”"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").
Matthew 1:23New International Version (NIV)
Matthew 1:23 Devotional
God with us
Matthew 1:23 confirms that Jesus is “God with us“. This is an acknowledgment that Immanuel, aka Jesus, was the embodiment of God’s presence among His people.
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore, Matthew’s writing helps us to understand the birth of Jesus through earlier writing (verse) in the Old Testament. That is Isaiah 7:14, which was written hundreds of years before Jesus’ incarnation. And in this verse, God had promised to give a sign of His chosen Saviour.
Moreover, Isaiah 7:14 was not originally only about Jesus. It was also about a son that was soon to be born during the prophet Isaiah’s time.
Therefore, after God had said that the defeat of Israel would happen within 65 years (Isaiah 7:8), He also told Ahaz to ask for a sign that this would happen. And that is when God gave the “sign” of a young woman to confirm that Israel and Syria would be shortly defeated in war – this took place around 730 BC, long before Jesus Christ was born.
Additionally, the prophecy of Isaiah also found a second fulfillment in Jesus Christ. A virgin named Mary conceived and bore a baby boy (Matthew 1:18-2:2). And this was also a sign to Ahaz, the king of Judah, that God would save His people from the problem of sin – A problem that had plagued mankind since the Fall in the Garden of Eden.
Nevertheless, God’s sign, therefore, featured a virgin giving birth to a son who the esteemed parents would call Immanuel (Matthew 2:1-2).
Names have meanings
More often than not, names have meanings. This is especially true in the Bible. That’s why the name Immanuel means “God with us”, with the implication that God would be with His people in His plans and purposes for them.
Therefore, names are very important. Naming is a very great privilege given to parents, just like it was for Adam. And this is because names are directly connected to the identity and purpose of the newborn.
Furthermore, when you become Christian, you immediately bear Christ’s name. Luke recorded that “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Later in the first century, Christians were called followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2).
God’s presence
Nevertheless, God’s presence is what changes people and things. In His grace, He promises to help his people through His presence. Consequently, He solves our greatest problem – the problem of sin.
Therefore, His presence was to save us! And today, His presence in our lives will save us from our greatest problem, the problem of sin.
Additionally, He walks with us in His plans and purposes for us. And in so doing, God is with us – His presence is with us.
Finally, God was with His people in Jesus Christ. And Jesus did reveal that “if one had seen Him, he had seen God (the Father)” (John 14:9).
Prayer/Blessing
Lord, I need You in my life. I need to know and experience Your presence each and every day. May I never try to do my own things, ignoring and thinking that I can do it on my own or without You? May You be with me all the days of my life and may I dwell in Your house forever. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Exodus 14-16 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
