Jesus, Filling Up Israel's Gaps (Isaiah 7) Series

I think what Matthew is saying, is that Joseph, with Jesus, "fills up" what was lacking in Israel's story. Joseph obeys the angel of the Lord; he does what God wants (and I'm not trying to ignore Mary, but Joseph gets the focus here; he's who is called, and he's who gets credit for obeying). And the arc of Jesus' story, and Joseph's story, then, reenacts the story of Israel. Jesus, Joseph and Mary go to down Egypt, like Abraham, and like Israel at the time of Joseph. And Jesus and Joseph come out of Egypt, like Israel, but they do so in constant obedience to God's commands. When God calls them (Hosea 11:2), they obey.

Matthew sets up his gospel in a way that highlights lots of connections like this between Israel and Jesus. He draws attention to them, by reminding us of Israel's story at every point using this "filling" language. I won't walk through every single one, but the summary then goes like this:

Jesus went down to Egypt, like the patriarchs. He came out of Egypt, like Israel (Joshua 24:5; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15), but he came obediently, without the idols (Joshua 24:15). Jesus passed through the waters, getting baptized, as Israel passed through the Red Sea. When God said, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased," those words form a contrast with Israel, who was the son who struggled to do the right thing (Hosea 11:1-4). Jesus entered into the wilderness (Matthew 4), spending 40 days there, as Israel spent 40 years. But Jesus was faithful in the wilderness, handling the testing the right way. The covenant God established with Israel at the edge of the wilderness, just outside of the promised land (Deuteronomy), Jesus "fills up" by explaining what God actually wants.

So Jesus "fills up" Israel's story, by following the same paths as Israel, but reversing, or undoing, all of the times when Israel failed. And Jesus "fills up" the Mosaic covenant, by pointing to what God actually desires from his people.

All of this, I think, helps us understand what Matthew is teaching, when he says that the birth of Jesus "fills up" the Immanuel sign first given to King Ahaz.

The story of King Ahaz in Isaiah 7 we read is another example of where Israel fell short. Ahaz trusted in Egypt (Isaiah 30). Ahaz refused to accept a sign from Isaiah, and so God gave him a sign about Immanuel instead. But this sign was a dark, ugly sign. That son, Immanuel, is a reminder of Isaiah's prediction that Assyria would settle like bees and flies all over the land. Assyria would be like a flood, reaching up to the neck, threatening to drown the nation. And all because Ahaz refused to give God even a chance to show that God could be trusted to protect him.

In Matthew, Jesus being called Immanuel signals to us that God is giving his people a second chance. Immanuel becomes a sign of hope, instead of a sign of mostly judgment. God once more, in Jesus, will live with his people. God will save his people from their sins.