Hello Beloved,
As we continue our study of the names and titles of Jesus, we are currently in the Old Testament. Last month, we considered the name of the prophet like “Moses.” This month, as Christmas approaches, we will consider the name “Immanuel.”
In the birth narrative of Matthew, we are told by an angel of the Lord that Mary, who is a virgin, is to give birth to the Christ child, His name is to be Jesus, and He will fulfill the Immanuel prophecy. Matthew alludes to Isaiah 7:14 when he writes, “’Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” Matthew 1:23 (ESV).
In the context of Isaiah 7, the wicked king of Judah, Ahaz, is examining his water supply when the prophet Isaiah approaches him. Ahaz is in a conundrum. Two northern kingdoms more powerful and of greater wealth are trying to manipulate him to join their alliance. Isaiah, speaking for God, communicates that God is going to deliver Judah from these enemies. Further, he invites Ahaz to ask for a sign from the Lord “as deep as Sheol or high as heaven” for assurance of God’s promise. Ahaz tries to seem religious by stating that he would not put God to the test, but in so doing he completely misses out on a blessing by misunderstanding the situation. Nevertheless, Isaiah states that God would give Ahaz a sign:
14 . . . Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 7:14-17 (ESV)
Though God does provide a more immediate fulfillment to this sign, possibly in the birth of Isaiah’s son Maher-shalal-hash-baz, its ultimate fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ, the premiere “God with us.” It was stated of Jesus in John’s prologue, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14 (ESV).
God had promised to be with His people in the Old Testament through many difficult and challenging situations. He promised Moses, “But I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) in using this servant as a vessel through which to deliver God’s people from Egyptian bondage. God promised Joshua in the conquest of the promised land that “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” Joshua 1:5 (ESV). Further, in encouraging the people to rebuild the temple after the exile, God promised His people by the mouth of the prophet Haggai, “I am with you, declares the LORD” Haggai 1:13 (ESV). Of course, Jesus fulfilled the promise of God being with us in a unique and greater way when the very Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, took on flesh, and was born in a manger. Let us reflect on the “Immanuel” who came to die on that old rugged cross that we might have life. I leave you with these words from Charles Spurgeon:
When once I mourned a load of sin,
When conscience felt a wound within,
When all my works were thrown away,
When on my knees I knelt to pray,
Then, blissful hour, remembered well,
I learned Thy love, Immanuel!
When storms of sorrow toss my soul,
When waves of care around me roll,
When comforts sink, when joys shall flee,
When hopeless griefs shall gape for me,
One word the tempest’s rage shall quell,
That word, Thy name, Immanuel!
When for the truth I suffer shame,
When foes pour scandal on my name,
When cruel taunts and jeers abound,
When “Bulls of Bashan” gird me round,
Secure within Thy tower I’ll dwell,
That tower, Thy grace, Immanuel!
When hell, enraged, lifts up her roar,
When Satan stops my path before,
When fiends rejoice and wait my end,
When legion’d hosts their arrows send,
Fear not, my soul, but hurl at hell
Thy battle-cry, Immanuel!
When down the hill of life I go,
When o’er my feet death’s waters flow,
When in the deep’ning flood I sink,
When friends stand weeping on the brink,
I’ll mingle with my last farewell,
Thy lovely name, Immanuel!
When tears are banished from mine eye,
When fairer worlds than these are nigh,
When Heaven shall fill my ravish’d sight,
When I shall bathe in sweet delight,
One joy all joys shall far excel,
To see Thy face, Immanuel!
Until next time, this is Pastor Daniel writing, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.