Daily Reading
God sends the prophet Isaiah to assure Ahaz, the king of Judah, of God's protection in a coming invasion that threatens the kingdom. God asks Ahaz to request a sign and promises to send whatever sign he requests. Ahaz refuses, and though it seems laudable that he doesn't "put the Lord to the test," the king shows he really wants to do things his way. Ahaz's refusal to ask for a sign wearies God, so God chooses His own sign.
God sends the sign to communicate to Ahaz, who is a descendent of King David, that a redeemer will come through the line of David to preserve his people. Here the Scripture provides more details of the promise given to Adam and Eve: a virgin will bear a son and she will name him Emmanuel. The immediate promise is that Ahaz and his kingdom will be preserved, but the future promise is that the birth of a baby will herald the coming of the Messiah. The sign God promises is referenced in Matthew 1, when Joseph is told that Mary will have a child. This very prophecy will be fulfilled with her coming baby. So the world moves into a new phase of Advent...the approaching birth of the Redeemer Messiah.