What Child Is This?
Have you ever noticed how it’s always darkest before the dawn?
In the year 725 BC, a dark power was marching through the Middle East. An evil empire called Assyria stormed out of the mountains of northern Iraq. The Assyrians were a fierce people who gloried in warfare and battle. The only language they understood was the language of power. Their foreign policy toward other nations was simple: they invaded them.
When the Assyrians invaded another country, it wasn’t enough for them to conquer the nation; they took delight in humiliating and terrorizing the population. They committed unbelievable atrocities on their enemies. The Assyrians conquered by the sword and ruled by terror. It’s no wonder that the surrounding nations trembled with fear in their shadow.
By 725 BC, the Assyrians had taken over most of the Middle East. Their next target was the land of Palestine. Only a few insignificant kingdoms were located there. Among them were the Jewish nations of Israel and Judah.
Israel and Judah had once been one nation under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. But now, for two hundred years, they had been separate countries, ruled by separate kings. The northern kingdom, called Israel, was made up of ten tribes. The southern kingdom, Judah, was composed of two - the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
In spiritual terms, the northern kingdom was by far the worse of the two. Her first king, Jeroboam, made idolatry the state religion. Israel’s spiritual life for the next two hundred years spiraled downward into darkness.
Kings came and went. There were coups and revolutions, assassinations and purges. God sent prophets like Elijah and Elishah to call the people back to Himself, but to no avail. They wouldn’t listen. Their hearts were cold.
Meanwhile, the history of the southern kingdom was somewhat different. The people still worshiped God at the Temple in Jerusalem. But much of the time, their worship was simply a going through the motions. Like their northern cousins, they also dabbled in idolatry, bowing down to false gods in the groves and high places.
The kings of Judah were descendants of David, however, and every now and then, one of them would have a heart for God like David had. Good kings like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, and Uzziah led spiritual revivals that would put the people back on the right track spiritually, at least for a little while. But soon, the nation would drift away from the Lord again and the people would go back to their idols.
Unfortunately, in the year 725 BC, at a time of international crisis, that’s where we find them. A wicked king named Ahaz sat on the throne of Judah. The people were cold spiritually. Although they knew that Assyria was knocking on their door they did not look to God for deliverance. They thought that they could somehow make a political alliance with Assyria to save their necks.
But Assyria was in not in a negotiating mood. They marched into Palestine with their great army. Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians after a terrible siege. The northern kingdom simply disappeared from the pages of history from that day on. The Jews of the ten tribes went into captivity as slaves to the Assyrians. The southern kingdom, the nation Judah, stood alone, naked and defenseless.
This was the situation that confronted a man of God named Isaiah. Spiritual darkness and political disaster. What would God say to His people at a time like this?
Well, amazingly, God chose just such a time to give his people the greatest message of hope ever given. They didn’t deserve it. In many ways they weren’t ready to receive it. But he gave it to them anyway. He gave them hope in the dark before the dawn. We find this message of hope in Isaiah 9.
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Jews living in Europe in the 1930’s, just prior to the Second World War, describe that time as a time of foreboding. There was an awful sense of dread in the air; a sense that something terrible was about to happen. The people at that time were literally walking in darkness, they were living in the shadow of death. And that’s exactly how it must have felt to be in Judah in 725 BC.
But Isaiah said, “they have seen a great light… a light has dawned.” He goes on
Isaiah 9:3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
The last thing that the Jews were thinking about at that time was an expansion campaign. They weren’t worrying about enlarging their nation. They were worrying about keeping what little was left. And the only people doing any plundering or harvesting in 725 were the Assyrians. But Isaiah goes on…
Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
When the Assyrians conquered a people, they took them back to Assyria as prisoners of war. There, they would be put into slavery. We have uncovered archaeological remains that show pictures of this happening. An Assyrian soldier is leading a line of prisoners. The prisoners have bars over their shoulders, like a yoke on the neck of an ox. The soldier beats them with a rod and drives them on.
But Isaiah says that this will happen no longer. The “day of Midian’s defeat” refers back to the time of Gideon, when he defeated the Midianites and broke their hold over the children of Israel.
