“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. 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.” (Isaiah 7:1-2)
This is the situation of Judah, facing the imminent
national crisis. The enemies including a brother nation Israel are forcefully
invading the city of Jerusalem and Judah. So, the hearts of King and his people
are shaken to the core. The brutal and cruel wartime is looming to the nation,
making all people including King fear and tremble. What is God’s answer for
them? “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. 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. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your
ruin, saying, ‘Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among
ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.’” (Isaiah 7:3-6) The Lord
says King and his people, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not
lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood.” The Lord God
says them not to afraid of the fierce anger of the enemies. Jesus says the same
thing to his disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body
in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) The myriad of the angles of the Lord are watching
over them, constraining and resisting the enemies. Of course, the angels are
invisible. But it is true. What King and his people need is to put their trust
in the Lord. “And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’
Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 King 6:17) The reason
they should not be afraid of the kings of enemy nations is that they are merely
human beings under the sovereign rule of God.
Now, the Lord God is giving a great sign for
the nation Israel and all humanity through Prophet Isaiah. “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in
the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask;
I will not put the Lord to the test.’ 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? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’” (Isaiah 7:10-14) The
Lord says Ahaz to ask for a great sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the
highest heights. But he condescendingly refuses to ask a sign, which has
invited Prophet’s rebuke. Nevertheless, the Lord God gives a great sign that
the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,
meaning ‘God with us.’ Some seven hundred years later, the sign of God has been
told to a man named Joseph and fulfilled in an obscure town of Nazareth in
Galilee.
“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. 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. 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. 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.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the
prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call
him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). When Joseph woke up, he did what the
angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did
not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him
the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:18-25)
Joseph was engaged with Mary. In the meantime, a terrible
and shocking news was delivered to the ears of Joseph that Mary was expecting a
child through the Holy Spirit. He was a righteous person, being faithful to the
law, so he wanted to divorce her quietly. It must have been a difficult and
humiliating moment of his life. However, he didn’t want to expose her to public
disgrace, meaning stone to death, and considered this a while. Then, an angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and revealed the mystery of truth,
“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. 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.” We are not told that Joseph remembered the prophecy of Isaiah. But
when he woke up, he obeyed the word of the Lord and took Mary home as his wife.
Who is Joseph? He is an ordinary man, a Jew known as carpenter in the town of
Nazareth. Mostly likely, as a young Jew, he must have been taught the laws of
Moses. Obviously, like any other Jews, he must have been hoping for the
consolation of Israel, eagerly waiting for the coming of the Messiah. “Now
there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He
was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.”
(Luke 2:25) Definitely not he was expecting the promise of the Messiah of
Israel would be fulfilled through him, a lowly and unknown man in a tiny town
of Galilee. That is what has exactly happened. We are not told that Joseph was
rejoicing or surprised at all. One thing sure is that he obeyed the word of the
Lord quietly and unfailingly.
The price of being the human father of Jesus was not small.
He and Mary had to travel multiple times from Galilee to Bethlehem, to Egypt,
to Nazareth. His character of quietness and faithfulness and consideration
should have influenced the boy Jesus in his young age. Tradition tells that he
died before the Lord Jesus began his public ministry though nothing was known
of the circumstances surrounding his death. Whereas Mary witnessed the whole
story of Jesus from birth to death, even to the resurrection. Immanuel, God
with us has come to fulfill the long-standing promise of God even the time began.
Is there anything more encouraging and exciting name than Immanuel? The name
‘God with us’ has been prophesied and fulfilled by the Son of God Jesus Christ.
Who can win the name of Immanuel? Nothing could stop the fulfillment of the
name of God with us. Nothing could delay it. Nothing could resist it. It must
be fulfilled and has been done in due time according God’s Calendar. The
enemies try hard to discourage and dishearten us that God with us would not
avail. They even go bold in telling a lie that God is not with us. As a matter
of fact, we at times cry out where our God is. Injustice, unrighteousness,
prejudice, oppression, tyranny are rampant and widespread in every corner of
cities and countries even in the churches. Human misery and sorrow and
loneliness are ever loudly being heard all over the places. Even the Psalmist cries
out, saying “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has
his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has
God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm
77:7-9) But it is not true. The devil is a liar and the father of lies and a murderer.
No matter how hard and cunningly try to deceive the people of God, he never
makes it at all. Rather, he is always in total fail and humiliation. Because
God with us!
The most beautiful name in heaven and on earth is Immanuel,
God with us. Who then can hear the voice of Immanuel? God spoke to King Ahaz
and Joseph of Nazareth. From King to an ordinary man, God is speaking to all peoples
on the earth whether they are reluctant to listen like Ahaz or even in a dream
like Joseph. How about us? Do we listen to the voice of Immanuel God and
believe in God with us? If not, what distracts and hinders not to listen to
him? What makes us reluctant to listen to the Lord God who is willing to tell everything?
Is it not because we don’t want to listen to him? Is it not because we think
that we can handle our lives without him? James tells a pertinent story. “Now
listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend
a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what
will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a
little while and then vanishes. Instead,
you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’
As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If
anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for
them.” (James 4:13-17) Can we do it all without God? No, it is impossible even
to breathe a single breath of air without him. We would not be here without
him. We are living because God with us. We are in peace and rest because God
with us. We are always in love and joy because God with us. We have imperishable
hope in heaven because God with us. We have enduring shelter and refugee in God
with us. Joseph could be faithful and sincerely obeying the Lord because God
with us. He brought Mary as his wife because God with us. He made multiple hard
travels for the safety of the boy Jesus because God with us. He endured and
persevered the oppression of King and the world because God with us. He
remained as a faithful man of God to the end because God with us. He was drawn nearer
and neared to the Lord in the midst of all troubles and challenges because God with
us.
Is there a greater news ever told than the announcement of the
name of Immanuel? God is gracious and merciful that he demonstrated his love through
the Son Jesus Christ while we were still enemies. He gives more grace even when
we are blindly hurting ourselves by self-condemnation and guilt. “But he gives
us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows
favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your
hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn
and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:6-10) God is compassionate
and kind and gives anyone whatever they ask. No matter how many times we failed.
No matter how much we went far from him. No matter what kind of fail. “If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) There is no sin which cannot be
forgiven by the blood of Christ. Annie J Flint wrote: He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Do we really want to get out of boredom and loneliness and misery
of our lives and enter into Immanuel’s land? James says, “You have not because you
ask not.” (James 4:2b) His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
December 12, 2017
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Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.