Thursday 12/15/2022

Isaiah 7:1-4

The Sign of Immanuel

7 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 7:10-16

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Matthew 1:18-24

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Three kings were plotting to attack Judah, and King Ahaz was

frightened. The prophet Isaiah told the king that, as a sign from God, a young

woman (possibly Isaiah’s wife) would give birth to a son. Before the boy

reached bar mitzvah age (age 13), the plotting kingdoms would lose their power

(and they did). Centuries later, Matthew recognized that Jesus was the ultimate

Immanuel (“God with us”) sign. Did you know? According to the online Oxford

Dictionaries, either Immanuel or Emmanuel is a correct English spelling of the

Hebrew word. It is defined as “The name given to Christ as the deliverer of

Judah prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. 7:14, 8:8; Matt. 1:23).” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/)

Scholar William Barclay summed up Matthew’s message: “Jesus is the one person

who can tell us what God is like, and what God means us to be. In him alone we

see what God is and what man ought to be.” In what ways is Jesus central to

your understanding of what God is like? Has that helped you to avoid some of

the negative, frightening images of God that limit too many people’s

willingness to relate to God? If so, how? Matthew 18:20 quoted the adult Jesus as saying, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” And the gospel’s final verse, Matthew 28:20, carried the promise that “I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” What settings or practices help to make God’s presence real to you? What makes it as important for you (and each one of us) to trust “Immanuel”—God with us--as it was for King Ahaz?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, during Advent I remember that when you came into our world, you were human, but you were also fully divine. Give me insight and humility as I internalize the mystery that you are Immanuel, “God with us.” Amen.