Songs of the Season, Week #2, Day #2 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

May the Lord continue to bless you as you prepare for the Savior's birth. The next devotion is here for you.

Week # 2, Day # 2 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high

Who ord’rest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel! (LWB 357 vs. 2)

What is this “wisdom” stuff? Here you need to think about the book of Proverbs, where Wisdom is personified. Who is this wisdom? It is God Himself. He is the Wisdom from on high. He is the One who brings all wisdom into the world. He is the source of all knowledge, the source of all ordered things in this world. The laws of science that we don’t even think about in our lives, those are the very things of order that God has given to us. He has created this world and all that is in it. He is the source of all the wisdom that we have or need. There is much to be figured out still, and He gives the knowledge and wisdom to those who will figure it out, even as He has given to men like Galileo, Newton and others.

But there is an even greater knowledge that He has to give to us. It is that knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He sends His only-begotten Son into this world to bring the way of Salvation. As Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” so He is. Through Him comes the ordered knowledge that there is only one way to be saved, and that is not found in any one of us. In fact, He gives us the wisdom to know that if we look to ourselves, we will only see that which leads to eternal damnation.

So Emmanuel comes. He comes to bring order to the disorder that is caused by sin. He comes to bring peace in a world where there is no peace. He comes to set right that which has been torn apart by sin. He comes to bring life to a world that knows only death.

He does this in the wisdom of the Father. The world looks at the cross, the death of Jesus, and scratches its head. It makes no sense. Try to work it out, it says to us. Try to be good. You are good. You can do it. And in the end, we see how much we fail. Wisdom of the world is foolish. But the wisdom of God is found in Emmanuel. Wisdom is found in the new life given through His death and resurrection. In Christ, in God with us, we are given life, hope and peace. Things are made orderly again.

We long for the time when He will come again. Until then, we will rejoice in the life we have been given through Emmanuel. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O lost one.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Lord of all order and wisdom, we pray that You will enlighten our minds with the assurance of that salvation that comes through You alone. Give us the wisdom we need in Emmanuel, God with us. Amen.