Immanuel - God Is Still With Us
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matt 1:22-23)
Christmas 2020 arrives amidst battles against Covid19 and political excitement, but God is still with us. Students are uncertain about their program, and some businesses are shaken to the core, but God is still with us. Locusts came and went, floods displaced many and destroyed much, but God is still with us. President Trump lost the election, and UK is still haunted by their Brexit negotiations with EU, but God is still with us. Such hard times should remind Bible readers of what God has done when troubled people turn to Him, and we shall briefly see the case of King Ahaz as we reflect on the Name Immanuel.
The Immanuel quotation above is the first of at least 47 that Matthew takes from the Old Testament, to show that it all points to Jesus Christ, who is ultimately the climax of the redemptive-historical story. He said the whole Old Testament (the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms) pointed to him (Luke 24:44), the Gospels are about him biographically, while the rest of the New Testament points back to him theologically. Matthew takes the Immanuel quotation from the story in Isaiah 7:10-16, where we find Isaiah the prophet talking challengingly to troubled Ahaz King of Judah.
Ahaz is facing a very tough time, so frightened and shaken by two allied enemy armies that he has already sought help from neighbouring nations (instead of seeking and trusting God to help him). His enemies are Israel under the leadership of King Pekah, and Syria under King Rezin. Isaiah’s mission is to rebuke King Ahaz against seeking foreign help without seeking God, and the prophet follows this with an assurance that God will himself defeat those mighty enemies. How can this be? Ahaz can’t believe it! Yes, those times come when God’s assurance sounds like a joke before mountain-high problems.
Then God gave the sign of Immanuel: a baby would be born, and while still an infant, the two enemies would be defeated. Ahaz actually saw this happen – Pekah and Resin were destroyed in less than three years. Yet there was a greater meaning of that sign, and this physical fulfillment gives credence to the ultimate meaning. Matthew relates the birth of Jesus Christ to the sign of Immanuel – to bring deliverance not just from the two or more physical enemies, but from sin and death. What has shaken you this year?
How shall we get healed from this stage-four Covid19? How shall our academics and businesses get back on track? How shall our sick nation recover? “With God nothing will be impossible” – these were the words of the angel to Virgin Mary. As we remember the birth of Jesus Christ, let us continue doing our part responsibly and trust the Lord Almighty for a bright future despite what we have gone through. Remember: God is still with us.
God bless you all.