Bible
Study: Isaiah 7, 10 to 14. Romans 1, 1 to 7 and Matthew 1, 18 to 24.
In today’s
first reading, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah challenges King Ahaz to
ask for a sign. Why was this sign necessary? At this point in history, Ahaz who
was king of Judah heard that the kings of Syria and Israel had joined forces to
form a coalition army and were coming to wage war against him. We are told that
when the news of this war came to Ahaz, “his heart and the heart of his people
shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” Isaiah 7, 2. Ahaz was
completely terrified because he felt there was just no way he could win in that
battle. Imagine a Professor of Physics trying to compete with a dull primary
school pupil.
Ahaz as
well as all the men and women of his kingdom feared for their lives because the
only thing they could trust was their physical strength which was nothing
compared to that of the two kingdoms. They were scared to death because they
forgot they had something far greater and more superior than all the weapons of
the world put together. Ahaz and his people were taken by fear because they did
not know or did not realise that they had God with them. They forgot God, so
they needed something; a sign that would make them conscious of God always
within their midst.
Ahaz said
he would never ask for a sign and he dare not put God to test. But God still
insisted that Isaiah should give a sign to Ahaz. The sign was that a virgin
shall conceive and give birth to a son whose name shall be EMMANUEL. That a
woman was going to become pregnant without knowing a man was just the signboard
to say. And like every signboard, the real message that God was convening to Ahaz
was the name Emmanuel – God with us. In essence, God through the name was trying
to say to Ahaz, “I am with you… in fact, I am always with you. You have no
reason to be afraid of anything at all since you have me right there with you.”
This is the meaning of the name behind the sign, Emmanuel.
Sing:
Emmanuel…. Emmanuel…. Your name is Lord… Emmanuel.
Listen,
dear friends, Ahaz and all of Judah were shaken with fear, they felt their
lives were over that they were powerless and weak and God sent Isaiah to tell
them Emmanuel. Are you scared? Are you troubled? Who on earth has threatened
you? What is it that troubles you so much? Today I want you to listen again to
that name and allow it to ring bells in your head. Emmanuel is more than a
name, it is a statement of fact. Emmanuel means God with us. When life become
hard and difficult, when it seems all hope is lost, when it looks as if our
enemies have succeeded, let us hear Emmanuel once again. Let us remind
ourselves that God is with us. And since God is with us, He fully understands
what is going on and He has every power, every wisdom, everything needed to
handle the situation.
Sing: Who
can battle with the Lord?.... Who can battle with the Lord…., who can battle
with the lord…., I say nobody. I say nobody, I say no-body.
Yes, when
you have God with you, what is there to be afraid of? Do you know that in those
days, if a lady was found to be pregnant outside of wedlock and her husband to
be accuses her of being promiscuous, she was going to be stoned to death? Mary
was in big trouble. She had every reason to be afraid like Ahaz and his people
who feared for their dear lives, but was Mary afraid? Not at all. Why? She knew
she was carrying God. She knew that God was with her.
Just think
of it, Mary did not even try to do anything for herself, she did not go begging
Joseph neither did she deny her pregnancy. She did not opt for an abortion
neither she try to hide the pregnancy. She went to visit Elizabeth immediately
after the visit of Angel Gabriel and she stayed there for three months. It was
at the house of Elizabeth that it dawned on her that she was really pregnant.
She could have decided to remain with Elizabeth so that nobody would see her
carrying a big tummy. But she boldly decided to come back. Mary knew the
punishment for promiscuity but she was not even afraid to come back home.
Dear
friends, if you really believe that God is with you, then you dare not
entertain Fear in your life anymore. If you still fear anything, that means you
do not know the name of Jesus, you do not know that God is with you. Do you see
how God prevented Mary from disaster? God not only made Joseph to think of
divorcing her secretly, He sent an Angel to instruct Joseph in a dream to take
Mary home as his wife. You see, when God battles for you, even your so called
enemies would become your benefactors, those you think are coming to destroy
you will start serving you.
Ahaz
feared because he did not know God was with him. Mary did not fear because she
knew God was not only with her but right there inside her womb. The question
is: Why then am I still afraid in this life? Could it be that I don’t know the
meaning of Emmanuel? Or could it be that I am blinded by sin that I cannot see
God with me? When last did I count my blessings in life as evidences that God
has always been and continues to be with me?
Dear
friends, God is with us. If only we look more carefully, we would see God’s
gentle hands upon us, within us, around us and ahead of us. Yes, His name is
Emmanuel.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, may I never lose sight of your presence in my life. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. Happy Weekend
Fr. Abu.
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