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\u201cFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace\u201d (Isaiah 9:6).<\/p>\n
In this memorable text, Isaiah portrayed the Messiah’s dominion in majestic, sweeping language. He will rule as God’s sovereign king (“the government will be upon his shoulders”), and he will deserve the highest praise. \u201cWonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace\u201d are adjectives that can only apply to a divine Ruler, who receives both the love and reverence that are reserved for God.<\/p>\n
The words “To us a child is born, to us a son is given” should remind us of the “Immanuel” prophecy in Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call his name Immanuel.” In fact, our text today in Isaiah 9:6 should be seen in the context of the entire section of chapters 1-12, a section filled with messianic hope. The Messiah King who was to come would not be any ordinary king. He would be even greater than David: physically a descendant of David, but one who would be miraculously born and would be no less than the Son of God \u2013 Immanuel (“God with us”).<\/p>\n
In Isaiah 9 the King will reign \u201cfrom now on and forever\u201d (v.7). This is exactly what the angel Gabriel told Mary about the son in her womb: “You will conceive and bring forth a son, and you are to call his name 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 David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33). And when the child was born and his parents took him to Jerusalem for the necessary sacrifices, an old man named Simeon took him in his arms and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant go in peace, according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for the Gentiles and a light for the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).<\/p>\n
“The purpose of Isaiah 9:1\u20137 was to alert the house of David that the virgin-born King, whom they were to wait for, would come only after a long period of darkness. Yet, he would indeed come with a divine nature, to establish a righteous and eternal kingdom” (Michael A. Rydelnick).<\/p>\n
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com<\/a><\/p>\n