A newborn child is such a small and fragile thing. Can it have the power to change anything?

In the eighth century B.C.E., Ahaz, King of Judah, faced the armies of two kings advancing to attack Jerusalem, and a state of mind bordering on panic seized the king and the people. Into that climate of fear came the prophet Isaiah, who met Ahaz one day as he was inspecting the water supply of Jerusalem in anticipation of the siege of the city. Isaiah called upon Ahaz to have unwavering faith in Yahweh, so that the kingdom would not fall. The sign Isaiah gave him was that a child would be born whose very name would be a reminder of God’s constant presence - Emmanuel, God with us. But what difference could a child make, who could not even hold a weapon against the invading foe?

Ahaz put aside Isaiah’…