In Matthew 1:23 an angel of the Lord reminded Joseph, quoting an Old Testament Text: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

And sure enough, that “virgin” was Joseph’s soon-to-be wife named Mary!

So today let’s look at the Name assigned Jesus here. “They shall call His Name EMMANUEL!” Which, as explained in the Verse, means “God with us!”

The suffix, “El,” is a valid Name for God (usually “Elohiym,” found 2,606 times in the Bible). And the prefix, “em” or “im,” is a preposition meaning “within.”

Yes, Jesus is God!

“God with us,” as in “God having come to earth!”

Now I’d like us to look at the Old Testament counterpart to “Emmanuel,” spelled slightly differently.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.” Isaiah 7:14

Here “IMMANUEL” merely reflects a slight Hebrew to Greek to English transition, hence the “I” instead of an “E.” But the meaning remains the same, “God with us!”

God was so much with Israel that in Isaiah 8:18 that whole land was called “Immanuel!” Here it is: “And he (the King of Assyria) shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of THY LAND, O IMMANUEL.” Isaiah 8:7

Later too, in Ezekiel 48:35 this truth is expressed a little differently. “And the name of the city (Jerusalem) from that day shall be, The LORD is there.” (Or … Immanuel!)

The “Emmanuel/Immanuel” Factor is even more apparent in Christians’ lives today, we who live after the Day of Pentecost. Because God now actually (via His Holy Spirit) dwells “in” us!

Part of First Corinthians 6:19 teaches: “Your body is the temple of the HOLY GHOST WHICH IS IN YOU, which ye have of God.” Wow!

Remember, Emmanuel!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell