Several prophets foretold the birth of Jesus hundreds of years before it happened. One of my favorite prophecies comes from Isaiah which says,
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Most of us are familiar with this Bible verse; it’s one of the most well-known prophecies about the birth of Christ. Like many others, I hear or read it every year during Advent. But this year, I decided to study the text, and uncover the precious truths in it.
But before we dive in, here is some historical context.
Isaiah was a prophet in Southern Israel (Judah) before the Babylonian exile. He lived and prophesied about 800 years before Christ.
During his ministry, Israel and Syria formed a coalition against Assyria and pressured Judah to join. But King Ahaz was afraid of Assyria and refused. As a result, Syria and Israel retaliated against Judah. Therefore, Ahaz sought the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III, for help. This request cost Ahaz a large ransom and turned Judah into a vassal kingdom. (2 Kings 15:29 – 16:20, 2 Chronicles 28:1-19).
Even though Ahaz chose to trust men, God graciously sent Isaiah to reassure Ahaz not to fear Israel and Syria. (Isaiah 7:3-9). God then invited Ahaz to ask for a sign that would strengthen his faith. But Ahaz refused, so God gave him the sign.
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows hows to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.” (Isaiah 7:14-16).
A couple of chapters later, amid God’s judgment resulting from king Ahaz’s request from Assyria, Isaiah spoke of this child again.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given
The first thing we learn about the Messiah is His humanity. God had taken on the form of a man several times in the past (Christophanies), but this time, it was different. This time, God truly became a man.
And hundreds of years later, Jesus became that man. The angel of the Lord who announced His birth said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:31-32).
By coming as a man, Jesus became the new and last Adam. And everyone born again under His headship inherits His righteousness, becomes justified, and receive eternal life. (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22-45).
And the government shall be upon his shoulder
This a symbolic way of saying Jesus will be the ultimate King (Revelation 19:16). However, Isaiah was referring to the future messianic reign of Christ that has yet to come. Jesus first came to be the lamb of God and the suffering Savior (Isaiah 53). But when He returns, He will be king all over the earth (Zechariah 14:9), and all knees will bow before Him (Romans 14:11).
And his name shall be called
In biblical times, a name was inseparable from a person. They were considered to reveal a person’s character or trait. Hence, when Isaiah ascribed these names to the Messiah, he described His nature.
Wonderful Counselor
The Hebrew word for wonderful is pele, and it means extraordinary or hard to understand. In modern-day vernacular, the word wonderful is often overused. But when Isaiah used pele, he literally meant, beyond our comprehension, put a hand over one’s mouth kind of astonished.
Jesus did many wonderful acts during His earthly life, the sum of which couldn’t fit books (John 21:25). He performed miracles (Matthew 4:23, Mark 2:12, Mark 7:37, Luke 5:9, Luke 9:43), raised people from the dead (Luke 8:54-56), defied established notions (Mark 15:5, Luke 11:38), lived perfectly (Hebrews 4:15, Matthew 5:48) and He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:6).
The second word of the name is the word counselor. And the Hebrew word is yaats, which means one who steers. It is a title for a ruler or king who guides his people with great wisdom.
Jesus was the wisest man who ever lived, and He constantly astonished people with His teachings and sayings (Matthew 7:28, Matthew 22:33, Mark 1:22, Luke 2:47, John 7:46). Moreover, He is the Son of God and knows all things. Colossians 2:3 says. “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor; He is the way, the truth, and the life. He hears us and guides us on the path of righteousness, and He does it in ways too wonderful for comprehension.
As Isaiah 28:29 says, “This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”
Mighty God
Earlier, Isaiah affirmed the humanity of the Messiah. With this name, he also affirmed His deity as Mighty God is a title reserved for God alone (Isaiah 10:21, Deuteronomy 10:17, Nehemiah 9:32 Jeremiah 32:18).
Many Bible verses support the deity of Jesus, such as John 1:1, John 1:18, Philippians 2:5-6, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 2:9-10, 1 John 5:20, Hebrews 1:3, and more.
But most importantly, Jesus Himself claimed to be God. He said in Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty,” John 10:30, “I and the Father are one,” in John 8:58, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am!”.
Though God the Son became human in the person of Jesus, he didn’t cease to be the Almighty Yahweh.
Everlasting Father
This title does not mean Jesus is the Father in the Godhead. The original Hebrew phrase means Father of eternity or Father of everlasting, and it means two things.
First, the Messiah will rule over a nation. In biblical times, a king was considered the father of his country; in the same way, George Washington and the other Rushmore guys are the founding Fathers of the United States. But back then, the father of a nation behaved like a father of a family. He cared for his people, provided for them, and protected them.
Secondly, the Messiah’s Fatherhood would be everlasting. Unlike human rulers who come and go like the wind, Jesus would reign forever. Isaiah 9:7 says, “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”
And we know Jesus is the everlasting Father. When the angel announced His birth, he also said, “and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end.” (Luke 1:33)
Prince of Peace
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and it means a state of wholeness or completeness. In the beginning, Adam and Eve had peace with God, but sin broke it. And ever since then, the world has been torn apart by wars and violence. Isaiah even proclaimed this prophecy at a time when Judah was at war and gave them hope for a future king who would restore peace.
Jesus is the prince of peace. He said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
However, until His messianic reign comes, there won’t be world peace. Only those in Christ, those with whom God is pleased, have access to His shalom (Luke 2:14). Which is peace with God (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14), with others ( Colossians 1:19-20), and in our hearts (John 16:33, Philippians 4:7).
But one day, Jesus will come again, and this time, He will bring worldwide peace. And as Isaiah said, of his peace, there will be no end.
Christmas isn’t just about celebrating the baby in the manger; the manger is empty! It is more about the return of the Lord, our Wonderful Counselor, and Mighty God, who is coming soon to establish His everlasting kingdom of peace and righteousness.
