The Bible Column - Jesus is Immanuel
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
The sign that the Lord’s people Israel were to be watching for was threefold. 1) A virgin shall conceive. What an obvious sign that would be. It would be impossible to miss that sign. Their need was to be watching for a woman who had never known a man, to be with child. 2) This virgin would bear a son. The miracle of a virgin conceiving was clearly striking. But there was a great chance in the natural realm in that the child born could have been a girl baby. This child must be a son. 3) The name given to this child was to be called Immanuel. The name Immanuel means “God with us”. In this name alone, the Father clearly identified that this prophesied son would be deity dwelling with mankind. His name is “God with us”.
There came a day about 742 years later when the events of this divine prophecy of Isaiah were fulfilled. It was about 400 years following the completion of the last Old Testament book of Malachi. But just as predicted in God’s Word, a certain virgin named Mary was found with child. She was proven by God and her life before people to have never known a man. The child she bore was a son and not a daughter. The name given was the name “Jesus”. At first consideration it might appear that the name given was not a fulfillment of the prophecy. But the meaning of the name “Jesus” is truly “Immanuel” or “God with us”. The first syllable “Je” or “Jeho” or “Jah” or “Jehovah” is a name of God. It speaks of divine authority. The second syllable “SUS” is associated with the name “Oshea”, “Hosea”, or “Houshaia”, meaning, “help”. The name “Jesus” then is God’s Help or God’s Deliverance. The Father sent Jesus, made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7) to live and dwell “with us”. Jesus is Immanuel.
Dear friend have you received this Immanuel? Have you come to “God’s help” in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ? Only this divine help will suffice for our sin. I trust that at this Christmas time you know the Lord as your personal Saviour!
