(15–20 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will study Isaiah 7:14-16 and Matthew 1:21-23 to examine God’s intentional plan for sending His Son to be Immanuel, God with us.
Provide a pen and a copy of the Student Worksheet for each student. Also provide a dry erase board and a marker. Print one copy of the Kingdoms activity sheet and prepare it according to the instructions provided on it.
Learning Goal: Students will examine God’s intentional plan for sending His Son to be Immanuel, God with us.
Say: Think about your favorite teacher in school. You interact with him or her as your instructor. Ask: What are some of the other roles a teacher can have? (He could be a husband, a dad, a granddad, an uncle, a coach, or a sports enthusiast. She could be a wife, a mom, a grandmother, an aunt, an artist, or a weightlifter.) Point out that it’s not unusual for people to fill many roles, some that may even surprise us. Say: Likewise, God sent His Son to us to fulfill multiple roles. The first of these is that God sent His Son Jesus to be with us. Distribute a copy of the Student Worksheet and a pen to each student.
1. God promised to send His Son to be God with us (Isaiah 7:14-16).
Call on four volunteers and give each volunteer one of the squares you’ve prepared from the Kingdoms activity sheet. Place the four volunteers about two feet from each other, as shown on the handout. Explain that in order to understand today’s lesson, a little background is necessary. Say: We’ll be reading from Isaiah today. Isaiah prophesied during a period of major turmoil in the life of God’s people. Today we will be looking at his words to the king of Judah, King Ahaz. But first, let’s set the stage.
Explain that after kings David and Solomon, Israel had begun to turn from God and His ways. Share that Israel divided into two kingdoms: Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Say: There were powerful nations growing up around the divided kingdom. One of them was Assyria. Instruct the student holding “Assyria” to read the text. Afterward, say: Syria and Israel were trying to figure out exactly how to combat the Assyrian threat. Instruct the student holding “Syria” to read the text aloud. Say: In the midst of all of this, Judah was hanging out in the south, wondering what to do next. Instruct the student who has “Judah” to read the text. Finally, instruct the student holding “Israel” to read the text. Then, instruct the students to return to their seats.
Say: In the midst of this attack, God sent the king of Judah, Ahaz, a message through His prophet, Isaiah. Call on a volunteer to read Isaiah 7:14–16. Explain that these verses were given in the context of God assuring King Ahaz that Jerusalem would not be destroyed. State that God told King Ahaz that a sign of His promise would be the “virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” Say: God promised “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us.” God was telling Ahaz that the forces of Israel and Syria would not be able to conquer Jerusalem. And God proved faithful. Judah stood firm and repelled the attack. But that’s not the end of the story. Not even close.
State that Assyria would eventually attack Israel and completely wipe it out. Say: Years later the Babylonian Empire would invade Judah and wipe it out as well as a part of God’s judgment on His people because of their years and years of unfaithfulness; His people had forgotten Him and all that He had done for them. Emphasize that this is the key to interpreting Isaiah’s message of the virgin giving to birth to the “Immanuel.” Ask: If you were there when the Babylonians overtook Judah, what would you think about God’s promise of protection? (Probably that it was not much of a promise) How does looking at it from our perspective change God’s promise? In other words, how does Jesus fulfill the promise? (God sent Jesus, the Immanuel, to be an eternal king who can never be overcome by rulers, or kingdoms, or even the forces of evil.)
Say: Because God Is, He has the power to send His Son to be with us. Divide students into groups of two or three and instruct them to work together to complete the section entitled, “He Would Be.” After a minute of so, call for responses, and point out that the One Isaiah described was not what the Jewish people came to expect. Encourage students to complete the first statement on their worksheets with promised.
2. God announced the fulfillment of this promise through the birth of His Son (Matthew 1:21b-23).
Read Matthew 1:21-23. Ask: How much was Joseph told about God’s plan for His Son to be born through Joseph’s intended bride at this point? (God provided the comfort and information necessary for Joseph to face this task.) Ask: What was necessary on Joseph’s part to be able to be at the birth and a part of God’s plan? (Accepting God’s instructions; being willing to trust God’s instructions about what seemed to be impossible.)
Discuss: How is God’s love and faithfulness seen in the way Joseph responded to Mary’s news? Point out that Joseph’s obedience was a crucial part in God fulfilling His plan, birthed before time began, to send “God with us.” Encourage learners to complete the second statement on their worksheets with fulfilled. Say: Not only did Jesus fulfill God’s promise of an eternal King to rule His people, but we know that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paved the way for all who believe to become citizens of God’s Kingdom. Christmas is the time when we remember the birth of Immanuel, a birth predicted some 800 years beforehand by the prophet Isaiah.