Immanuel: What Does It Mean?

Immanuel: What Does It Mean?

As we begin the Christmas season, I will focus on the names of God that are centered around Jesus’s birth.

The first name one is Immanuel.

As we saw before “El” means the one true God. If you have ever wondered why this name and others like Daniel, Nathaniel, Samuel, and Immanuel end in “el” not begin with “el” we must remember that Hebrew is read right to left-not left to right like we read English.

So Immanuel, which means “God with us,” is Jesus.

The first time this appears in scripture is in Isaiah:

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.

There is no doubt that this verse refers to the birth of Jesus because the gospel of Matthew tells us that it does.

When Joseph found out Mary, the woman he was engaged to marry, was pregnant. He knew the baby could not be his since they had not been intimate. No doubt she told him that she was going to have God’s son. This was hard for Joseph to believe until an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel explained to Joseph:

“’Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as you wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’” Matthew 1:20-21

Matthew, the gospel writer, then clarified that this event was a fulfillment of the prophecy written in Isaiah 7:14:

“Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23.

We hear the name Immanuel at Christmas time. Sometimes we become so familiar with Bible words that we forget to take in what it really means.

Let the meaning of Immanuel sink in for a minute. GOD WITH US!

During the days of the Old Testament, God spoke through prophets, and the priests were supposed to intercede between God and the people. God would send the Holy Spirit to individuals for a specific task or time. The second part of the Trinity, the son of God, who we call Jesus was active all through time.

But when God sent His son to be born of the virgin-that was the first time that GOD WAS WITH US. God, the second part of the trinity we call Jesus, walked among us. He taught among us. He healed among us. What an amazing thought. My holy God chose to come to earth to be with us.

This series is about how the names of God show us the character of God. None are more miraculous than this one:

Immanuel: God with us.

And He is still with us.