IMMANUEL—GOD
WITH US
Fifth
of nine devotions in Incarnation Parallel
Bible Study series
Zechariah
2:10-11, John 1:14
Zechariah
2:10-11: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter
of Zion. For I am coming, and I
will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in
that day and will become My people. I
will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent
Me to you.’”
John
1:14: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.” (All emphasis mine).
Prophets prophesy, or foretell the
future. The noun prophecy means
prediction. God spoke through many
prophets to encourage His people about their future. The Hebrew nation of Judah had been exiled to
Babylon for one hundred years for breaking God’s covenant. Their glorious sacred history from Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah was all but forgotten by this once proud
people.
Nahum, Zechariah and fellow prophet,
Haggai, were tasked to get God’s temple rebuilt, which lay in ruins. The
people’s very identity also laid in ruins.
They had been ridiculed, kicked around, mocked and despised for too
long. God wanted to remind them of their
unique, magnificent identity as His chosen people. Zechariah strengthened Judah with fresh
vocabulary of imagery and poetic messages.
A new vocabulary gave God’s people energy,
enthusiasm and credibility that God was still working in their lives. Zechariah released energy, insight and hope
to Judah. This once discouraged people
understood their need for Immanuel—God with us. We can understand their need for, and
anticipation for their promised Messiah.
They so longed to be free from the troubles of this world! A World
that never has a language for God. A
world who still mocks the people of God.
Prophet’s words WILL come true, even if
they’re not true today. Isaiah 7:14 says: “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a
sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call
Him Immanuel. Another parallel Scripture
is Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son and they will call Him Immanuel—which
means ‘God with us.’”
Take
Home Nugget
Isaiah lived between 740 and 680
B.C. A “sign” usually came true within a
few years. But Mary wasn’t pregnant with
Jesus for over three hundred years after Isaiah’s prophecy. God works things out in His perfect timing. History must be fulfilled. Many Jewish people won’t recognize Jesus as
Messiah until they see His return.
Immanuel,
God with us!
Thank
You Jesus for never leaving us.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
J.D.
Griffith
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