“ ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:23).
The central truth of our faith is that Jesus is God. The angel who announced His birth made that clear. “God with us” is a way of declaring His divinity. Emmanuel uses the Old Testament name for God, “’El,” and that is full of meaning. “’El” is the name commonly used by the Israelites to denote God’s supernatural provision or power.
In Genesis 16:7-15, Hagar was running from Sarah’s harsh treatment and God stopped her. She referred to the revelation of that moment with “’El sees me.” There God promised abundance for her son’s family. He revealed Himself as “’El,” the provider. In Genesis 17:1-8, “’El” gave Abraham a promise. He promised Abraham a miraculous birth that would fulfill His promise of giving Abraham a son, Isaac. He revealed Himself as “’El,” the God who fulfills His promises.
“ ‘Elohim” is a derivative of “’El” and is the most common Hebrew word for “God” in the Old Testament. This name for God is used 39 times in Genesis 1 and 2 where God revealed Himself as the Creator out of nothing. In Jesus Christ, God, the Provider, the Fulfiller of promises and the Creator out of nothing is with us.
God is with us because Jesus, His Son, came to us. Jesus holds the promise of creative power. He brings life out of chaos. He is with us in our darkness and in our loneliness. He is with us in our celebrations and in our trials. All of that is embodied in the Son of God who came to us in Bethlehem.
