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I have so enjoyed our exploration this year of the attributes of our awesome God. What better time than Christmas to consider the depth of His love with the name God revealed to the prophet Isaiah so many years ago: “The Lord will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel—God with Us! A son, God’s Son, will one day take on flesh and dwell with you and you will get to know God better.
Not that intimacy with God hadn’t been the plan all along. Way back in the beginning God was accustomed to walking and talking with Adam and Eve “in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). Can you imagine what things they shared in the pristine beauty of Eden, unmarred by sin?! That is until all hell broke loose, so-to-speak.
God did not forget His plan. But He knew us well, knew we couldn’t return to Him on our own. Yes, a few got the message. Consider Hebrew’s 11 “hall of faith”, particularly Abraham: Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). But most did not. We were in need of a Savior.
And so the words of Isaiah 7:14 spoke down through the ages. Messiah was not a foreign hope in the heart of the pious Jew like Simeon, who was righteous and devout…waiting for the consolation of Israel. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the time of purification, Simeon took the baby in his arms and praised God: “My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of your people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And Anna, Anna told all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem that she had seen the Savior (Luke 2:21-38).
Yes, this tiny baby, this God child, would redeem us all on the cross one day. In the meantime He would live a sinless life in human sandals. And if we paid careful attention He would reveal the depths of the heart and soul of the Father. For, in truth, the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3).
As the apostle John so eloquently said: In the beginning…the Word (Jesus) was with God…was God...became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1,14). He continues with the key to our knowing the Father intimately: No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known (John 1:18).
The prophet Micah (5:2,4) writes of the Messiah’s birthplace, Bethlehem: “out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times…He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.”
Return with me to Bethlehem, to the night of Immanuel!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
—Luke 2:8-14
As you well know, those rag-tag shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem. And when they saw the baby they had no doubt He was the promised One. Nothing could stop them from telling everyone they saw. Every Christmas these words in Luke are that reminder to behold Immanuel, “God with us”. How can I not spread the good news to all I see!
Joy to you all this Christmas with the beautiful rendition of one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons: “the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky. ‘God with us.’”
“Immanuel.”
It is wisdom’s mystery, “God with us.”
Sages look at it and wonder,
angels desire to see it,
the plumbline of reason cannot reach half-way into its depths,
the eagle wing of science cannot fly so high,
and the piercing eye of the vulture of research cannot see it.
“God with us.” …Satan trembles when he hears that name,
“God with us.” It is the laborer’s strength,
(the missionary, the martyr, the confessor)
…how could men labor if that one word were taken away?
“God with us,” ’tis the sufferer’s comfort,
’tis the balm of his woe,
’tis the alleviation of his misery,
’tis the sleep which God gives to His beloved,
’tis their rest after exertion and toil…
“God with us”—’tis eternity’s sonnet,
’tis heaven’s hallelujah,
’tis the shout of the glorified,
’tis the song of the redeemed,
’tis the chorus of angels,
’tis the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky!
“God with us.”
—Charles Spurgeon, December 23, 1891.
All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted.
Nancy Paul
Nancy Paul is Canadian born and bred but happily settled in Texas. She is married, mother of two, and grandmother of three busy boys. A long time Womenary student, she loves to read, is a lover of God's word and a wannabe writer. Nancy is a regular contributor to encouraging.com, a collection of blog articles regularly published by the women of Green Acres Baptist Church of Tyler. As well, she is the women's Bible study coordinator at GABC. 
