruitfulness to humanity. After three days, He will raise us up (Hos. 6:2), and after three days, like Hezekiah, we will worship Him on His holy mountain (Exo. 19:10-19). Ruler over the kings of the earth, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, was the firstborn from the dead, who loved us by washing us from our sins in His own blood and making us a kingdom of priests to His God and Father (Rev. 1:5-6).

Takeaway:
YHWH gave two signs, one to Ahaz and one to Hezekiah, that link together as one, acting as surety of His faithfulness to the House of David. God sent Immanuel, the Son of David, born of a virgin, as a sign that He would save us from our enemies and our sins, creating us anew with life complete (7²) to return us to the land inheritance, Eden’s Jubilee (50). Matthew began the good news of Christ’s victory by quoting Isaiah 7:14’s sign to Ahaz. As Jonah was the sign to the Ninevites, Yeshua’s three days and three nights in the grave proclaimed He was the sign, the Immanuel and the Jubilee.

Fun Factors:
Immanuel in Hebrew sums to 197, 14² + 1², the 8^th centered heptagonal number; 1 + 9 + 7 = 17, the number of victory, 7 + 10 of the number of times God spoke (10) in seven creation days.

Isa. 7:14 has 51 letters (3 × 17) in 15 words, totaling 3306, 2 × 3 × 19 × 29, 3² + … + 21²; its 16 divisors can be divided into two sets equaling 3600. The sum of 3306’s digits, 3 + 3 + 6 = 12; 3306’s prime factor sum, 2 + 3 + 19 + 29 = 53, Hebrew sum of “garden” and “Oholibah” (My tabernacle is in her). The word sum of Isaiah 7:14, 3306, equals 57 × 58, (5² + 2⁵) x (3² + 7²), marking it with YHWH’s signature (21) of restoration (15) and perfection (7), the new creation through Immanuel (17).

Mat. 1:23 has 108 letters in 22 words, totaling 9611, 7 × 1373, 7(2² + 37²), 9 + 6 + 1 + 1 = 17, numerically saying “His Word (22) is the power life (18), perfection (7) in the house (4) of His name (37), Immanuel (17).