The Gospel of Isaiah: Highlights of Chapter Nine

The Gospel of Isaiah: Highlights of Chapter Nine.

WANTED: An imaginative scribe who can write exquisite poetry. A faithful, articulate believer in Yahweh who can switch from one extreme to another at the Lord’s command… from a sublime vision of God’s glory, to a ridiculous demonstration of shameful nakedness; from confronting the people over their sinfulness, to comforting people with hopefulness; from being an outspoken messenger one minute, to a living object lesson the next; from having one foot in the immediate surroundings one minute, to one foot in the future messianic realm the next. Must be adaptable, thick-skinned, and extraordinarily brave. Person who answers, “Here I am. Send me!” will be especially considered. (from The Jerusalem Post, 740 BC).

• “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the power of His leadership, all the weight of authority and dominion, will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).

a. From Darkness to Light. The journey from Isaiah 8 to Isaiah 9 describes the greatest miracle in the Bible. Going from spiritual darkness to the Great Light. From the absence of truth to truth incarnate. From walking in blindness to walking in the light. From spiritual ignorance to the light of wisdom from on high. From a time of hopeless grief to a time of celebration and rejoicing. From a world without the Messiah to a world with Him personally in the midst. About 700 years before its fulfillment in Mary, Isaiah foretells a child born who will be the light of the world, a son who will be given to us, who will bear the government of the world on His shoulders. The Messiah’s rule will be eternal and upheld with justice and righteousness, faithfulness and truth, Isaiah tells us. And the wondrous reality we can take to the bank is… God really, really wants this to happen. This coming of the Messiah is not just of passing interest to the Lord. The “zeal of Yahweh” will accomplish this prophecy. God promised to pursue this Incarnation with great energy, with intense fervor, with passion and determination. God passionately desires that His Son would come into the world. And, as we know, God tends to get what He wants in due time.

b. Descriptive Titles of Jesus. In the middle of this prophetic word in Isaiah 9, we are offered four titles of the Messiah that end up being a fascinating character description. Isaiah wrote this well before the truth of the Triune God became well-defined. And so the titles here don’t necessarily reflect the roles of the Messiah in the Trinity as much as describe his eternal attributes. There are various ways one could translate this passage. Nonetheless, these four titles are all true in the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father.

“Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NKJV).

“Wonder-Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (NJB).

“The Mighty God is planning grace; the Eternal Father; a peaceable ruler.” (Tanakh, JPS).

“Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (NAB).

Miraculous Advisor, Champion God, Father of Eternity, Master of Wholeness and Shalom. 

A Wonderful Counselor is the Mighty God! The Everlasting Father is a Prince of Peace! (TPT).

c. Miraculous Counselor. The Hebrew word for “wonderful” in this passage means: wondrous; miraculous; unsurpassed; something so wonderful that it is beyond comprehension; remarkable, extraordinary, marvelous; so awesome it cannot be understood by humans; so amazing that it seems impossible or too difficult to accomplish; so uniquely set apart from human understanding that it is God’s secret.  So this Son to be given to humanity is filled with such miraculous wisdom that His guidance, His counsel, will be undeniably supernatural. This Child’s counsel will be an incomprehensible marvel, resulting in guidance that far surpasses anything human or natural. We can confidently call this long-expected Messiah a wondrous counselor for all who follow Him.

d. Champion God. The Hebrew word for “mighty” in this passage means champion, warrior, mighty man of valor, one who is heroically strong. It’s no surprise that the same Hebrew term is used in this passage, “Lord Yahweh goes forth like a warrior; like a fighter He will stir His zeal. With a shout He will raise a battle cry; like a hero, He charges upon His enemies and will triumph over them.” (Isaiah 42:13); or this one, “The Lord Yahweh is with me like a dread champion, a violent warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed because they have not acted wisely.” (Jeremiah 20:11). But when we want to get a full picture of what kind of champion and warrior our God is, try this one on for size, “The Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior, a warrior who brings triumph. He will rejoice over you, taking delight in you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, renewing you, soothing you, and calming your fears. He will exult over you, dancing with joyful songs as in the day of festival.”  (Zephaniah 3:17). So the “mighty God” Isaiah refers to in his prophecy here is an overpowering warrior who is full of love, a dread champion who sings songs, a heroic man of valor who dances joyfully over His beloved. Wow!

e. Father of Eternity. When Isaiah refers to Eternal Father, what kind of Father was he thinking of? This might be surprising, but the Father in the Hebrew Bible was recognized as being the Creator and the Maker; the Molder and the Shaper; the Protector and the Provider; the Redeemer; the Head of the household of the world. Most of all, the Hebrew father was a person, or Person, of love and mercy… “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Ps. 103:13). In the Hebrew Bible, the role of the father is not applied to an austere, distant taskmaster, a person who exists merely to punish or judge. The Jewish image of the father inevitably involves compassion and kindness. If Jesus is the Eternal Father, we couldn’t find a more apt title for Him. One reading of the gospels and we are convinced that Jesus, in this biblical sense, was fatherly in all He did. The source of Jesus’ compassionate fatherliness was His divine intimacy with the Father. They shared the same character. Jesus loved others the way the Father loved Him, like a father. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, which was act like a fatherly king. Since all the Father’s fullness dwelt in Jesus, Jesus spilled over with the qualities of the Father. Jesus expressed the Father’s compassion, He reflected on earth the heart of the Father in heaven. Jesus represented the Father by doing what the Father wanted Him to do. Jesus was and is the Eternal Father because He is the exact visible image of the invisible Father. Jesus was fatherly, because if you’ve seen the Son, you’ve seen the Father. Jesus cared for His people the way the Father cares for His Son. Father-like, Jesus tends to His flock. For He is the Great Shepherd. He is the Eternal Father.

f. Prince of Peace. The ancient Hebrew word translated as peace is “Shalom,” which means completeness or wholeness, as in the joining together of opposites; integrity, as in the effective holding together of separate pieces; to give/restore harmony; fulfillment; health; security; abundant well-being; the state of having the vitality needed to thrive and flourish; tranquility; freedom from disquiet and disorder; reconciliation; resolution of conflict/war; healing of division; prosperity. The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is “eirene” and means the same thing as “shalom” in the Hebrew Bible. Shalom ranks the highest of all values in the Hebrew Bible, according to Jewish scholars. Shalom is the most important goal in all of life. “Rabbinic teaching describes it as the only vessel through which God’s blessings can flow into this world.” (Rabbi Arthur Green, These are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life). So for Jesus to be the “Prince of Peace” means He is the Master of Wholeness, and Harmony, and Well-Being, and a whole lot more.