O Come O Come Emmanuel
By Alexa Pedersen
The Promised Messiah
I love the musical diversity of Christmas carols. Seriously, how often do we get to sing in a minor key at church? Most of the time we are trying to capture the joy of the Lord with our worship music, but this carol is mournful. At a time as cheerful as Christmas, what is there to mourn?
This carol is sung from the perspective of the time before Jesus was born. God’s people were longing for God to send the Messiah, Emmanuel. He was the promised king who was going to save Israel, but he hadn’t come yet. They had been waiting for him for the entire history of humanity.
The entire meta-narrative of the Old Testament – from Adam to the last prophet – relates back to this promised savior, but it also tells a bunch of stories that illustrate just how badly they need saving. Here is a highlight reel of Israel’s need for a savior and how God sent prophets to tell them that a savior was on the way!
Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and the world entered its fallen state. As God was cursing the serpent who deceived them, he promised that one of her descendants would one day defeat him, at great cost to himself.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15
Later, when Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God used Moses to free them. Through Moses, God gave Israel the law. The law showed the Israelites just how sinful they were. But Moses reminded them of God’s promise to send the Messiah.
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your brothers — it is to him you shall listen." Deuteronomy 18:15
When David was king of Israel, many people thought David was the promised Messiah. Through Samuel, God revealed that someone even better was coming.
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-13
Israel then split into two kingdoms, and both were riddled with bad kings. God sent many prophets to call them to repentance, warning against the consequences of sin and reminding them of God’s promise.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” Jeremiah 23:5-6
Both kingdoms get conquered and destroyed, and the southern kingdom is exiled to Babylon. Despite the dispersion, God is faithful to protect the bloodline of the savior he promised. He also continues to send prophets, like Daniel, to remind the remnant of his people to remain hopeful for the promised king, whom they need now more than ever.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14
Eventually a small group of jews are allowed to return from exile to their promised land. They try to rebuild the temple and remember God’s law but fall pitifully short. Through it all, God still sends reminders of the coming savior.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”
Malachi 3:1
Then nothing happened for 400 years. God stopped sending prophets. And in his silence, we sing the mournful tune of O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel;
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Israel was enslaved, conquered, and exiled by other nations, so they cry out to God to “ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here”. But captivity and exile are also metaphors for the sin that takes us captive and exiles us from God. Sure, Israel longed to be free from the Egyptians, Babylonians, Romans, etc. but what they longed for the most was to be free from the tyranny of sin.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Israel’s whole history is just thousands of years of proof that our hearts are plagued with sin that cannot be overcome by our own might. But because the depth of our sin is so great, we have all the more reason to rejoice in the Messiah that conquered sin with his might. Praise be to God! He was faithful to keep his promise by sending his son to save us from our sin and dwell in our hearts forever.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
REFLECTIONS:
Can you relate to the mournful spirit of this carol at all this Christmas season?
How can you approach the Advent season with a spirit of hope and rejoicing in Christ’s coming?
What lessons can you learn from the attitude of prayerful expectation of Jesus coming to set his people free, and how can you apply those lessons to your own life this Christmas?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: