What is the meaning of Matthew 1:22? All this took place • The phrase points back to the real events Matthew has just narrated—the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-21). Nothing here is legend or embellishment; it truly “took place.” • Scripture often anchors salvation history in concrete happenings (Luke 2:1-7; Galatians 4:4), reminding us that God’s redemptive work unfolds in time and space. • By recording it as completed fact, Matthew underscores God’s sovereignty: the birth of Jesus was never an afterthought but part of a deliberate plan “determined by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). to fulfill • God acts with purpose: every detail of Jesus’ birth was aimed at “fulfill[ing]” promises made centuries earlier. Fulfillment threads run throughout Matthew (2:15; 2:17; 4:14; 5:17), showing Jesus as the long-anticipated Messiah. • This word signals continuity between Old and New Testaments; what God promises, He completes (Joshua 21:45; 2 Corinthians 1:20). • Fulfillment also confirms the reliability of prophecy—just as Jesus later affirmed, “Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). what the Lord had said • Prophecy originates with God Himself, not human speculation (2 Peter 1:21). Matthew’s wording reminds us that Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). • Because the Lord spoke it, the promise carries absolute authority and certainty; “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). • His word remains active and effective: “so My word that goes out from My mouth… will accomplish what I please” (Isaiah 55:11). through the prophet • God chooses human messengers—here, Isaiah—to communicate His plans (Hebrews 1:1-2; Amos 3:7). • Matthew immediately identifies the prophecy: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), demonstrating Jesus as the promised “God with us.” • The partnership of divine message and human prophet shows both God’s transcendence and His willingness to work through people (Jeremiah 1:9). summary Matthew 1:22 assures us that the virgin birth of Jesus happened exactly as God said it would. The historical events (“all this”) were orchestrated for a single purpose—“to fulfill” God’s unbreakable word. That word, spoken by the Lord Himself “through the prophet,” proves Scripture’s dependability and God’s faithfulness. Every detail of Christ’s arrival anchors our confidence that the same trustworthy God will complete all remaining promises in His perfect time. |
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