God With Us

“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

It being the 1st of September, we are well on our way to the great Christmas celebration of our Lord's birth. Matthew perhaps more than the other gospels points out fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament that came to us by way of Immanuel. In our verse today, the disciple reached back to Isaiah 7:14 for that rather startling prophecy of the virgin birth. How is that for setting a woman and her son apart from everyone else? We all strive at times to be unique in the world and that would certainly do it!

Aside from the uniqueness of His birth is that name, a name that 'they' shall call Him, and that has not caught on quite so much as you would think it might from the prophecy. Of course not all the prophecies of Jesus have been fulfilled thus far. There is that one in the Revelation about God making His home with us. (21:3) That would certainly be cause to use 'God with us' or Immanuel much more often. And, then there is the Spirit of God sent to dwell in all those who believe in Him. What better reason to fulfill prophecy than to remember daily that God is with us in His Spirit, or perhaps more closely - for each of us to remember at all times: God with me!

Hallelujah! Immanuel!
Bucky