Immanuel

-


Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-14 (ESV)

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Devotion:

            Let us prepare our hearts to celebrate the advent of Jesus in our world by looking at this prophecy from Isaiah. Verse 14 contains a familiar promise that comes from the Lord himself using Isaiah as His mouthpiece. We look first at verse 10 where the Lord speaks to the king Ahaz telling Ahaz that the Lord is willing to give a sign of His love and faithfulness to the king.

            Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign with pious sounding words. These words, however, reveal the depths of Ahaz’s rebellion against the Lord. While asking for a sign from God can be seen as a sign of doubt in the goodness of the Lord, when the Lord offers a sign, we are very foolish to reject that offer. In our day and time, signs from God are few and far between. If we are offered a sign, we would do well to accept it.

            In verse 13, Isaiah himself speaks for the Lord. First, he offers a rebuke to the unbelieving king then in verse 14 he gives a sign from the Lord. Looking back, we 21st century Christians can see that the sign spoken of was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ. The birth of the Messiah is foreshadowed here. This most precious promise is kept in the birth of Jesus. We recognize that God is indeed with us.

            We, unlike Ahaz, should not refuse to accept the promise of this sign. We should be moved to thankfulness and joy as we consider the faithfulness of our God. Jesus, our Immanuel, who has come to save us from our sin and despair. The world is in an awful state. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are plagues and famines in various places. Earthquakes and other natural disasters occur with alarming frequency. Yet we know that God is with us through it all. May we rejoice in this great hope.

Prayer:

            Lord, we are so thankful that you are always with us. No matter what trial or temptation may befall us we can be assured of your presence with us. Immanuel is not just a pleasant-sounding word. It is a promise kept. We ask you Lord to fill us with your Spirit today that we may bring this hope to those we meet today. May we always be people who show forth your faithfulness. May our lives be seen as a sign of the goodwill of the Father to His children. Amen. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more