His Name Is: Wonderful Counsellor
About this series:
The great announcement of Isaiah 9:1-5 - that light and joy would come to God's people who were in darkness and mourning - would inevitably raise questions in the minds of the hearers / readers: “But how? How will all this happen?” Isaiah's answer is, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And this child / son will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” God will send a male child who will be the perfect embodiment of these names, who will grow to reign for ever, who, “will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom” and who will do so, “with justice and righteousness.” All of which will happen because, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (verse 7). So God will send one who will deliver his people and reign forever as Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
About this talk:
In contrast to the many kings that God's people had known in ancient times, with their numerous flaws and their failure to lead the people in godliness, this king, on whose shoulders the government will rest, will be the Wonderful Counsellor. He will be known for his divine wisdom, his ability to give supernatural counsel, to lead and guide with perfect understanding and insight. Some of the kings had led the people well – David and Solomon (in part), Josiah, Jehoshaphat, Asa, Uzziah, Hezekiah - but the kingship had begun in debatable fashion (1 Samuel 8) and despite some highpoints, largely led the people away from God and towards a lifestyle of idolatry and injustice.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the one God will send is described as bringing justice to the nations, lifting the heads of his people, bringing them back to God, releasing them into freedom and restoring them from their pitiful condition. “Counsellor” in this statement needs to be carefully understood. He is not a personal therapist (!), but one who will give advice, a military strategist, a truth-teller, a righteous ruler.
Looking back to Isaiah 9 from a New Testament perspective, we read how Jesus was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and how, from a young age, he was known for his wisdom (Luke 2:40,52). People, “were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:28-29), asking, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” (Matthew 13:54). As Isaiah also prophesied, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord” (11:2). Where do we go for understanding, for wisdom, for a model of what it is to know and fear God? We go to Jesus who shows us what God is truly like and how to live in a right relationship with him.
Jesus told his disciples that the Spirit of truth would lead them into all truth (John 16:13), that he would, “teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26) and would “testify about me” (John 15:26). The disciples heard the truth and counsel of Jesus while they were with him and the Holy Spirit reminded them of that truth such that they were able to ensure it was recorded for us in what are now the Scriptures. That Word and the voice of his Spirit mean that Jesus continues to be our Wonderful Counsellor today.
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