"Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'." Matthew 1:23
Reading the prophet Isaiah 7:7-14 gives us a picture of Ahaz, king of Judah, who at that moment was being besieged by two of his enemies, Syria and Israel, who had joined forces and were threatening to take his kingdom. He could only see loss, despair, and all the chaos of war for himself and his nation. Can you imagine how depressed and desperate he was, struggling to find an answer to his dilemma? He needed a way to save himself and his nation from devastation and ruin. But he had nowhere to turn until Isaiah came to him and told him about Immanuel, meaning "God with us." He was speaking of Jesus, who would come to earth 700 years later, because it was through Him that the House of David would continue. Syria and Israel were eventually overrun by Assyria, but Judah was saved.
As Colossians 1:15 says:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” This verse tells us that Jesus is God on
earth. It means that He lived like we live. He suffered like we suffer; He went through grief and
pain and loss like we do. He was poor and
hungry and tired like
we are. Whatever challenges and difficulties you have
in your life, Jesus had them too. But as Immanuel, He is with you in everything you
think, everything you feel, and everything you do. He understands what you're going through, because he came to earth and lived a life with the same kind of problems that we have. (Heb 2:10-18)
Matthew 1:22-23 repeats the promise of salvation, which says that Jesus came to earth to live as a man and die as
a man to save us from our sins. The text says; "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'." The text is saying that we are promised that Jesus will comfort us no matter what we
are going through in our lives. And in knowing Jesus, we come to know God in a
more personal and intimate way. Because God has done everything through His
Son, Jesus, God Himself is revealed. Colossians 1:17 says “And He is before all things, and in Him all
things consist.” Our transcendent God is making Himself
known to us through Jesus. (John 14:7-11)
But if you’re expecting God to force you to accept His gift of Jesus Immanuel, you'll be disappointed. You must choose to acknowledge and accept God’s gift. God wishes to live among us through His beloved children and His Son. And He has given us a way to have Jesus with us as we live on this earth. You are not alone. You can have help going through all your anxious moments and problems. Jesus will be with you. Faced with problems brought on by a godless society, the greediness of those who govern you, and those who employ you is hard enough. But perhaps you're feeling a lack of caring from your friends, your family, and even people you worship with each week, and it's devastating to you. When you're feeling overwhelmed by the world around you, rest assured that Jesus Immanuel is there to face all your problems and disappointments with you. His love, His care, and His compassion will comfort you. And His grace, His mercy, and His power will give you the strength and courage to carry on and deal with every trial that comes into your life. The Gift of Jesus is yours, if you will accept it.
