Ahaz is offered a sign he refuses; God gives one anyway—a child whose name means “God with us.” Matthew reads that promise through Joseph’s dream and Mary’s womb, where Emmanuel takes flesh. Advent expectation narrows to a name: God’s nearness is not a concept but a child—quiet, disruptive, and faithful—arriving precisely where fear would settle for lesser securities.
Isaiah 7:10–16; Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19; Romans 1:1–7; Matthew 1:18–25.