God With Us
The prophets proclaimed the promised birth of Jesus Messiah. The first candle of Advent, the prophecy candle, reminds us of the many prophetic promises concerning the coming of Jesus. As Sherri and I light this first purple candle of prophecy, we take time to remember those prophecies surrounding the birth of our Lord.
The first of those prophecies found in the opening pages of the New Testament concerns our Lord’s virgin birth. After describing Mary’s miraculous conception through the Holy Spirit, and Joseph’s angelic visitation encouraging him not to be afraid but to take Mary to be his wife, Matthew quotes the prophet, Isaiah -
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us.’)” (Matthew 1:22-23)
Jesus’s virgin birth story was not unique. History tells of many virgin births. Rhea Silvia was the virgin who gave birth to Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. Plato’s mother, Perictione, was said to be a virgin. The Egyptian sun god, Ra, was born of the virgin, Net. There are many others. But the story of the virgin birth of Jesus is unlike any of these, and that’s what, to me, confirms its authenticity.
I don’t know of any miraculous or virgin births prophesied centuries, or even a few years, before the birth took place. And the idea of a peasant giving birth in such a divine manner is unusual, to say the least.
The fact is everything about the birth of Jesus is unique. The Roman emperor, Augustus, whose edict fulfilled the prophecy of Micah 5:2, which tells us Christ would be born in Bethlehem, the announcement of the angels to lowly shepherds in the fields, the star leading pagan astrologers to the child, the manger, hay, and animals surrounding the Creator of the universe; all these things make the birth of Jesus unlike any other.
But what stands out most to me, especially as Matthew describes for us, is the designation of this virgin-born child, Jesus, as Immanuel, or “God with us.”
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” writes John in his gospel. (John 1:14) What a picture of the Lord of heaven and earth. Literally, John says, Jesus “tabernacled” among us. With those words, he paints a picture of Israel’s tent of meeting or worship in the wilderness as they followed God to the promised land.
What an awesome picture of our Lord! He is with us as we make our way to where God is leading. Every step of the way, through the valleys, over the mountains, in the good times, as well as the bad, Jesus is with us. He will never leave nor forsake us.
Tonight, as Sherri and I light the purple prophecy candle once again, we will thank our God for His presence and leadership in our lives. I want to encourage you to do the same.
In Christ,
Dan
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