We just had the privilege of attending Paul Baloche’s Christmas Concert. It was such a wonderful evening, praising God and celebrating our wonderful Saviour. They did a fantastic job of blending traditional Christmas music with contemporary Christian music in a fun and interactive way. The sound of the audience’s voices uniting with those on stage reinforced that this was not just a performance, but an act of worship. A truly beautiful expression of all that our Jesus is to us.

His name was, of course, repeatedly lifted up and I was reminded of Isaiah’s poignant prophesy of hope.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

Isaiah, like many of the prophets, was called to deliver some pretty weighty counsel. At the time, Israel was divided: the Northern Kingdom retained the name of Israel and the Southern Kingdom was known as Judah. Israel fell to the Assyrians and was in a state of moral, spiritual and political collapse. Things weren’t looking great for Judah, either. They were surely looking for allies in the surrounding nations, crying “conspiracy!” (instead of acknowledging their part in it) and searching for answers in the occult. Isaiah comes along and points out their rebellion and the subsequent darkness they are experiencing. However, Isaiah then goes on to say:

“The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” ~Isaiah 9:2

He brings a beacon of hope with a message from God: your sins are many but I am full of grace and mercy. The days of your captivity will surely come to an end and I will establish a new Kingdom. As I have always been, I am still, all you need.

But how? What is this light?

The Light is a Person.

For unto us a child is born, Unto us a Son is given
This person will be human-born of Israel. He will be one of them, God’s covenant people.

And the government will be on His shoulder
He will be a great ruler, not only over the Israelites, but over the whole world. Perhaps “on His shoulder” speaks of a royal robe, a King.

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
This name is divided into two in the NKJV, but other versions combine these names. Wonderful is from the Hebrew word pele, often used in the Old Testament in reference to something accomplished, as in doing wonders or miracles. Counselor is from yâ’ats, one who advises or guides. Together or separate, God was sending One who would lead them in an extraordinary way–a way that would illuminate a path that is productive and good, leading to deliverance; not self-sufficient, wayward and lacking, leading to darkness.

Mighty God,
This ruler, this Messiah, was a person, yet He would be of God. I love how the KJV translates this as “The mighty God”–not just of God, but God, Himself, with all of His mighty attributes!

Everlasting Father,
Does this, perhaps, underscore the Messiah’s oneness with God the Father? Regardless, we see that He is eternal, as God is eternal, and we know He is of the Godhead, Three in One. Perhaps this speaks of the way in which He will rule, not as tyrant but fatherly, leading in love.

Prince of Peace.
I’m sure this title carried much expectation for the people hearing it. How they must have longed for peace! This coming Messiah would be the Prince–that is chief, master, ruler–of peace. If we read on, we see the great import of the Hebrew word for peace, shâlôm. This word is repeated 28 more times by Isaiah!

God’s heart for us is one of love and compassion. He wants to see us walking in His light, not darkness. He knows that there is only peace as we look to the Light of the World and place our hope and trust in Him.

Fast forward and we see Mary as the angel explains all that was to come, for the Lord had a marvellous plan:

Then the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

Luke 1:30-33

Here we see another name for the Messiah: Jesus, Saviour. Then, Son of the Most High. King, as he would be given David’s throne. Wow…pretty sure that was quite unexpected news for Mary! Here we also see His reign and His kingdom would be eternal.

Let’s just consider all of this for a moment: this is accomplished by God. The coming of the Messiah depends on God alone. Those who believed Jesus to be the Messiah still didn’t understand the fullness of His coming. They looked to Him to be a King that would break the bonds of their oppression. We have the benefit of seeing the whole story laid before us with a sneak peek at the grand finale. We see that God had a much bigger plan in the works! A plan to offer salvation, peace to all men, not just His covenant people. We see the bigger Kingdom, one where Christ rules in His millennial Kingdom and then forever more in His new Heaven and Earth. He will come, He will reign because God promised it!

His name is above every other name, because He, Himself, is above all others. A day is coming when all will understand who He is.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”   

~Philippians 2:9-11