Weekly Bible Study - Isaiah 7:10-14 and Matthew 1:18-24

22 December 2013
4th Sunday of Advent 

Ahaz and Joseph: Two men separated by centuries, worlds apart in religious fervor, but connected in the mysterious ways of God’s plan. Two men searching for assurance in the face of troubling news. Two men emerging from the shadows of salvation history to make way for the Messiah.

Ahaz, king of eighth century Judah, faces political and military disaster. Seeking reassurance that his kingdom will not fall, he is confronted by the prophet Isaiah who reminds him: “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” (vs. 9). Leaning on Isaiah instead of his own false humility, he is given a sign from God: a son, Hezekiah, a righteous king, to continue the dynasty of David. This is evidence of “Emmanuel,” which means God is with us.

More than 700 years later, Joseph is deeply troubled by the news that his betrothed, Mary, is pregnant. Knowing he is not the father, but being an upright man, he refuses to expose her to the full impact of the law and decides to divorce her with a fuss. But Joseph too receives a sign of the Lord’s reassurance, this time in a dream. (In the scriptures, dreams were often used to show how God communicates with us.) Deep within the recesses of his heart, Joseph heard the word of the Lord and acted on it. The gospel writer takes this moment to remind us of the same promise God made to Ahaz: “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him 'God is with us'" (Emmanuel).
 
Joseph and Ahaz: Two men, reassured by the same promise from the One God, become a way for God to bring salvation among us. The promise to Ahaz ensures a kingly succession from which would come the Messiah. The promise to Joseph frees Joseph to accept God's word and make a home for the Messiah in our troubled world.

O come, o come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.