Christ-Mighty God and Counselor
Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given. (Isaiah 9:6)
Isa. 9:1, 2, 6, 7; Micah 5:2; Matt. 16:16; Luke 22:69; John 1:1, 10:30, 37, 38 and 14:8, 9; I Tim. 3:16; Rev. 22:13
What Is God Saying?
The Old Testament points to the birth of Jesus, the Christ (lsa.9:6). John 1:14 is closely related. These two references show the uniqueness of Christ, who is both God and man; they lead us to the glory and joy of Christmas, ‘Immanuel, God with us.’ We know, in context, that this prophecy arises from the approaching fall of Israel at the hands of the Assyrians. Their first victims would be Zebulun and Naphtali (of Galilee), where Christ grew to manhood.
Jesus was totally human, as expressed by, ‘a child is born.’ That is the way humanity comes. Jesus was also totally divine, represented by ‘a Son is given.’ ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.’ ‘A child (a human) is born. ‘A Son (the eternal, uncreated God) is given.’ The verses that follow this extraordinary conjunction (Child, born; and Son, given) go on to emphasize how both concepts are real. The Counselor knows, understands, and can deal with the problems that arise from humanness. Mighty God and Everlasting Father are expressions only applicable to God. Jesus is truly man and truly God. When that uniqueness goes, when Jesus is said to be less than man or less than God, there is no Gospel left. The Cross of our Salvation is God giving Himself (ll Cor. 5:19).
How Does This Apply To Us?
Isaiah's vision of the coming King was far over his horizon. He spoke of very present problems, such as the mounting fury of the Assyrians. But Christ came. God revealed in His Son the blending of deathless love and absolute power. While we do not have to deal with angry Assyrians, we do have enemies that threaten to undo us if we take our eyes off Jesus, the King of the Ages, the true Prince of Peace, the One who is Wonderful, the Counselor, the Mighty God. What Isaiah saw in distant prophecy, we have in present reality. Follow the One who came from glory to lead us to glory. Get to the heart of Christmas. Find the joy of Christmas. This year, throw out the trivia of the festive season and keep the treasure. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.’ God loves us—the proof is Jesus.
Pray With Me
O God, You saw our need and planned for our salvation. We needed to be saved from ourselves and the falsehood and evil abroad in the world and our hearts. You conceived the plan and You provided a way. We see this love and wisdom come to its fulfillment in the Cross. There, Your wisdom triumphed over our folly. There, Your love conquered our indifference and rebellion. There, You opened the Gate of Heaven. There, the concentrated enmity of all the world was ready to send Your Son to a grave of shame. There, Your Son was ready to ascend a throne of grace. That is the triumph of the Cross. That is the reason He came. That is why we are saved. Through this love and wisdom, we are found, and thus, we find the way home.
The dawning of this glory came when ‘unto us a child was born’ and ‘unto us a son was given.’ Jesus was born as a child to be human. He was given as a son to be divine. Lord, You might have conquered us and brought our wayward, defiant, and hate-filled world to the end it deserved through the same power that flung the galaxies into space. Instead, You chose the way of love and showed the way of love. Thank You, Lord, for coming to us in a quiet and serene way. It was as tender as the touch of an infant and as humble as a family finding shelter in a borrowed stable.
Thank You, Lord, for Your wisdom in the birth of a child, completely human, that He might understand our problem. Thank You for Your love in the gift of a Son (the gift of Yourself) that our problem, being thoroughly understood, might be thoroughly solved
In the name of Him who was born as a Child, died as a Son, and will return as a King. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer is based on the Majesty of God. It is also based on the love and grace of God. It is the Mighty God who calls us to prayer. It is the Counselor who talks with us in prayer. We come because He is so great. We stay because He cares so much. No sin is too great and no mistake too monstrous for our Mighty God. There is no problem that is too complicated and no worry that is too trivial for the Counselor. Come to the Mighty God who can and the Counselor who cares. Prayer is wonderful because He is wonderful!
