An Advent Reflection: Unto Us A Child is Born, and Unto us His Son is Given! And What Would He be Called Today? Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 9:2-7 Names of God Bible

A Child Will Be Born as the Prince of Peace

² The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light.
    The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow.

³ You will expand the nation and increase its happiness.
    It will be happy in your presence
        like those who celebrate the harvest
            or rejoice when dividing loot.
⁴ You will break the yoke^[a] that burdens them,
    the bar that is across their shoulders,
        and the stick used by their oppressor,
            as you did in the battle against Midian.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot marching to the sound of battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
        will be burned as fuel in the fire.
⁶ A child will be born for us.
    A son will be given to us.
    The government will rest on his shoulders.
    He will be named:
        Wonderful Counselor,
        Mighty God,
        Everlasting Father,
        Sar Shalom.
⁷ His government and peace will have unlimited growth.
    He will establish David’s throne and kingdom.
    He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever.
    Yahweh Tsebaoth is determined to do this!

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

If it was in our power exactly right now, how would we go about redressing the division, tyranny, oppression, and suffering that marks and mars our world?

What would our “completely perfect” solution look like?

We all have our grandiose ideas and plans on achieving them—but now here is God’s: His definitive answer to all of the world’s darkness was to send a child.

The people of Israel had long been awaiting the arrival of the one who would embody all of their hopes.

The ancient prophets of old had long been declaring the coming of a Messiah, and as the centuries passed, the expectation of such a deliverer steadily grew.

God’s Prophet Isaiah added significant fuel to the fire of this longing, declaring that the Messiah would come as “a child,” “a son,” and that “the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Such a complete and comprehensive picture in an 8×12 glossy biblical frame!

But the ancient question remained: Who could possibly fill this description?

Surely no one had yet come who lived up to such high, lofty heavenly language.

But it was this child-—sent of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, who came not in military might or with flashes of lightning but in a trough, surrounded by animals and shepherds at His birth—who was God’s answer to sin and death.

Isaiah prophesied: He alone would govern His kingdom “with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:7).

Isaiah says the child-king would be called “Wonderful Counselor.”

Kings were known in some measure by their counselors.

The extent of their authority and rule was made apparent by the number of advisers they could call upon for their heavenly vision, wisdom and guidance.

And yet this King would have none.

Because He Himself is the Wonderful Counselor; He has no need of any outside wisdom in order for Him to rule with absolute perfection and total authority.

This self same Wonderful Counselor is the sole remedy for all expressions of division, and suffering and evil in our own world—including those in our life.

Are we joyfully submitting to His plans and are we bowing our knee to His rule?

Have you entrusted all of our ways and all of our concerns unto His counsel?

When His ways and ours are not the same, what “names do we give Him?

By what “socially engineered construct” do we envision His place in our life?

Do we accept that He knows better than us and walk the way He calls us to?

What “signs of the times” do we raise and march and protest and declare Him?

Whose name do we exalt, shout out above all others as we block intersections?

Do we even, right in this exact moment, know why we should block the streets?

Overwhelm the news media with songs as the angels did before the shepherds?

With shouts of exclamation for our God’s gift to His world is no ordinary child.

This is Christ the Lord, our Counselor, Prince of Peace, our wonderful Savior!

Have we not known?

Have we not heard?

Have we not called to Him by His name?

Have we not acknowledged Him or even recognized Him by His Words, deeds?

Have we not scratched all of our hair off of our collective heads enough yet?

Have we not yet begun to shout loud enough “over the hills and everywhere?”

Well, there will will surely come a day, as God always promised, when we will!

Maybe, just maybe, that glorious day of salvation will come into our lifetimes?

Perhaps, it might even be today – God willing and the name of the Lord Arises!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus as the Light of the world to enlighten everyone coming into the world. Thank You that in Him is the light of the glorious gospel of grace that can never be quenched by the darkness of this world. I praise and thank You that His Light has come into my life and enlivened my spirit and enlightened my soul. Open my eyes more and more to see Jesus and to grow more like Him. Give me greater understanding of all that You have achieved in my life, for without You I would remain in darkness and dead in my sin. Thank You for Your great salvation, to You be all praise and glory forever. Loving Lord, no matter how many times I read of the wonder of Your incarnation as the Word made flesh, it fills me with wonder and praise. Lord, I worship You in the beauty of holiness, and I bow down before Your throne of grace in wonderment, for holy is Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain

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