<\/p>\n
\u201cFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall 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\u2019S DOMINION IN MAJESTIC, SWEEPING LANGUAGE. He would rule as God\u2019s sovereign King (\u201cthe government shall be upon his shoulder\u201d), and He would be entitled to the most exalted praise. \u201cWonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace\u201d are epithets that could apply only to a divine ruler, receiving both the love and reverence that are reserved for God.<\/p>\n
The words \u201cto us a child is born, to us a son is given\u201d should remind us of the \u201cImmanuel\u201d prophecy in Isaiah 7:14: \u201cTherefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.\u201d Indeed, our text for today in Isaiah 9:6 should be seen within the context of the entire section of chapters 1-12, a section filled with messianic hope. The messianic King who was to come would be no ordinary king. He would be even greater than David: a descendant of David physically, but one who would be miraculously born and nothing less than the Son of God \u2014 Immanuel (\u201cGod with us\u201d).<\/p>\n
The King in Isaiah 9 would rule \u201cfrom this time forth and forevermore\u201d (v.7). This is exactly what Gabriel the angel told Mary about the Son that she would bear: \u201cYou will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end\u201d (Luke 1:31-33). And when the Child was born and taken by His parents to Jerusalem for the required sacrifices, an aged man named Simeon took Him in his arms and said, \u201cLord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel\u201d (Luke 2:29-32).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point of Isaiah 9:1-7 was to alert the house of David that the virgin-born King for whom they were to look would only come after a long period of darkness. Nevertheless, He would indeed come, possessing a divine nature, to establish a righteous and eternal kingdom\u201d (Michael A. Rydelnik).<\/p>\n
Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n