Isaiah 9:6 - Prince of Peace

The Child promised to us in Isaiah 9:6 has several titles. The last is "The Prince of Peace".

The first Hebrew word is the standard word for "ruler, chief, head person", and, of course, the word for "peace" as everyone should know (or guess) is shalom. The word, however, is a little more interesting than you might think. It means most literally "safe". It references being well, happy, friendly. You see, we are at peace when we are safe, well, happy.

Thus, Christ is the prince -- the Son born to the throne -- of peace. He is the author of peace. He is the provider of safety. He is the reason to be happy. Or "blessed", as it is so often stated in Scripture.

This title, "Prince of Peace", is particularly helpful in our day (although I don't suppose it has been any less so in prior days). When life around might not look "safe", when times aren't so "happy", when we don't really see a reason for "peace", we can know that we serve the Prince of peace. It is "the peace that passes understanding".

He is the Prince of Peace first by His position as possessing all authority. While you and I may question the character and wisdom and good intentions of those in immediate authority, the truth is that Jesus told us that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me" (Matt 28:18). As genuine Prince, then, He has all authority, and as Prince of Peace, His authority provides the ultimate safety in an unsafe world.

He is Prince of Peace most importantly in His death and resurrection.

Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility (Eph 2:13-16).

He is our peace. He doesn't merely provide it. He is it. He broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and between God and Man. Because of our Prince of Peace, God is able to cease hostilities with His creation on account of sin.

Peace is no small issue in Scripture. Jesus is "the king of peace" (Heb 7:2). Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). We are not to worry about anything, but pray about everything with thanksgiving so that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ (Phil 4:6-7). We know that, "since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1), that "to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace" (Rom 8:6), and that "the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). We are commanded, in fact, to make peace a guiding principle in our hearts (Col 3:15). Peter tells us "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it (1 Peter 3:10-11).

Peace is a pretty big deal. It's is a major component of the Christian life. It is rooted in the peace we have with God. It is our guiding principle, our calling (Col 3:15), a prime directive. Paul prays, "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way" (2 Thess 3:16). So, in a world that is not at peace among a people who are not at peace in an economic and political climate that is not one of peace, we have the Prince of Peace, the ultimate source, the ruler of peace -- as good as it can possibly be. On the edge of the new year, I echo Paul's prayer:

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way.

Isaiah 9:6 - The Everlasting Father

It seems pretty straightforward, but what nuggets can we tease out of "The Everlasting Father"? The Hebrew word translated "everlasting" is ad. It means perpetuity, eternal, world without end. Perhaps the concept eludes us, however. You see, we might be able to grasp "without end", but the concept of "eternal" when applied to God is actually in both directions -- no beginning, no end. All creation has beginning. Not God. The Septuagint says He is the Father of the world to come, but the word is best translated not as "everlasting" (which implies a beginning without an end), but "Eternal."

The second word, Father, is the Hebrew word, ab. It means ... you guessed it ... father. For those, then, who would like to argue against the patriarchal stance of Scripture, this will be a problem. God is not "the Mother" or even "the Progenitor". He (male pronoun) is "the Father."

Note the title applied: the Everlasting Father. That should jar you once you think about it for a moment. This is about "the son", our Savior, Christ. He would be called "the Everlasting Father". For those who would like to claim that the doctrine of the Trinity is not biblical, that it is a fabrication of the 4th century church, they'll have to deal with this. In the Old Testament Jesus is referred to as the Everlasting Father. No, I'm not suggesting that the Son is the Father. I'm suggesting that the Son has the characteristics of the Everlasting Father. While opponents could argue that "the Mighty God" refers to a merely powerful being, together these two leave no doubt that the doctrine of the Trinity is an Old Testament as well as New Testament concept.

Now, I could turn this into a discussion of the qualities of a good father. There is, for instance, a prime factor of "father" found in Christ as that of Lifegiver. As Giver of Life, He has no equal. But I actually don't think I need to explain the qualities of a good father. I think we know what a good father is like. "But what about those people who had lousy fathers? Or none at all?" Strangely enough, I'm pretty sure they know what a good father is as well. Thus, we find that Christ has the characteristics of His Father, the best Father of all time.

When Jesus was talking to the Pharisees one time, He told them, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires" (John 8:44). Now, clearly these people had fathers, and it wasn't Satan. Nor were they fathered by Satan as Jesus was by God. So in what sense did He mean that? He meant that Satan was their father in that they wished to do his will, follow his example, do his bidding. In the same way, then, is Jesus your Everlasting Father? Is He your life source? Is He your head? Is He the example you wish to follow, the will to which you wish to conform? The Everlasting Father, when you think about it, really expands into something much larger than you might have first thought, doesn't it?

Isaiah 9:6 - The Mighty God

For Week 2 of this series, we're going to look at the second phrase from Isaiah 9:6 -- the Mighty God.

The imagery is easy, even common. The language used, on the other hand, might be a little odd. The second word is what you might expect -- el. It is the classic Hebrew word for "God". You'll find it throughout the Old Testament. Interestingly, though, the word is first translated "strength". For this reason it is translated in some places as "the Almighty". Over in the Psalms we read (God speaking), "I said, 'You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you'" (Psa 82:6). Wait! We are gods? This from the one who said "I am the Lord; there is no other"? Yes, if you understand that el means "mighty" or "mighty ones". And, as "sons of the Most High", there is certainly a sense of power without actually attaining to what we think of as godhood. So the second word leaves us with "God" including an inherent sense of "the mighty".

