GOD WITH US

[Isaiah 7:3-14; 8:7-10]

Introduction to the Scriptures: [Read Isaiah 7:3-14]

          We explored that whole concept of the virgin birth last Sunday and found some very exciting things. But here he is saying, at the heart of all this about the virgin birth, that through it, in some remarkable way, God is going to be walking among us.

          Following that theme over into chapter 8 we’ll pick up the story again in verse 7. The King Ahaz didn’t pay much attention to this whole thing and in fact now was about to face a greater threat.

[Read 8:7-10]

Prayer for Illumination – Father, You are with us in this place today. You have promised that. You said, Where two or three are gathered in my name I am in their midst. We have gathered in your name, and we trust that promise and pray for hearts and minds that are sensitive to your presence here and responsive to it. I pray that you would help us to understand your word, but draw us into it as well that we might in some way experience the significance of your presence among us – Immanuel, God with us. We pray this in the name of Immanuel, even Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Message

          Khazad-dûm! The very name carries a sinister feeling, a sense of peril and boding evil. Fans of J.R.R.Tolkien will recognize it as the ruined city of the dwarves, deep in the mines of Moria beneath the Misty Mountains. Throughout the ages, great riches were unearthed there, but great and terrible wars fought as well. When the fellowship of the ring, sworn to give their lives if necessary in an attempt to destroy the evil ring of Sauron, arrive there at Khazad-dûm in the first book of Tolkien’s captivating trilogy, the city has been abandoned and overrun by evil things like Orcs and trolls.

          Their quest from the outset, facing the power of the Dark Lord and his Ringwraiths – the seemingly indestructible Nazgûl or Black Riders – has seemed a nearly hopeless venture. But always it seemed, at the most difficult times and facing the most terrifying threats, the great wizard, Gandalf the Grey, would arrive to give them guidance and encouragement, and occasionally even supernatural aid. But the deep feeling of hopelessness would return when he disappeared, as he often did for a time, and they found themselves on their own facing the enemy.

          Gandalf is with them, however, when they reach the bridge at Khazad-dûm, a narrow footbridge with no curb or rail, spanning a vast chasm deep within the heart of the mountain. Their earlier battle with the Orcs, however, has awakened an ancient and malevolent demon called a Balrog who now appears shrouded in darkness and fire, and armed with a fiery sword and wielding a long, fiery whip of many thongs. Gandalf holds off the demon briefly while the others cross the bridge, but in the ensuing combat, the bridge collapses and the Balrog’s fiery whip drags Gandalf with him into the abyss.

          Now the grieving fellowship must continue on without their protector and guide, and a deep feeling of hopeless-ness and despair settles over them. They know the enemy is too strong for them and their doom seems inevitable. Continuing their quest seems futile, but there is nothing else to do. And so their epic journey continues, with the forces of darkness closing in upon them. In a surprise attack by the Orcs and the even more fierce Uruk-hai, the fellowship is scattered and several are taken captive.

          But as their few remaining allies gather for an apparently futile last stand at a place called Helm’s Deep, Gandalf, who had indeed died in his mortal combat with the great force of evil represented by the Balrog, suddenly returns, thundering toward them on a white horse and accompanied by a thousand able and courageous warriors. He has been returned to life as the even more powerful Gandalf the White, apparently by Eru Ilúvatar, the Creator and Supreme Being. The members of the fellowship, of course, are absolutely elated by this unexpected return of their leader and guide. Much that is unknown and deeply threatening still lies ahead of them, but . . . their champion is with them once again, and their courage and resolve return.

          This great mythical adventure with its vivid and compelling images, in fact brings to life the whole familiar story of the Bible, and provides us with a powerful image of Immanuel – God with us – which is so much more than a simple Christmas theme. Although Tolkien’s story is not an allegory, the role of Gandalf bears many powerful similarities to the role of Christ, for Gandalf has rejected the abuse of his supernatural powers – as Christ did at his temptation – and he has committed himself to the support of the Good and the destruction of what is Evil, even if it costs him his life. And as this concept of Immanuel, God with us, unfolds in the Scriptures, I find myself experiencing the whole gamut of emotions from excitement in the quest, to despair over the catastrophe that has fallen, to exhilaration, all of which the characters in the “fellowship of the ring” experienced.

