The Child

September 11

Isaiah 9-10

Psalm 103:15-22

Proverbs 22:14-16

Philippians 1:1-20

The Child

“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;  and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.  The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:6-7 LSB

This passage in Isaiah is a prophecy foretelling the coming of the Messiah.  700 years before Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, Isaiah made a birth announcement telling the world about the Messiah so they could watch for Him.  Unfortunately, most of the Jews missed it and didn’t pay attention to his message.  He clearly explained that the Messiah was going to come as a baby, born into the world, through natural means.  We know from Isaiah 7:14 that the Messiah would be born to a virgin so obviously that is not exactly like other children are born, but He was carried in a woman’s womb and delivered by natural means just like every other child from Cain and Abel until now.  Isaiah proclaimed that He would sit on David’s throne and the government would rest on His shoulders.  He would establish a kingdom and would uphold justice and righteousness forever.  This part of the prophecy has not been fulfilled.  It is speaking of the Millennial reign of Jesus, the 1,000-year period of time after His second coming when He will rule and reign the world from the seat of His government in Jerusalem.  At that time, there will be justice and righteousness over the whole earth. 

A birth announcement typically lists the babies first, middle and last name.  In modern culture, parents typically spend much time agonizing over what to name their baby.  Sometimes they choose a family name or the name of someone they respect or admire, but often they just give them a name because they like how it sounds.  That was not the case with the names Isaiah gave.  These names had specific meaning because they foretold the character and attributes of the child who was to come.  He was able to fulfill the role of Messiah because of His character and position.  He is the Eternal Father.  He was and is and is to come.  He existed before time began and He has seen all, knows all and is sovereign overall  (John 1:1-3, John 17:5, Revelation 1:4, 8).  He is the Mighty God.  He is all powerful and can accomplish anything.  He has the power to rule and reign as the Supreme Ruler of the world  (Matthew 28:18-20, Hebrews 1:3, Philippians 2:9-11, Ephesians 1:20-23).    He is the Wonderful Counselor.  Any issue we have, He is the One we can turn to for the answers.  In His perfect wisdom, He knows the best thing we can do and He wants to help us navigate this life  (Psalm 32:8, John  16:13, Isaiah 28:29).  And He is the Prince of Peace.  This world is filled with turmoil, war and strife, but He is the author of peace.  He is the only One who can bring about peace in our world  (John 14:27, 16:33, Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 26:3).   Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace now and forever.