The first word is gibbor. Strong's says it is literally "powerful" and, by implication, "a valiant warrior" or even "tyrant". That's a little odd, isn't it? But let's just stick with "powerful". Or, as you would expect, "mighty". Putting the two together, then, you end up with "the mighty Mighty One" or "the mighty Almighty". There is, then, built into this biblical description of Christ, a two-term single-meaning concept. What's that all about? Well, in Hebrew there is a fairly common literary technique that uses repetition for emphasis. Use the word once, and it stands by itself. Use it a second time and it is emphasized. Use it a third time and it's being shouted, so to speak. It's like us with our use of italics and bold print. So when the seraphim in Isaiah 6, for instance, cry, "Holy, holy, holy", they aren't being merely dramatic or poetic. They are announcing that God's holiness is taken to the utmost level. Jesus used this technique sometimes when He spoke. He always spoke truth, but sometimes He would say, "Verily I say unto you ...", in essence prefacing his remark with "truth, truth". On rare occasion He would say, "Verily, verily I say unto you ..." Now that would be the professor stamping his foot on the ground to warn you, "This is important; it will likely be on the final exam." It's big truth. Here, then, in Hebraic idiom, is more than just "mighty God". It is a reference to the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the One who holds all power.

Isn't it remarkable that "Unto us a child is born" who is called "the Mighty God"? What might does a child have? Well, He demonstrated Himself mighty when He came on the scene. He drew in shepherd and king alike. He was saved from catastrophe (Matt 2:13-18) and confounded the wise at age 12 (Luke 2:42-47). He started out His ministry after baptism with a trip to the desert to take every attack Satan could give Him and defeated him (Luke 4:1-14). He started out His ministry of signs by changing water to wine (John 2:1-11). He ended His earthly ministry by surrendering to death, rising from the grave, and ascending into heaven. Yeah ... that's Mighty. Despite the subsequent attempts throughout history to annihilate this religion, the Church has survived, grown, and thrived under Christ, the Mighty God, to this day.

We must, in fact, live as if He is this Mighty God. When faced with problems or temptations or trials, it is His power that sustains. When we are weak, He is strong. When we are troubled, His omnipotence provides comfort. When we don't know what to do, His might makes perfectly right. He is without parallel -- the Mighty God.

But, look, it's all well and good that you or I might see that He is the Mighty God and it certainly might be helpful that you or I have a life lived on the basis of this Mighty God, but what about others? What about the "Christian" that denies such a God, either overtly or by action or attitude? Wouldn't it be better just to extend the right hand of fellowship to these rather than the left boot? "Grace" and "humility" would seem to require it. The problem, unfortunately, is that affirming a belief in "Christ" while denying this Mighty God is not merely "an honest mistake". There is a clear biblical term for it. Any time we take something that is not God and apply it as God, the Bible calls it "idolatry", and there is no question what God's view on that topic (both Old and New Testaments included) is. It's not "warm and affirming".

Christ is indeed the ultimate "Mighty God". He demonstrated it during His lifetime. He demonstrated it at the Cross. He demonstrated it by rising from the grave. He continues to demonstrate it in history. To the one who believes it, there is clear direction and great comfort. To the one who doesn't there is great peril. Hopefully you will find yourself in the former position and, recognizing your imperfect grasp of the reality of our Mighty God, strive for a greater confidence in Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6 - Wonderful Counselor

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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6).

It's Christmas time and this is an oh, so popular Christmas verse. I thought I'd take a few weeks to examine these four titles of Christ from the verse. Up first: Wonderful Counselor.

Some versions separate "Wonderful" from "Counselor" with a comma. More modern versions make "Wonderful" an adjective for "Counselor". No matter. We'll put them together because it won't change a thing.

"Wonderful" references the marvelous. It is actually pointing, in Hebrew, to the miraculous. Whatever we can say about Christ, He is miraculous. Wonderful. That is, causing us to be full of wonder. If you've lost that, you're simply not paying attention.

But the second term, "Counselor", is itself wonderful. What is a counselor? A counselor is anyone who gives counsel. (Thanks, Stan, we wouldn't have figured that out.) Seriously, it's anyone who provides guidance in whatever questions or concerns you might have. What determines whether or not the counsel provided is of any value? Well, it would be the quality of the counselor. If the one providing the counsel is an expert, is knowledgeable, is well informed on the subject at hand, you will likely listen. If not, you probably won't.

What, then, is the quality of Christ as counselor? Well, consider this. In biblical terms there are three forms, three levels as it were, of knowing. The first level is knowledge. The second is understanding. The highest is wisdom. Knowledge is the simple possession of facts. Information. Understanding is the ability to comprehend those facts, recognize their correlation, see their inner workings. How do these facts work? That's understanding. Wisdom, then, takes this understanding and applies it to practice. Wisdom is the ability to understand information sufficiently to properly apply it to the present situation in the correct manner.

So, what does Christ know? The disciples told Christ, "We know that you know all things" (John 16:30). We know that God is omniscient, and we know that Jesus is God Incarnate. We know that "God is greater than our heart and knows all things" (1 John 3:20). Perfect knowledge. God never learned a thing because He already knew it all. We know that with God's perfect knowledge and intimate involvement in all reality comes perfect understanding. We know that He fully understands everything because everything is held together in Him. But beyond understanding, we know that He is "the only Wise God" (Rom 16:27). He stands alone in wisdom. He is wisdom. He knows all things, understands all things, and knows perfectly what is the right thing to do at the right time in the right way. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5).

Christ truly is miraculous -- wonderful. But as a Counselor, there is no equal. He is the Counselor that needs no counsel. Perfect knowledge of all things, perfect understanding of that knowledge, and the absolutely perfect wisdom to apply it. If you ever have a question, a concern, He is the perfect adviser. If you wonder which way to go, what to do, how to do it, what would be best, He is the Wonderful Counselor. It doesn't get any better than that.