Immanuel Is With Us

On this final day of another fading month, with only a few hours of life left in it, there is a beautiful, life-encouraging picture as painted in the hymn. It is the vast and elaborate picture which the words of W. Cowper’s hymn, paint for us. This single picture of many parts, or many powers, is all of Immanuel’s Blood and we are being given privilege, opportunity and freedom to access all that we need.

When I hear the phrase, all that you need, my mind is taken back to the Israelites and how God commanded them to take just what they needed. In preparing the Passover meal, this is what was instructed. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. Exodus 12: 4. The understanding coming through strongly, is that the lamb is given in accordance with the needs of households. Sharing of sacrificial animals has been ordered by God.

Three things are to be taken into consideration when the lamb is being shared by households.

Size - You are to take into consideration the size of the household. If the lamb is too much for a household, because it is a small household, then that household must share with a neighbour. In this light of thinking, if a household is too large for a lamb, then more than one lamb or kid, is to be used. Does this not indicate the sharing of households? All that a house needs depends on its size.

Age - You are to take into consideration the ages of those in the household. This means that size, on its own is not the lone determining factor. One has to think of the ages of the people in the household. If for example, if there are babies and small children who cannot yet eat meat, at present, the number of a household, though big, will be reduced, because of those who are too young for meat. All that a house needs depends on size and age.

Status - You are to take into consideration the status or position of the families. If a family is too poor to even have a goat, they are entitled to share with those who are better off, in terms of their finances. In other words, no Israelite household will be deprived in any way, because of poor financial status. All that a house needs, depends on size, age and status.

This sets us thinking, doesn’t it? Like me, are you coming to a reality that totally knocks all that we have held in our minds, clean out of the ball park, as it were? Does this have any bearing on the Body and Blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus, Lamb of God? We shall explore this in a later offering. Right now, we want to return to the hymn and receive the priceless treasures which are ours to freely access.

May the Holy Spirit so work in us, we will freely allow the Word to change our lives Amen!

The hymn writer states categorically that the fountain of blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins:-

Has power to have sinners, who plunge in by faith, lose all their guilty stains.
Has might to have sinners, who trust and believe, have all their sins washed away.
Has merit to have sinners, who accept the Word, saved, to sin no more.
Has influence to have sinners, who have been redeemed, so constrained, the everlasting theme, of redeeming love, is with them until they die.
Has strength to have sinners raise their voices in nobler, sweeter song, of the unsurpassed power of the Blood to save.

We close this day’s meditation and the end of an entire month, fully rejoicing in the shed Blood of Immanuel, God with us. They will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us.