Immanuel

Di king hand dey shake. Messengers don bring bad news. Two armies don join hand, and dem dey march come Jerusalem. Di whole city dey shake, Bible talk, like trees for forest when breeze dey blow.

Di king na Ahaz, one of David children-children, wey dey rule di small kingdom of Judah about seven hundred and thirty years before Jesus. Di big empire of Assyria dey grow for di east. Two kings wey dey near, Rezin of Aram, from Damascus, and Pekah of Israel, di northern kingdom, want make Judah join dem fight Assyria. Ahaz no gree. So dem plan to attack Jerusalem, remove Ahaz, and put dia own man for David throne. God send di prophet Isaiah make e go meet Ahaz outside di city, near di water channel, where di king fit dey check di water supply for siege. Isaiah message simple. Take care, calm down, no fear. Dis two kings na just firewood wey dey smoke, wey don almost quench. Dia plan no go stand. But you must trust God. If you no believe, you no go stand firm.

Then God talk to Ahaz again, through Isaiah, with one offer wey go shock person. “Ask di Lord your God for one sign; ask am from di deepest place, or from di highest place for up.” Anytin at all. From di deepest place reach di highest heaven. God dey offer to prove imself. But Ahaz answer, “I no go ask, and I no go tempt di Lord.” E sound like say e humble well-well, like say e dey religious. But e no be so. Di book of Kings tell us say Ahaz don already decide wetin e go do. E wan send silver and gold give di king of Assyria and beg am for help. E no want sign from God, because e no want trust God.

Isaiah raise im voice. “Listen now, house of David. E no do una say una dey test people patience, una wan test di patience of my God too?” And then e talk am. “So di Lord imself go give una one sign. See, di virgin go get belle, and she go born one son, and she go call im name Immanuel.” Immanuel. E mean God dey with us. Ahaz refuse sign, so God choose im own. One pikin. One birth. One name wey dey talk say God never abandon di house of David, even when im king no gree trust am.

Isaiah continue. Di pikin go chop butter and honey when e don know how to refuse evil and choose good. Before di pikin old reach to know right from wrong, di land of di two kings wey Ahaz dey fear go empty. And na so e happen. Inside few years, Assyria crush Damascus and plenty part of northern Israel. But di sign mean more than dat. Seven hundred years after, one angel come meet one carpenter wey im name na Joseph for Nazareth, wey di woman wey e engage, Mary, get belle wey no be im own. Matthew tell us say all dis happen to fulfil wetin di Lord talk through di prophet: See, one virgin go get belle, and she go born one son, and dem go call im name Emmanuel, wey mean, God dey with us.

Ahaz truly turn go Assyria. Second Kings talk say e send silver and gold give Tiglath-pileser, di king of Assyria, e talk say, I be your servant and your son. And Assyria own records agree. One writing of Tiglath-pileser di Third list di kings wey pay am tribute, and among dem na Jehoahaz of Judah, di full form of di name Ahaz.

Immanuel. You fit read am for Isaiah chapter seven, verse ten reach sixteen. One king wey fear catch refuse God help, but God still give one sign: God dey with us. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When fear catch you, na God you dey first run go meet, or na something else?