In the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies Christ is also the child born to us. Isaiah 9:6 says, “Unto us a child is born.” Luke 2:11-12, the fulfillment of this prophecy, says, “A Savior was born to you today in David’s city, who is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” This little baby is called the mighty God in the prophecy concerning Him in Isaiah 9:6.
Isaiah 7:14 prophesies, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Matthew 1:23. Emmanuel, meaning “God with us,” was the name called by man, not the name given by God. Christ is God with us. God is He, and He is God incarnated to dwell among us (John 1:14). He is not only God—He is God with us.
Micah 5:2 says, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.” This prophecy is fulfilled in Matthew 2:4-6: “And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. And they said to him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the governors of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.” Mary conceived a child in Nazareth (Luke 1:26-27, 31). But according to the prophecy, Christ had to be born in Bethlehem. Under God’s sovereign arrangement, Caesar Augustus ordered a census (Luke 2:1-7). This made it necessary for all the people to return to their native places. Mary and Joseph, in particular, were forced to return to Bethlehem, their home town. Immediately after they arrived in Bethlehem, the child Jesus was born in fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5:2.
The report of Christ’s birth aroused the hatred and jealousy of King Herod, who was angered that a kingly child had been born. Then Joseph received guidance in a dream to take the child Jesus to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15). This enabled God to fulfill the prophecy of Hosea 11:1 that Christ would be called out of Egypt. Without the trouble that occurred after the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, there would have been no occasion for Him to be taken to Egypt by Joseph.
After Herod died, Joseph received word in another dream to return to the land of Israel (Matt. 2:19-20). When Joseph returned and learned that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was in power, he was afraid to remain in the territory around Bethlehem. “Being warned in a dream, he departed into the parts of Galilee, and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene” (vv. 22-23). Christ was born in the esteemed town of Bethlehem, but He grew up in the despised city of Nazareth. The flight to Egypt and the escape to Galilee to dwell in Nazareth were fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ.
Prophesying of Christ, Isaiah 53:2 says, “He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” This word is fulfilled in 2 Corinthians 8:9b and Matthew 13:55-57. In the Gospels we see that Christ grew up like a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He was raised in the home of a poor carpenter in the despised town of Nazareth and in the despised province of Galilee. This was the fulfillment of the dry ground in Isaiah.
The Lord had no form or comeliness, no physical beauty, that He should be desired. Rather, He was despised and rejected by men. He did not have any form or comeliness that would cause others to appreciate Him.
In this message we have covered twelve aspects of Christ in the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. In the fulfillment of these prophecies we see Christ in both His divinity and His humanity. He is the very God, the Creator who will remain unchanged forever and ever. Nevertheless, He was anointed by God. This One who is God the Creator was born of a virgin to be a child. As such, He is Emmanuel. In this divine title we can see both God and man, for Emmanuel means God with us.
The Lord’s human living began with suffering. Shortly after He was born, it was necessary for Him to escape to Egypt. In this way He became a refugee. After fleeing to Egypt, a condemned country, He was brought back to the land of Israel. Because it was not safe to stay in Bethlehem, He was taken to Galilee, to the despised city of Nazareth, where He grew up in a poor family as a root out of dry ground. Although He was the God-man, having divinity and humanity, He grew up in a poor family and had no form or comeliness that He should be desired.