O Come O Come Emmanuel Pt. 1

We typically sing four verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel but I was surprised to learn there are seven. Because the words date back to the 18th century (some believe the Latin origins or inspiration dates back to the 16th century), there is some variation between the traditional lyrics. Regardless though, this has always been one of my favorite Christmas carols – especially when played with the cello. If you are looking for a truly beautiful version, then check out The Piano Guys. It is my favorite! The song, especially the verses we don’t typically sing, are very focused on Israel as a nation which seems appropriate considering everything currently happening in the Middle East at the moment.

The song starts, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.”

This first verse along with several others are actually about his second coming. So many great Christmas hymns bridge the gap between his first and second coming because the writers of old understood that since he kept his promise to come the first time, he could be trusted to come again.

Come – an invitation to move from one location to another. When a parent tells their child to “come here,” there is an expectation of obedience. We obviously can’t order God around like a small child so what does this “come” represent? I think there are two things that make this “come” special. First, this is a request that is already in alignment with God’s previously established plans. The writer acknowledges in the chorus that God has already promised he would come. The author specifically states that God will “Come to you, O Israel.” This is a promise that God made all throughout Scripture and we will discuss it in more detail when we get to the chorus in a later post. Still, the lyricist could boldly ask Christ to come because it was in alignment with the promise of God.

We can pray for many things but certainly, when we have the opportunity to do so, our prayers should line up with what we already know to be God’s will. As we read Scripture, we learn more about God – who he is, what he wants, and his eternal plans. This Christmas let’s line up our prayers to mirror what is already on God’s heart, salvation, restoration of relationships, evangelism, the unity of the body of Christ, ministry done with the right heart attitude – the list is long. We can pray for healing and physical needs certainly and I would encourage you to do so but how wonderful to know that there are things we can pray for that God wants to see happen too.

Second, this come is repeated twice. It is an insistent prayer. The writer isn’t just asking one time and walking away. This lyricist starts each verse by asking for God’s intervention. He wanted Christ to show up in his eternal majesty, power, wisdom, might, and splendor. The writer isn’t making a generic request. Rather, the author is calling Christ by specific names or character traits that we find in Scripture and asking him to step into the situation, the sometimes dire situation, and deliver.

The first name he chooses, is Emmanuel, which means, God with us. This name was introduced in Isaiah 7:14 when a prophecy was given to wicked king Ahaz saying, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Ahaz worshipped many false gods, he defiled the Temple with false worship, he sacrificed his children to Molech and he tried to form an alliance with Assyria – only to realize they were more interested in a vassal who would pay them inordinate amounts of money. God offered to perform a sign for Ahaz to show that wicked king that he was truly the All-Powerful God, the only True God. However, Ahaz refused. He said it was because he didn’t want to “test” God. However, he was testing God everyday by his disobedience. God would much rather him have asked for a sign, repented, and changed his heart but Ahaz was not willing to do so.

Since Ahaz wouldn’t choose a sign, God said he would give one anyway and it was the sign of the Messiah that would one day come to deliver his people. He would not be a distant God far removed from the cares of his people. He would not demand child sacrifice and the terror that so often accompanied Assyrian worship. Rather, he would be God with us. The whole New Testament is about what happened as a result of this fulfilled promise when Jesus stepped into time on that probably not so silent night in Bethlehem.

The writer then asks for this tabernacling God to ransom captive Israel. When the song was written, Israel did not have a nation to call home. They were dispersed across many countries and often faced oppression and hatred. However, beyond this external persecution, they were also held captive by their own rejection of their Messiah. Christ died on the cross for all who would believe, repent, and surrender their lives to him. He has already paid the price for those who will receive his free gift. In the end, when Israel realizes the error of their ways, when Jerusalem is surrounded, when there is no hope, they will look upon the one they pierced and realize that the one they rejected is the one who was foretold thousands of years ago. When they repent, then he will ransom them. He will deliver. He will rescue from an impossible situation by his power alone.

At the time the song was written, Israel was truly in exile. They had no nation and there was mourning. Even beyond the alienation from their homeland that they were experiencing at that time though, there was and still is a mourning as they believe they are still waiting for their Messiah. Jesus didn’t fit into the expectations of what they believed the Messiah would do. They were looking for a triumphant king to deliver them from their immediate problems. However, like all of us, the bigger problem has always been our heart. We need a Savior for our sins, not simply a Genie to grant our wishes.

As we get ready to celebrate this Christmas season, we can join in this prayer for Emmanuel to come and intervene to meet us where we are – in the middle of the mess. In the middle of our displaced and scattered lives. In uncertainty, in mourning, in loss, he is with us. That is the wonderful message of Christianity. We don’t deny that there is pain and suffering. However, we do have a God who has stepped into time once already to redeem and will appear again but not to die for sins a second time as the author of Hebrews reminds us (ch. 9). Rather, he will return to ransom or rescue those saved during the tribulation who are still alive and to judge those who have rejected him.

He will return as a triumphant king, but he will still be God with us – Emmanuel. In the final New Jerusalem, we read that there is “no temple” because The Lord is the temple – there is no sun because the glory of God is the light (Rev. 21:22-23). Even at the end of all things, he will dwell among his people. You don’t need to wait though. This Christmas let’s invite him to intervene, to line up our prayers with his will, let’s rejoice that we do not have a God who is far away. Rather, he is near to the brokenhearted. He was not simply Emmanuel two-thousand years ago when he was born of a virgin. Rather, he is still Emmanuel. He is still God with us – wherever that happens to be.