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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
We see this verse printed on Christmas cards. We see it on church Christmas bulletins, or perhaps in our devotional reading time. But do we ever really stop and think about what this beautiful, power-packed, awesome verse is saying?! Or what about the verses immediately following this verse? Do we think of the promise being made? Do we notice it is written by Isaiah as if it were already happening, not hundreds of years before the actual event took place, but in that moment in time? Do we see the comfort and promise from an All-powerful, loving God?
Each word in this announcement is packed with power and precious truth. The depth of each one of these precious words cannot be summed up here. I can't even begin to scratch the surface, but I would love for us to look at just a few of the truths laid out in this verse.
"For unto us a child is born..."
Humanity... "a child"... the humanity of the one being born is declared.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
"...unto us a Son is given.."
Deity... "Son" is a title that proclaims deity. This is not said to inform you if it will be a boy or a girl. Exactly WHO is being given is announced. The Son is being given.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
"and the government shall be upon His shoulder..." Ruler. The word used for government in this verse is used only twice in all of Scripture - in Isaiah 9:6 and 9:7. Both verses refer to this child who would be born. There has never been one who has governed or ruled like this One will rule. He will take the government of the world on Himself. The root of the word "government" is the Hebrew word "sarah". The meaning is to have power, to persevere, to rule over, and to set in order. This One who was to be born would be the One who will persevere over the enemy, set things in order, and rule over all. He is the only one who ever has had or ever will have this kind of power and might. This is so exciting!
In Judges 13, there is an event where the Angel of the Lord comes to visit a woman to tell her that she and her husband Manoah will have a son who will deliver their people from their enemies, the Philistines. When the woman tells her husband about the "man of God' who came to see her and what news He gave her, Manoah prays to the Lord that he too can see this man of God. After this, the woman gets a second visit. This time she runs and gets her husband. When Manoah comes running and encounters the visitor, he asks him if he is the same one who had come to visit his wife before. The visitor's answer...... "I AM."
After a visit between Manoah and the Angel of the Lord (you can read the full account in Judges 13), the following takes place...
Judges 13: 15-23 Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you." The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, [then] offer it to the LORD." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.
Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that when your words come [to pass,] we may honor you?" But the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"
So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the LORD, and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on.
For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw [this,] they fell on their faces to the ground.
Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. So Manoah said to his wife, "We will surely die, for we have seen God."
But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear [things] like this at this time."
God, who could be seen, had come to visit Manoah and his wife. God, Whose name is Wonderful. By the way, Manoah and his wife named their son Samson.
"...Counsellor...."
When He comes the Spirit of the Lord is Upon Him....
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Luke 4:18, 19 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
"Mighty God...." To leave no doubt, the birth announcement declares this is Mighty God, the conqueror and deliverer Who is coming down to man AS man.
"Eternal Father..."
This is the Eternal Father. Do not confuse this title with the first person of the Trinity, God the Father. No, this could also be said, He is the Father of Eternal Life. It is through His death that Eternal life is possible for us. "Prince of Peace..."
This name like all the others is so packed with meaning. Just to touch on what this means for us....He brings us peace with God. He gives us His peace. He will bring peace to the earth...
Rom 5:1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Col 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Praise God!!! A child was promised. A Son was given. He would be a ruler unlike any other. He is the God who would be seen. He would have the Spirit poured out on Him. He is the One Who made a way for us to have eternal life through His redemptive work on the cross. He brings us into peace with God. He is our Peace. He is our God. He is our Lord and Savior.
Today on Christmas Day followers of Jesus around the world are celebrating the wondrous, miraculous gift of this child born in a little town called Bethlehem some two thousand years ago. Today we give thanks to a Father Who gave His Son. Today we have hearts filled with such gratitude to the Son Who willingly took on our sin and death to make a way for us to have peace and reconciliation with God. Today we give thanks to the Holy Spirit as He draws us, gives us comfort, guides us, and remains with us constantly as a promise of what is to come. Today should be today and today and today throughout the year. Every day should be spent in living our lives with this truth and wonder continually before us. This is the most real, most important thing in our lives....not just now but for eternity. We should yearn for Him more. We should seek for every aspect of our lives to be lived and filtered through the truth and redemptive work of Jesus. He is our peace. He is our beloved God. Praise God for the perfect gift. Merry Christmas!!!
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