Immanuel: God With Us

// INTRO

Turn in your Bible to 2 Chronicles 28 and Isaiah 7

As we travel through this Christmas season, I want to take a couple weeks to focus on a few elements:

Immanuel - God with Us

The Magi that travelled afar to visit this young boy

In past years I’ve looked at the celebration of Hanukkah, the significance of the swaddling cloths, the joy and peace Christ’s birth but I had never dove into the name that was prophesied him, “Immanuel.”

Before we dive into the meaning, we need to gain a culture context of the times.

Pray

A KINGDOM IN CRISIS

To understand the significance of this announcement of light, we have to understand how truly dark the world was.

Meet King Ahaz

Ahaz was a king in Judah.

His name means, “yahweh has held, grasped.”

After the reign of Solomon, the kingdom split into northern Israel and southern Judah.

Judah is where Jerusalem (the city of David) were located and thus the promise that David would always have a family member on the throne.

We are now several generations removed from David and the kingdoms have seen a mixture of good, bad, and mixed kings.

Family Background

King Uzziah (mixed king) was Ahaz’s grandfather – strong leader but fell to his own pride.

Uzziah had a son, Jotham (mixed king) who fathered Ahaz – good leader but passive, allowed the corruption of the day to continue.

Ahaz would’ve been around to see his grandfather and father reign over Judah.

This is important because we see a rapid decline in just two generations because of mixed leadership!

Ahaz’ Reign

Ahaz ascended the throne at age 20 and ruled for 16 years as a bad king - poor leader, faithless, idolatrous, closed the temple of God, offered his own children in sacrifices to pagan gods.

**His reign took place during the time of prophetic ministry of Hosea, Micah, Isaiah – all of which have Messianic Prophecies!

Messiah

The “anointed one” – when capitalized signifies the anointed one sent by God

Cultural Turmoil Brewing

Ahaz is king in Judah.

Israel and Syria are to the north and would not normally be allies, yet because they fear Assyria have joined forces.

To the East the Neo-Assyrian Empire is building and there is a looming threat of their invasion during Ahaz’ reign.

Instead of the nation turning to God as their protector, they turn to each other and end up devouring each other.

Mark 3:25 ESV

25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

The Chronicles of Ahaz

2 Chronicles 28:1–8 ESV

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, 2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. 5 Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. 7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king. 8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.

Ahaz’ Response

Again, instead of seeking the Lord (yahweh) for help, Ahaz turns to man – we see Ahaz now enter into a relationship with his enemy because, “the enemy of my enemy must be my friend.”

Remember, by his own name, it means that “Yahweh has held.”

Ahaz makes a vassal treaty with Tiglath-Pileser III - King of Assyria.

In order to make this treaty, he pays the tribute with the treasures in the temple.

This results in the temple being shut down, the door to pagan worship and practice open, and the rapid decline of an already struggling nation.

The ongoing effects of the vassal treaty now means an annual tribute must be paid, which we had to source from the temple to begin with, we are now loyal to our enemy, our king has become a puppet king, and we now have to give recognition to our enemies gods.

Judah isn’t destroyed physically, but they have become rotten on the inside. The outward evidence is only a matter of time.

A SIGN & A REFUSAL

Right before Israel and Syria invade Judah, Isaiah shows up to Ahaz with a word of encouragement and realignment to trust God.

Isaiah 7:1–3 ESV

1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field.

Isaiah 7:9–14 ESV

9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ” 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The Darkness Looms

Ahaz and kingdom is terrified - “people shook as the trees of the forest shake in the wind.”

Isaiah takes Shear-jashub with him as a prophetic sign to Ahaz - his name means “the remnant will return”

Firm Faith

“If you are note firm in faith, you will not be firm at all”

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Ahaz was anything but a righteous man, and it shows by his lack of faith in God.

God even gives Ahaz the ability to ask for a sign and Ahaz being stubborn in his pride rejects the offer.

In the midst of our darkest seasons, we must not lose faith. God is good even in the midst of the pain of the unknown.

A Sign

To that, God responds by giving the sign of a miraculous birth.

The significance of this is that the sign is a time-based promise.

conception

gestation

birth

growth to the point of eating curds

This is at least a 2-year promise from the Lord!

Lean in– God will give direction and assignment — it might (and most likely will) take time to come to pass.

A Name

The name of this child is Immanuel.

Immanuel = god with us.

In the midst of this painful and dark season, God doesn’t abandon the people that have abandoned him – he draws in even closer!

James 4:8 ESV

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

This is not a call for those who are only in a good place or those who are only in a bad place. Is it a day that ends in “y” - it’s a great day to draw near to Him!

THE DARKNESS DEEPENS

As Ahaz continues to operate in his own strength, Isaiah again comes and gives an encouragement of the promised Messiah.

Isaiah 8:9–10 ESV

9 Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered. 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

To sum it up in modern language: “you can build up your kingdom all you want, it’s not going to stand, and the kingdom of Immanuel will be revealed to all.”

Isaiah 8.11-15 gives clear instruction to not fall into the traps and influence of the world, whether through gossip, conspiracies, through mediums or necromancers. He goes on and shows the tension of the promise of God.

Now here is the struggle in the promise of God…

Not everyone is going to have the same positive experience.

To some he will be Immanuel, God with Us, the hope we need!

To others he will be a stumbling block as he reveals the true character of their heart.

A CHILD WILL BE BORN

Isaiah 9:2–7 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Darkness has light injected into it.

John 1:5 ESV

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Joy is increased — this is a people that has forgotten what joy even is.

A son is given

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The government is on his shoulders, not Ahaz’

Wonderful Counselor - Ahaz has been anything but that; actually rejecting wise counsel.

Mighty God – the nation has been surrounded by weak pagan gods

Everlasting Father – in a matter of just a couple generations they have become a fatherless generation, with Ahaz literally sacrificing his own children.

Prince of Peace – the kingdom of Judah has been living under a false peace as a vassal of Assyria.

The Kingdom will Never End – Judah has been on the decline and Israel is on the way out.

The Zeal of the Lord will Do This – this is not a human plan but a divine one of God; no human can stop it!

We see this promise of hope continue in Isaiah 11, the house of David has been reduced to a stump – no life, no growth, no future.

Isaiah 11:1 ESV

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

As you read through Isaiah 11-12 you see this picture of a true king, the promised Messiah

Wisdom & Understanding

Council & Might

Knowledge & The Fear of the Lord

The Spirit of God rests on Him

He rules with justice & righteousness

He is peace

He brings healing to creation

He restores the nations

CLOSING

When Isaiah spoke the promise of Immanuel, Judah was collapsing.

A nation in crisis.

A king in rebellion.

A people shaken like trees in the wind.

Yet God said “I will come be with you.”

Not when things were good, when the temple was full, when the kingdom was strong – but when everything was falling apart.

Immanuel means God with us in the darkness, not after it.

God with us when we feel afraid.

God with us when the story looks cut down to a stump.

God with us when we don’t see a way forward.

Maybe today you feel like Judah— Shaken, uncertain, overwhelmed, or spiritually dry.

Maybe you’re facing something you can’t fix.

Maybe life feels like a stump where a tree used to stand.

The promise remains:

“A shoot will spring from the stump…”

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…”

“Unto us a Child is born… and His name shall be called Immanuel.”

He is with us.

He is for us.

He has come to save us.

Call for prayer at the Altar

Let every dark place in your heart receive the light of Immanuel today.

Let every fearful place meet the Prince of Peace.

Let every broken place receive hope again.