My Favorite Christmas Prophecies – The Birth of Jesus in the Old Testament

If you sit and think about it, the Christian message of the incarnation of Jesus is the most remarkable event in human history. Even more, it is the most remarkable event imaginable. That God would take on human flesh, the creator coming to dwell with his creatures, fills the mind with childlike wonder. But how would God ensure that people would recognize this incarnate one? What credentials would be met by this newborn baby that would place a divine stamp of approval upon him? God has not left us to ourselves to answer this question.

In the 2,000 years of history that preceded the birth of Christ, God spoke through his prophets to prepare humanity for the coming King. Only God knows and controls the future, and prophecy is a method he uses to prove his message, to show it is God who speaks. In the Old Testament, we find several prophecies (or prophetic themes) related to the birth of Jesus. Let’s briefly look at four.

Line of Judah & David

From the very beginning of the Bible, we find God promising a man who will crush the head of the serpent and bring justice on earth. We soon find that this son will come through Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, then Judah. In Genesis 49:10, we read that “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, andthe obedience of the nations is his.” Fast forward several generations. In 2 Samuel 7, we find

God delivering a covenant to David, a descendent of Judah, saying that one of his offspring will establish an eternal kingdom. The prophets found in the latter half of your Old Testament speak of this Son of David who will come. Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to show that Jesus meets this criteria. The prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus.

A Son Is Born – Isaiah 9

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet seems to cycle between declaring judgment on God’s people and promising a future salvation. Several of these prophecies are related to the Messiah and speak of him as the Son of David. In Isaiah 9, the prophet speaks of a coming son who will be born. But this is not just any son. He will be given titles that only God is given: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Then tapping into the covenant given to David in 2 Samuel 7, this son will rule on the throne of David and establish a righteous kingdom to last forevermore. The birth of Jesus inaugurates the fulfilment of this prophecy.

A Savior of Humble Social Status – Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 is a famous passage about the suffering servant of God who will die for the sins of his people. However, in this chapter, we learn that is servant is not a famous, rich, or majestic man, but rather a lowly, humble one. He had no form or majesty. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was despised and not esteemed. This is a pattern God has used throughout the Old Testament. When he chooses to work through men, he chooses the weak and lowly by human standards. While this isn’t a direct prophecy, the lowly and humble birth of Jesus fits a repeated theme of the Old Testament.

Born In Bethlehem – Micah 5:2

The prophet Micah declares that in Bethlehem, a small town that King David was from, the ruler of Israel will come. This will not just be any ruler, but one who is “from old,” i.e. the birth of an eternal one. Jews have long held that this is a prophecy about the coming Messiah. For instance, Targam Jonathan states: “And you, O Bethlehem Ephrata, you who were too small to be numbered among the thousands of the house of Judah, from you shall come forth before me the Messiah.” From our Gospel accounts, we learn the Jesus was born in Bethlehem and it seemed to be common knowledge among those who knew of Jesus. Here again, at the very beginning of Jesus’ life, we find stamps of divine approval through the fulfillment of prophecy. The wonder of the incarnation did indeed happen and prophecy is one way God has made it possible for us to know this grand truth is indeed true.