Lyrics
O come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jess, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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Devotional Thought
Beautifully reflecting the anticipation and expectation that defines Advent, this ancient hymn doubles as a prayer for both the first and second coming of Christ. Over 2,000 years ago, the Israelites were eagerly awaiting the first coming of Christ. His coming as the Messiah was first prophesied as early as the 6th century B.C. when the Jews were captive in Babylon. For centuries thereafter, the people of God looked for their Messiah with great longing. We see this reflected in verse one with the lyrics, "And ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here." Christ did come "unto His own" to establish a spiritual kingdom and free the people from their sins, however, the tragedy was that "His own received Him not" (John 1:11-12). Even though many did not accept Christ as the promised Messiah, when we sing this hymn today, we celebrate the biblical and historical fact that God came to earth in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ.
There is also a future aspect to this hymn. Christ's first coming gives us a reason to rejoice again and again, yet we know that all is not well with the world. Even though Christ shed His blood on the cross so that we might be free from sin and have eternal life, death, disease, and calamity still exist, and sin still abounds. When we sing this hymn not only do we celebrate Christ's birth and His first coming, we also express our deep and heartfelt yearning for Him to return a second and final time, so that we might be eternally free from sin, sorrow, and pain (Revelation 21:4).
Take a moment today to rejoice over the life-changing truths of Jesus' birth, death, resurrection, and return. How have these gospel truths changed you, and how will you help make them known?