The Child
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
The humble beginning of this verse is so descriptive of the great love our Abba Father has for us – He knew that we as human beings would be lost forever unless He sent His only begotten Son to come and save us. And so, Jesus left His honoured place of glory in Heaven and was born here on earth. He chose to humble Himself completely, for is there anything more helpless than a new-born baby, dependant on others for absolutely everything in life?
to us a son is given,
The Son was given to us by the Father, a Gift to mankind. His conception was not the result of human planning or intervention, even Mary was surprised to hear that she was to bear the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, the very Son of God.
and the government will be on his shoulders.
Government was regarded as a burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized by a key laid upon the shoulder (Is 22:22). Jesus is already the Head of His body of believers in a spiritual sense but will in the Millennium physically rule over the whole world here on a re-vitalized earth. This prophecy was already spoken over Him through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth. Let us consider the rest of it:
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Everything about our Messiah was, and is, wonderful! He is also the wisest Counsellor, able to reign over all nations and peoples with supernatural, all-encompassing Wisdom.
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
The Hebrew word El is used here, always referring to the Almighty God, clearly equating Jesus to God. In accordance with a custom usual in Hebrew and in Arabic, he who possesses a thing is called the father of it. Jesus is the Father of eternity itself, ‘possessing’ it – He has always existed, and will always exist, from eternity to eternity.
Prince of Peace.
And finally, Jesus is called our peace in (Eph 2:14); He is the only means by which peace can be achieved between God and men (Isaiah 53:5); and between Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:15); He reigns through peace in our consciences and leaves us His legacy of peace (John 14:27). The Prince of Peace indeed!
Points to ponder: In this season, when Jesus will be depicted all over the world as a little child lying in a manger – meditate and think about this word spoken over Him through the prophet Isaiah. A word that accurately spoke about Who He really is: the grown-up Child, our Messiah!
Priscilla Koegelenberg
Feel free to email me at questions.powerhouse@gmail.com