Immanuel is a Hebrew word made up of three Hebrew words and means “God with us.” It appears only three times in the Bible: Once in Isaiah 7, again in Isaiah 8, and then in Matthew 1, which doesn’t quite count because it’s a quotation from Isaiah 7.

Rare as it is, “Immanuel” sums up much of the Bible. God promises to be with the patriarchs and Moses. “Immanuel” assures Israel God is with them when enemies attack. Even when He drives Israel into exile, Yahweh is still “Immanuel,” since He goes with His people to suffer exile alongside them. He is with them when they return.

When He sends His Son, God comes to be with us in an astonishing new way. He’s with us in our own flesh, as one of us, so He can repair His ruined world. As Paul writes, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

“Immanuel” expresses the character of the God we worship. He’s not remote and unapproachable. He approaches us. He wants to be with us and doesn’t want to be God without us. He’s the sovereign Lord, but He reigns as the ever-present Lord.