Isaiah 9:5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
During the Cold War, America and the Soviet Union engaged in a frantic arms race. Each spent billions on new weapons and military might. And that’s how it must have been in 725 BC. There was an arms race in the Middle East. With Assyria on the march, the surrounding nations could ill afford to retire their soldiers and dispose of their equipment. But that’s what Isaiah seems to be saying will happen. The boots and the garments of the soldiers will be burned.
So far, Isaiah’s message is puzzling. How could he possibly have good news for the people of God at a time like this? They were facing crisis and calamity. How could Isaiah be so optimistic? Verses 6-7 give the reason why:
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” This is a remarkable thing for Isaiah to say. If you’ll look back at Isaiah 3, you’ll see why. In chapter 3, he is speaking of God’s judgment of the people for their wickedness.
Isaiah 3:1 See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and warrior, the judge and prophet, the soothsayer and elder, the captain of fifty and man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.
In other words, God is going to judge his people by causing a brain drain; a shortage of qualified leadership. The people of Judah would look for leaders who would have answers to their problems, and they wouldn’t find any. Isaiah goes on to say…
Isaiah 3:4 I will make boys their officials; mere children will govern them.
In other words, Isaiah says, your leaders are going to be like children. They are going to foolish in their policies, and childish in their ways. They’re not going to have any answers for you.
But now in Isaiah 9:6, he says that there’s a child coming who’s going to have the government on his shoulders, and his administration is going to be different. Why? What will make it different?
Well, the answer to that lies in who the child is. Isaiah says “a child is born, and a son is given.” He was referring to the fact that this was no ordinary child. He was going to be a child born, indicating his humanity. But he was also going to be a son given, indicating his deity. In other words, this child who is coming is both son of man, and son of God.
Isaiah had already spoken of this unique child, back in 7:14:
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
He was going to be a human baby, born just like every other human baby, except for one thing: he was going to be born of a virgin. This child would have no human father. That’s pretty unusual! This means that, although he would come into the world in the usual way - by being born, his origin was supernatural. This baby wasn’t conceived the way any other baby was conceived.
And what’s more, his name would be Immanuel, which means “God is with us”. This baby was going to be both human and divine. That’s why Isaiah says he is “a child born, but a son given.” He is talking about the birth of the Son of God.
In John 3:16, we read “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”
Now if there were any doubt about this child’s identity, it’s cleared up when Isaiah tells us what his name is. In Isaiah 9:6, we are given four names of this ruler who is to come. Some people think that there are five: the KJV puts a comma between Wonderful and Counselor, which makes you think that they are two separate names. That comma shouldn’t be there. The Hebrew text indicates that Wonderful and Counselor belong together. That means that you have four names, each with two elements: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Let’s try to find out why these names are so significant.
You have to realize that in ancient Israel, a name stood for much more than it does today. In those days, a name stood for all that a person was. It indicated a person’s character. It described his essence. That’s true of the names of the Messiah here in Isaiah 9:6
1. Wonderful Counselor
The word “wonderful” is actually a noun, so the name really should be translated “a wonder of a counselor”. The word “wonder” is a very special word. It is a Hebrew word that is always reserved in the OT for God, or for the works that only God can do. In Psalm 78, the psalmist uses this word when he talks about the miracles, or wonders, that God did in the wilderness.
We see this word again, over in Judges 13. Remember the story of Samson the strong man? Well in Judges 13, we read that the Angel of the Lord appeared to the parents of Samson to tell them that they were going to have a son.
Now whenever the Angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament, it was actually the Lord Jesus Christ himself, in his pre-incarnate form. Why do I say this? Because on more than one occasion, the people to whom the Angel of the Lord appeared actually bowed down and worshiped him. An ordinary angel would never allow this. The angels know that only God is to be worshiped. But the Angel of the Lord did allow the people to worship him, because he was Jesus Christ himself.
So Samson’s father didn’t realize that he was talking to the Lord Himself when he says in verse 17 ““What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” The Angel of the Lord replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” The word for “beyond understanding” in Hebrew is that same word for “wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6.
The Lord was saying “Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful.”
God is so great that He is beyond our comprehension. He doesn’t fit into any of our categories. He is beyond our ability to perceive with our finite minds. The medieval theologians used to talk about the “mysterium tremendum” - the tremendous mystery about God.
