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. Matthew 1:23
Emmanuel (According to Strong’s dictionary, Greek 1694) means: God with us, a Savior according to Matthew. In orthodox interpretation, it denotes and references the personal union of the human nature and divine in Christ.
When Adam and Eve fell, they lost their union and their relationship with God. No longer humanity was able to commune with God as Adam and Eve had when they walked in the garden with God. After the fall, God picked certain priests, prophets, and special individuals to speak to His people. Sometimes He revealed Himself in a dream, in the fire, or in a cloud. Later God told Moses to build an ark for Him, so His presence can dwell with the Israelites. Although, only individuals like Moses and Joshua had the permission to enter the ark of the meeting and commune with God.
Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 1Kings 8:6
When Solomon built a temple, the ark was placed in the Most Holy Place (Holly of Holies), and only the priest had the privilege of entering in with the blood of a sacrificial lamb for the forgiveness of people’s sin. A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the temple.
People heard about God from God’s special agents, but they did not communicate with God personally. In addition, God did not always speak to His special people, but visited them when He desired to communicate about a certain matter.
The New Testament ushered a new age in the relationship between God and man. God sent His angel to proclaim the great news that God was going to come to dwell among His people! No longer was God going to visit the earth through a certain few, but through Jesus He was making a way for reconciliation of what was lost in the Garden of Eden.
The scripture in John 1:14a in Message translation tells us:
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
God moved into our neighborhoods through His son, Jesus. He chose to allow Jesus to die for us, and in the process the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was torn signifying a new era in God’s relationship to man (See Matthew 27:25). He restored His relationship to humanity by Jesus taking on the sin of humanity, and in the process, Jesus regained what was lost in the Garden. The Holy Spirit ( the third member of the trinity) dwells with those who have accepted Jesus and have become born again (See John 3:3-6).
God is with us in every moment and every part of our day. God came to move into our neighborhoods and to dwell with us and remain in us! His promise is to be with us in every situation and to never leave nor forsake us. We can get to know Him in a personal way. We can communicate with Him and hear His voice in our spirit man.This is something to celebrate! Merry Christmas!
