“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

עִמָּנוּאֵל

`Immanuw’el

Immanuel = “God with us” or “with us is God”

symbolic and prophetic name of the Messiah, the Christ, prophesying that He would be born of a virgin and would be ‘God with us’

designates Him as being truly “God over all blessed forever”

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from Chuck Swindoll, “Jesus: The Greatest Life of All” —

There are many names given to Jesus using the phrase “He shall be called,” both in the Old and New Testaments. This was a common way of saying that people would refer to Him in these various ways. Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  None of these titles was Jesus’ actual name, but these were descriptions people would use to refer to Him forever.  Luke tells us Jesus “shall be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:32) and “son of God” (Luke 1:35), but neither of these was His name.

In two different places, the prophet Jeremiah says in referring to the coming Messiah, “And this is His name by which He shall be called, YHWH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16). Now we know that God, the Father, is named Yahweh.  Jesus was never actually called Yahweh as though it was His name, but His role was that of bringing the righteousness of Yahweh to those who would believe in Him, exchanging that righteousness for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, this is one of the many titles or “names” which belong to Him.

In the same way, to say that Jesus would be called “Immanuel” means Jesus is God and that He dwelt among us in His incarnation and that He is always with us.  Jesus was God in the flesh.  Jesus was God making His dwelling among us (John 1:1, 14).  No, Jesus’ name was not Immanuel, but Jesus was the meaning of Immanuel, “God with us.”  Immanuel is one of the many titles for Jesus, a description of who He is.   **

As a Baby, He is with us.

As a Boy, He is with us.

As a young man, He is with us.

As Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Father, He is with us.

He was always with us, even before the creation of the world.

He was with us when we were born into this world.

He has walked with us throughout our days and will continue until the end of our old age.

Those who know Him as their LORD and Savior, He will take us to Heaven and be with us for eternity.  Halleljuah!

May your Christmas be filled with the love, the light, the beauty of our LORD, Jesus the Christ.   May we focus upon the One Who came in the flesh as a newborn baby, yet grew to be crucified…for our sake...for our very lives.  May we look up and see the One Who loves us so that He came with the purpose of dying so that we might live.  He is with us always and in all ways.  He is Immanuel.  As we ponder this name, may we truly sense the power of having God with us…always, in all ways.  I have changed the way I read that Name, understand that name, breath that name.  Thank You, LORD Jesus.  Amen.

 

 

 

Graphic/Photo at top:  https://sammytippit.org/immanuel/

** Chuck Swindoll, “Jesus: The Greatest Life of All”