God With Us

Everyone who has sung a Christmas carol knows that “Immanuel” means “God with us,” but centuries of singing about Immanuel have domesticated and sentimentalized the word.

The concept of “Immanuel” has a long history before Isaiah applied it to a child Messiah (Isaiah 7). It arises, in part, from Yahweh’s covenant with David. In 1 Chronicles 17, the Lord reminds David that “I have been with you wherever you walk,” and then specifies how He has been with David: “I have cut off all your enemies before you” and “I have made for you a name like the name of the great ones in the earth” (v. 8).

David, in short, has been the recipient of the promises to Abraham. Yahweh has cursed those who curse David, and has given him a great name.

In Isaiah 7, the birth of a child identified as “Immanuel” is a sign to King Ahaz, and a sign that reiterates the promise of this Davidic covenant. Don’t fear the kings of Aram or Israel, Isaiah tells the king, because the Lord is going to cut them off. And the birth of a child will be the sign of God’s presence to give this victory.

God is with Jesus, the Greater David, for the same purpose: To cut off His enemies and to give Him a name above every name. Jesus with us is God with us to realize the Davidic promise among us. He is with us to give us a share in His victory and His great name.