God is so awesome, and so much greater than us, that unless he stooped to make himself knowable to us, we would never be able to know him. But that’s why Jesus came. He came to make the Wonderful One known to us.
The Messiah will be a counselor. In ancient times, as in modern days, kings and leaders surrounded themselves with counselors. The wise men, the Magi, who came to visit Jesus when he was born, were counselors to the kings of the Parthian Empire in the East. President Bill Clinton surrounds himself with counselors and advisors.
But the Messiah will have no need of counselors, because he himself will be the counselor. In Jesus Christ are all of the treasures of divine wisdom and knowledge.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Nowadays, the counseling revolution has swept over the church like a tidal wave. We are up to our ears in recovery groups, and twelve step programs, and books designed to help you to understand yourself. But if you just get to know Jesus Christ, you’ll be getting to know One who is wisdom personified. And as you yield your life to God, he’s going to make you more like Jesus Christ, the Wonderful Counselor.
2. Mighty God
The expression in Hebrew is “El Gibbor”, and it means God the Hero, or a Hero of a God. The stress is on power and strength and victory. He is a God who is capable of accomplishing mighty things.
What a contrast he is to the idols that the people in Isaiah’s day were worshiping, and to the false gods that people worship today. People put their trust in money, in good health, in possessions, in relationships. But the storms of life can come and take all of those things away in a moment. And when that happens, what have you got left?
But if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, then you can say with Paul “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” Because Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the Mighty God himself.
3. Everlasting Father
He is not only the Wonderful Counselor, not only the Mighty God, he is the Everlasting Father. This title speaks of his relationship with his people. He is a father to us.
What do you think of when you think of a father? In this day and age of family problems and broken homes, many people do not have a positive image of what a father represents, because they may not have had a good father, or indeed, any father at all.
But the Biblical image of a father is that of a protector and a provider; a beautiful combination of strength and sensitivity. You want a protector to be strong. But you want a provider to be sensitive to the needs of those under his care. Too many men nowadays over-emphasize the “strength” aspect and forget to be tender and sensitive to the needs of their wives and children.
The Bible tells us that God is both strong and sensitive as our heavenly Father.
Psalm 103:13-14 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
He is our provider. He takes care of our needs.
Matthew 6:25-26 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
And he is our protector. He guards us from the evil one.
1 John 4:4 Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Jesus Christ is the Everlasting Father.
4. The Prince of Peace
The people to whom Isaiah was speaking this prophecy were people who were girding for war. The kings and the princes of the Middle East in 725 BC were on the march at the head of their armies. And that’s pretty much how it has been for most of human history.
But the Messiah is the prince of peace. He would come to bring peace in two spheres; peace between man and God, and peace between man and his fellow man. You cannot have one without the other.
When the angels announced the birth of Jesus Christ, they announced peace on earth. But there can never be peace on earth unless something is done about the sin in man’s heart. It is sin that sets us against one another.
It is sin that makes a Somalian warlord withhold food from starving children. It is sin that makes a Serbian militia man massacre women and children in Bosnia. It is sin that makes Hindus and Moslems riot against each other in India.
Sin separates us from each other, but even more significantly, sin separates us from God. It puts us at enmity with God. Unless something is done about sin, there can never be peace on earth.
But the Messiah came to do something about sin. He came to bear our sins in his body on the cross.
Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
This Christmas, so many people are going to go through the holidays with no real peace in their hearts. The Director of the California Dept. of Mental Hygiene wrote “The Christmas season is marked by great emotional stress and more acts of violence than at any time of the year.”
People are not at peace. And the reason that they are not at peace is that they have turned their back on the Prince of Peace, who is the central character of Christmas.
This is the holiday season; a time of festivity and celebration. But what are people celebrating? You can sit through a holiday concert in a public school in America today and not hear one single mention of Jesus Christ’s birth. So what are they celebrating? Christmas means nothing if Jesus isn’t in it.
The hymnwriter asks the question “What child is this who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?” And the answer is that he is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. If you know him, he will be those things for you.
I trust that you will put him at the center of your Christmas celebrations this year.