Advent 4
King Ahaz is guilty of double dealing. He will do anything to preserve his power. Resisting an alliance with his neighbours against the Assyrians he went behind their backs to seek alliance with the enemy. When Isaiah confronts him he even resists subjugating himself to God. Do you need a sign/proof that what I say is true? Ahaz equivocates. He is told that he tries the patience of men meaning Isaiah, his people, and his allies; now he is trying the patience of God himself.
It is in this context that Isaiah prophesies that a young woman will bear a son and name him 'Immanuel', God with us.
It is worthy of note that the word often translated as virgin does not connote a girl who has yet to have had sexual relations.
As a foretaste of the one to come this is not a particularly auspicious context. It does seem appropriate that the king involved is one who will do anything to preserve his position even if it do harm to the people he serves. Cf Herod who put all boys two and under to the sword lest a usurper to his throne be among their number, echoing the actions of Pharoah in Egypt. Even more ironic is the fact that it is to Egypt Joseph flees to save his son.
Was Isaiah's prophesy a sign or a threat? Judah was overrun and her leaders carted off into captivity, her lands so strategically placed became a battleground for the opposing forces that surrounded her.
Today's Psalm acknowledges all that and goes on to say:
Psa 80:17 Preserve and protect the people you have chosen, the nation you made so strong.
Psa 80:18 We will never turn away from you again; keep us alive, and we will praise you.
Psa 80:19 Bring us back, LORD God Almighty. Show us your mercy, and we will be saved.
In the OT context Judah's Enemies are seen as an instrument of God's wrath due to her unfaithfulness. The Messiah they seek will save them from their oppressors, the Assyrians in Isaiah's time, the Romans at the birth of Christ.
It is Paul in Romans who makes the connection between Isaiah's 'sign' and the birth of Jesus which is described in Matthew 1 where Isaiah's 'sign' is quoted:
Isa 7:14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel.'
Mat 1:23 "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us").
Isaiah speaks of the birth of Immanuel, God with us. With the birth of Jesus God intervenes directly in eathly life, in history. Jesus truly is God with Us. As members of the church we embody God's presence in the world. It is our duty and delight to be about our Father's work on earth.
The miracle and mystery of Christmas is that God chose to intervene in the person of a helpless infant who grew into manhood and was crucified on Calvary. Isaiah prophesied the birth of a Messiah who would liberate his people Israel. The Messiah we got did not establish an earthly empire but a spiritual one, not of this world. Despite Matthew's concerns it is not the means of His birth that are important here but the fact of his birth.
As Christians we acknowledge and celebrate the mystery of God's love in choosing us to be members of his earthly body. Each Christmas Jesus is born again in us anew. We anticipate this birth with confidence and quiet expectation. We are not just celebrating an event that happened 2000 years ago, we are participants with Mary and Joseph and Christians throughout the ages in the Epiphany, God with us.
The Christmas Carols we sing this season are heavily freighted with theological content and none moreso than:
Of the Father's Love Begotten
Ere the Worlds began to be
He is alpha and omega
He the source the ending he
Of the things that are
That have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.
This is one of my favourite Christmas hymns. It comes closest to expressing the mystery of Christmas. God the Son present at the creation of the universe deigns to be born as a human child.
King Ahaz is guilty of double dealing. He will do anything to preserve his power. Resisting an alliance with his neighbours against the Assyrians he went behind their backs to seek alliance with the enemy. When Isaiah confronts him he even resists subjugating himself to God. Do you need a sign/proof that what I say is true? Ahaz equivocates. He is told that he tries the patience of men meaning Isaiah, his people, and his allies; now he is trying the patience of God himself.
It is in this context that Isaiah prophesies that a young woman will bear a son and name him 'Immanuel', God with us.
It is worthy of note that the word often translated as virgin does not connote a girl who has yet to have had sexual relations.
As a foretaste of the one to come this is not a particularly auspicious context. It does seem appropriate that the king involved is one who will do anything to preserve his position even if it do harm to the people he serves. Cf Herod who put all boys two and under to the sword lest a usurper to his throne be among their number, echoing the actions of Pharoah in Egypt. Even more ironic is the fact that it is to Egypt Joseph flees to save his son.
Was Isaiah's prophesy a sign or a threat? Judah was overrun and her leaders carted off into captivity, her lands so strategically placed became a battleground for the opposing forces that surrounded her.
Today's Psalm acknowledges all that and goes on to say:
Psa 80:17 Preserve and protect the people you have chosen, the nation you made so strong.
Psa 80:18 We will never turn away from you again; keep us alive, and we will praise you.
Psa 80:19 Bring us back, LORD God Almighty. Show us your mercy, and we will be saved.
In the OT context Judah's Enemies are seen as an instrument of God's wrath due to her unfaithfulness. The Messiah they seek will save them from their oppressors, the Assyrians in Isaiah's time, the Romans at the birth of Christ.
It is Paul in Romans who makes the connection between Isaiah's 'sign' and the birth of Jesus which is described in Matthew 1 where Isaiah's 'sign' is quoted:
Isa 7:14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel.'
Mat 1:23 "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us").
Isaiah speaks of the birth of Immanuel, God with us. With the birth of Jesus God intervenes directly in eathly life, in history. Jesus truly is God with Us. As members of the church we embody God's presence in the world. It is our duty and delight to be about our Father's work on earth.
The miracle and mystery of Christmas is that God chose to intervene in the person of a helpless infant who grew into manhood and was crucified on Calvary. Isaiah prophesied the birth of a Messiah who would liberate his people Israel. The Messiah we got did not establish an earthly empire but a spiritual one, not of this world. Despite Matthew's concerns it is not the means of His birth that are important here but the fact of his birth.
As Christians we acknowledge and celebrate the mystery of God's love in choosing us to be members of his earthly body. Each Christmas Jesus is born again in us anew. We anticipate this birth with confidence and quiet expectation. We are not just celebrating an event that happened 2000 years ago, we are participants with Mary and Joseph and Christians throughout the ages in the Epiphany, God with us.
The Christmas Carols we sing this season are heavily freighted with theological content and none moreso than:
Of the Father's Love Begotten
Ere the Worlds began to be
He is alpha and omega
He the source the ending he
Of the things that are
That have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.
This is one of my favourite Christmas hymns. It comes closest to expressing the mystery of Christmas. God the Son present at the creation of the universe deigns to be born as a human child.
No comments:
Post a Comment