Tuesday, Dec. 25

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All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:   “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means,  “God with us.”  - Matthew 1:22-23

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.  - Isaiah 7:14

Of all of the names of God given in the Scriptures (and there are a lot of them), I love this one (Immanuel) the best!  
The names of God often tell us something about his character and his attributes. "YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". This name is used more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times). YHVH or Yaweh, comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM’.  The name YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end.  Later Jewish scholars began pronouncing the sacred name of God as Jehovah (why they did this is a very complicated story).  There are many places in the OT where we are given this sacred name of God (YHVH) with a descriptive attachment.  For example, the name Jehovah(YHVH)-Jireh means The Lord Our Provider.  The name Jehovah-Rohi means The Lord Our Shepherd, and the name Jehovah-Hosaynu means The Lord Our Maker.

"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive purposes. 
Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). 
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). 
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). 
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). 
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18). 

But in my opinion, the best name of all is Immanu El - God Is With Us!
From the Old Testament (Deut. 31:8) And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed.  To the New Testament (Matt. 28:20) And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.  God is continually promising that he will be with us!  

Think about that for a moment…reflect on the amazing implications of the promise that God is Immanuel - with you!  You are not alone.  You are never without hope or help.  You have God with you!

Now consider that in Jesus Christ, Immanuel becomes incredibly, and intimately personal.  “God with us” is no longer only an abstract promise that we must take by faith, but it has real flesh and blood in the person of Jesus - He is Immanuel!

Oh Lord Jesus, our Immanuel, we praise you and we worship you.  We would be hopelessly lost without you.  Forgive our insecurity, fear and distrustful hearts.  Help us to know deep in our souls, in this season and in every season, that you are with us – you are Immanuel!  Amen.

Jeff Frazier