NOTES for Isa 7:10-14
"I will not ask for a sign." Why does a person need signs when he can explain away any sign, even the most fantastic and unbelievable one, in such a way that God drops out of the equation? And on the other hand, why do we need something visible when what matters far more for each of us is a real sense of God's work in our own life?
When you receive an answer to a question, when you see that what you asked for has been done, signs are unnecessary. We demand proof when we do not believe and do not trust, when we need the option of saying that the evidence is unconvincing. But when we understand that God's works are real facts, even the word "sign" disappears from our vocabulary. The Virgin Mary did not ask the Angel for proof that what was promised would happen; she simply asked him to explain how the prophecy would be fulfilled.