Immanuel: God With Us
Immanuel, God with us. It’s a phrase we use often during the Advent season. But what does it actually mean for our lives?
The term comes from Isaiah 7:14 which says, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
The word Immanuel can be used as a proper name, meaning God is with us. But later on in the next chapter of Isaiah, the same word is used as a declaration, “The Lord is with us.” (Isaiah 8:8, 10)
Although both instances of the term occurred in the midst of Isaiah’s message about the coming destruction of Israel at the hands of the Assyrians, the author of the Gospel of Matthew also saw it as a sign of the Messiah (Matthew 1:20-23).
So how are we supposed to hold these two instances together? In one part of scripture the term is linked to a time of destruction and devastation. In another it is a sign of hope for the restoration of creation.
The answer lies in the second way the term Immanuel can be used. It is a declaration of faith and confidence (Brown Driver Briggs Lexicon).
So regardless of our circumstances…
Good or bad…
Painful or filled with optimism…
We can declare that God is with us. Even in this. God is with us.
Part of week 2’s Bible reading for this year’s Advent is Luke 1:68-79. Verses 78-79 highlight why declaring “God is with us” brings assurance and hope.
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:78-79
In the Greek, the first part of Luke 1:78 talks about God feeling on a gut level extreme compassion and love for humanity. In the classical time period, intense, overwhelming emotions were said to be felt in the gut, and in the ancient Hebrew tradition, strong positive emotions like love and compassion were felt in the inner most part of the body. Today, we would say something along the lines of our heart overflowing with a particular emotion.
But this intense emotion wasn’t just felt at the core of God’s self. It translated into action in the form of the incarnation, God becoming human in the person of Jesus. The Greek word eleos that is translated as mercy or compassion isn’t just talking about a feeling. It’s a feeling of “kindness or goodwill…that is joined with a desire to relieve them” of their suffering (Strong’s New Testament Commentary).
God wasn’t going to leave us sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. Creation was not brought into being to suffer and remain in that state. Throughout the creation process, God repeatedly emphasizes that it was good. And when humanity was created, creation was looked upon and deemed “very good.” (Genesis 1:31)
So God acted and came to us in human form, bringing about the restoration of all creation. All because God felt so deeply for us and didn’t want to leave us in the darkness.
That’s why St. Athanasius writes, “For we were the purpose of his embodiment, and for our salvation he so loved human beings as to come to be and appear in a human body.” (On the Incarnation)
Each time we say Immanuel or God with us this holiday season, we are drawing attention back to the fact that God is actively at work in creation. We have been and are continually being restored, drawn back to the goodness that flows freely from God.
“God with us” means we do not and never will walk alone in life. And if we are actively seeking God in our days, our feet will be guided in the path of peace.
This doesn’t mean that we will always have it easy. But it does mean that in the difficult and painful situations we find ourselves in, we can find the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
So this Christmas, as you see and speak the word Immanuel, remember what it is you are declaring. That God is here in this moment with you. And you will never be abandoned or forsaken (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5).