          I mean, look at the epical Old Testament story with me. It is a powerful story. We’ve become too familiar with it. I never saw this in terms of Immanuel before, but look closely at God’s call of Moses to leave his quiet, ordered life to set out on a perilous quest directly into the lair of his enemy to bring God’s people out of slavery and abuse and into the Promised Land. As any sane person would respond, Moses says to the Lord who has called him in Exodus 3:11, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God says . . . what? (Immanuel!) “I will be with you.” I’m not going to pretend that there will be no great hazards and dangers along the way, but I will be with you! I’m not going to tell you that your enemies will quietly step aside and lay down their arms, but I will be with you. I’m not going to guarantee that there will be no loss of life, or that the quest will be brief and prosperous, but I will be with you. That is what He told Moses.

          And when Moses says, “Who are you?” God says, Who am I? “I AM WHO I AM.” “I AM.” I AM. Tell your people I AM has called you. I AM the source of all that exists. I AM the source of all being. I AM WHO I AM, and I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” I don’t think you need to be worried, Moses. I think the Egyptians need to be worried. I AM is with you. Immanuel. God with us!

          Moses learned that lesson well over the next 40 years. At one point along the way, in Exodus 33, God was fed up with His people and threatened to force them to go on without Him. God said, I’ll send an angel along, but if I am with you any longer I am likely to destroy you. But Moses interceded for the people and insisted that an angel was no substitute for the living God accompanying them. They would not go on without His Presence with them, Moses said. God acceded to his request and continued to guide and care for His people in the wilderness, and you know that story.

          When they finally came to the border of the Promised Land, Moses reminded Joshua, his successor, in Deuteronomy 31:7-8,

Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that I AM swore to their fore-fathers to give them . . . . I AM himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

And you see, that is what Immanuel means! God is with you and will not abandon you. You need not be discouraged or afraid. And later Joshua himself gets the same message along with his instructions to lead the quest into the teeth of battle. In Joshua 1:5 just before they were to face the fortified city of Jericho, Yahweh (I AM) says to him, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you;” and that makes all the difference, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous. . . .”

          Later on in the history of the nation, when the Midianites were severely oppressing the Israelites in the Promised Land, the timid judge Gideon is asked to confront these enemies. “But Lord,” Gideon asked (in Judges 6:15), “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” But the LORD, Yahweh, the great I AM replies: Gideon, Gideon, “I will be with you.” That’s what He always says; you don’t need to be afraid, “I will be with you [Immanuel], and you will strike down the Midianites together.” And it happened as God said.

          It is precisely this confidence which inspires the grand speech of the young shepherd boy, David, as he advances without armor to confront the giant Goliath – without armor, I say, but in fact clothed with the armor of God. That grand speech from 1Samuel 17:

You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh Sabbaoth [the LORD of hosts, the LORD Almighty], the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. And all those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.

God with us! What a powerful story. This is why Isaiah the prophet in our text this morning is so disgusted with Ahaz the king of Judah when King Rezin of Aram and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of the secessionist northern kingdom have marched against Jerusalem, and the king and all the people are terrified. In Isaiah 7 we read the LORD’s words of reassurance, “Don’t lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood” – just a little taste of divine sarcasm there. “It’s not going to happen!” He says. I don’t care what their threats are, it’s not going to happen, because I have decreed it will not happen. When Ahaz still doesn’t believe it, the LORD says: All right, I’m going to give you a sign. You may not understand it, but anyone who has been paying attention will understand it. Here’s something the world has never seen before: “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Maybe someone will remember what it means to have God with us in the face of crisis as we walk through history.

          Then on over into the next chapter, chapter 8, when the people refused to take God at His word and act courageously, He says: Fine, I’ll up the ante. The next threat will not be these two-bit petty kings next door, but the ferocious armies of Assyria. And they are going to sweep over Judah like a great flood, verse 8 says, “reaching up to your neck. It’s outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel [the people among whom God is still dwelling, the people for whom God still has a plan]!”

          And then just watch me, God says, turning his face toward the Assyrian army,

Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for [what are the last words?] God is with us [Immanuel!].

          Sennacherib, King of Assyria did indeed invade the land, conquering city after city. But at the gates of Jerusalem, God sent the angel of death among his troops, putting to death 185,000 of them, and Sennacherib withdrew and went back to Ninevah where some time later he was assassinated by his two sons. Israel didn’t have to lift a hand. God was with them.

