December 12, 2010: God Is Here – Michael Hidalgo

King Ahaz, King of Israel, was in a tight spot. Jerusalem was under siege, and he needed help. Isaiah gives him assurance that God is with him … a child will be born. His name is Immanu El (lit. “With You is God”). We have come to speak of Jesus being Emmanuel – “God with Us.” One might think that Ahaz would take refuge in this sign, this miracle, but he does not. Instead he turns toward Tiglath-Pileser and worships him. 

This story that is often referred to in the infancy narratives during the Christmas season paint an interesting picture. For just as Isaiah points toward a child being born as a sign of God being with us, so it is that Jesus was born as a sign of God being with us. Yet, so often we are like Ahaz. We are the ones who – even though God is in our midst – place our hope and trust in something else.