The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” —Matthew 1:23
Immanuel, as Matthew notated, means “God with us,” echoing the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 7:14). God with us, not just over and above us. God with us, not off at a distance, forever beyond us.
But why would we want Him near? Would we not, like Adam hiding in the garden, prefer Him far from us? Isn’t that our nature—to duck His gaze? To avoid being found—or found out?
Not when we’ve seen our sin for what it is—a trap. The bondage has become inescapable. We’ve realized Jesus was right: “everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). And we want to be set free.
We sing His name—Immanuel—because we came to this earth not with sins we could learn to overcome but with sins that had already defeated us. And this is how we would die—in eternal captivity—if not for “God with us.” If not for the coming of Immanuel. If not for Christmas.
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Born a Child and Yet a King: The Gospel in the Carols
©2020 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
When in life have you felt trapped, not free to serve God the way you desire? What difference does it make that Immanuel has come?