          All this lies behind that deceptively simple revelation by Matthew, several centuries later, when God’s people, who had miraculously survived subsequent invasions by the Babylonians and the Greeks, and who now found them-selves subjugated by the harsh Roman armies, were told that this little child, born to a virgin in the tiny town of Bethlehem, was the fulfillment of the prophecy to Isaiah, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which, Matthew reminds them, means “God with us.” Remember your history, remember what God has done among us. And for those who were paying attention, all this rich imagery flowed over their souls, for the One who had claimed them for His own, the One who had delivered them from captivity, the One who had cared for them in the wilderness, the One who had defeated far superior enemies, had appeared among them once again. All that is included here, Immanuel, God with us.

          As we know, the story was not yet near its conclusion. Much like the tiny circle of men and elves and dwarves and hobbits who formed the “Fellowship of the Ring,” another tiny circle of men surround this “Immanuel” who has come to confront the forces of evil threatening his people. I love the lyrics to a medieval poem which the composer Benjamin Britten put to music in the Ceremony of Carols which our choir will be singing for us in a few weeks. The poem takes us to the heart of the promise of Immanuel. It is called, This little Babe. “This little Babe so few days old, Is come to rifle Satan’s fold; All hell doth at his presence quake, Though he himself for cold do shake; For in this weak unarmèd wise The gates of hell he will surprise.”

          And of course the day comes when, much like Gandalf before the Balrog, deep in the earth on the bridge at Khazad-dûm, Jesus himself stands before the gates of hell to confront the powers of evil and death. The little fellowship of disciples watched in horror as their champion bravely faced that ancient and malevolent demon, and himself plunged into the dark abyss on the cross of Calvary. Forlorn and grieving, they gathered to console each other, but it was evident to them that all was lost. They would go on, but what could they do in the face of such pervasive evil? Have you wondered the same? An Evil so powerful that it had destroyed their one hope – the one thing they had imagined to be indestructible. What could they possibly accomplish if God was not with them?

          And then, astonishingly, from the belly of the earth, their hero emerged brighter, and more fierce and beautiful than they had ever seen him. But of course! The tomb could not contain I AM – the Source, the Creator who had breathed life into the lifeless dust of the earth! Here he was now, absolutely fearless, utterly calm in the face of disaster, beckoning them to come to him, and telling them (remember those final words), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And [don’t stop there; are you ready for this?] Surely I am with you always [Immanuel], to the very end of the age.” [Matthew 28:18-20] That is a promise that includes us.

          We are among those disciples from all the nations in this final age. The commission is for us as well as Jesus’ first disciples. The story of Immanuel, of God with us, continues. It is our story as well. Do not miss this. As Paul says in Romans 8:31ff.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? [How do you even measure an enemy if God is on your side?] He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all [faced down Death itself, you see] – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

          This is the whole story of God’s creation! This is the story of Immanuel – God with us! This is what it means to have the Presence of God with us. No matter the scope of the threat. No matter the strength of the enemy. No matter the cunning of the Evil One. God with us means protection, it means deliverance, it means blessing, it means empowerment, it means the day is coming, no matter the odds stacked against us, when all wrong will be put right. The story ends – or perhaps we should say begins – with the dawn of the new age in Revelation 20 where we read last week,

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them [Immanuel!] and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

          Do you see that the whole story of the Scriptures is the story of Immanuel? The whole story, the story of God with us? And if God is truly with us, though the quest continues until His final return, then how will this shape your reaction to “trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword”? Are you convinced that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In Jesus Christ, as Tolkien told C. S. Lewis when he was still an unbeliever, in Jesus Christ “the myth became a reality” – God with us. You and I are the characters in His story. The final chapter has been written, but it has not yet taken place in history. Yet the outcome is as certain as every chapter which has gone before it, for it is the word of the I AM who spoke all being into existence. God is with us. Immanuel!

Closing prayer – Father, it seems terribly significant that we recognize this truth. In fact, it is hard to imagine anything could conceivably be more important than this, that the God who brought us into being loves us, that the God who brought us into being has redeemed us, that the God who brought us into being has defeated Death for us, that the God who brought us into being has forgiven us for turning away, rebelling, that the God who brought us into being is now calling us to enjoy forever the life that He set out to give us. As we approach this Christmas season, the simple story, the wonderful story of God walking among us, may we enlarge our vision of what it means to know Immanuel. We pray this in your name and for your sake, AMEN.