The Last Word is Emmanuel: Context is Everything
When we read the Hebrew prophets today, we do so at a disadvantage. We don't often have all the political and historical context that was so crucial in the moment. And when we quote famous lines from the prophets, we rarely grasp the full depth behind them. One particularly poignant example is found in the Gospel of Matthew, where a line from Isaiah 7 is brought forward and applied to Jesus' birth. It's a beautiful moment in the gospel narrative, but it's rooted in a story of political intrigue and national anxiety.
To really understand Isaiah's words to the king of Judah, we need to step into the tension between Judah and Israel, their entanglements with the neighboring kingdom of Aram, and the ominous shadow of the Assyrian Empire looming over it all. It's a moment fraught with fear and strategic alliances, and Isaiah is speaking directly into it.
Two Kings and a Kingdom in Crisis
At the heart of this story is King Ahaz of Judah, a descendant of David. He's watching the northern kingdom of Israel form an alliance with Aram to take on Assyria. But Ahaz wants no part of this rebellion. His refusal makes him a target. Israel and Aram plan to remove him and install a puppet king who will support their agenda.
Isaiah refers to this puppet king as the son of Tabeel, a name which scholars suggest may not even refer to a real person. It could be a linguistic pun, twisting an Aramaic phrase to mean something like "good for nothing." The message? These war-hungry kings have nothing good to offer.
Ahaz is terrified. His fear is visceral. Isaiah 7:2 tells us, "the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind." He's checking on the city’s water supply, preparing for siege. And it’s at this moment that Isaiah meets him, not in the palace, but at the aqueduct.
A Sign of Hope
Isaiah speaks to Ahaz with calm authority. Be careful, be calm, don't be afraid. Yes, the threat is real. But trust in God. Then Isaiah offers a sign. He says, "This young woman will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel." The Hebrew text uses the word "Almah," which simply means young woman, not necessarily virgin. And Isaiah likely points to someone nearby as he says this.
This child, he says, will grow up eating curds and honey. And before he knows right from wrong, the lands of the two kings Ahaz fears will be laid to waste. It's a promise of survival, not through triumph, but through presence. God with us. Not a dramatic rescue, but a steady reassurance.
Emmanuel Then and Now
A chapter later, Isaiah uses the same phrase again, but this time not as a name. "Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us." This is the same Emmanuel, but now stated plainly: God is with us.
Unfortunately, in our English Bibles, we often miss the continuity. The connection between the name and the declaration is blurred by translation choices. But when we see it clearly, we recognize Isaiah’s point: not that God supports war, but that God is always present. And because God is Emmanuel, war will not win.
Isaiah isn't saying God is on Judah’s side against Israel. In fact, he may be saying the opposite. God is not on anyone's side in conflict. God is with everyone. Judah, Israel, Aram — even Assyria. Because God is not for war. God is for us. All of us.
The Last Word is Withness
Eugene Peterson’s translation in The Message puts it beautifully: "Plot all you want, nothing will come of it. All your angry words are empty. Because when all is said and done, the last word is Emmanuel."
God with us is not a stamp of divine approval for our battles. It's a declaration that God's presence is constant, unshakeable, and inclusive. Not a partisan slogan, but a theological anchor. And when we take that seriously, we are invited to trust not in power, but in peace. Not in victory, but in presence.
Because God is with us. Not just one of us. All of us. And that changes everything.
