Tuesday Week 2

Promised Ruler

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."

Christ-Immanuel

Simon Ushakov, 1697

What two things does the prophetic phrase ‘to us a child is born, to us a son is given’ tell us about the Messiah?

[On the surface, that He would be human and that He would be a male. To dig a little deeper, it prophesied His humanity and His deity:

'For to us a child is born’ tells us that He would be fully human so that He could face temptation just as we do, but He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).

‘..To us a son is given’ speaks of His deity. He was the Son of God- given by the Father to us, but had always existed before in eternity past. His deity gave Him the power to conquer sin and death. (Philippians 2:6-7).]

What does the passage mean by ‘the government will be on His shoulders’?

[He will rule on the earth and all kingdoms and governments will be under His dominion. Right now, His kingdom cannot be seen (Luke 17:20-21). But there will come a day when the Messiah will rule on the earth as prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 2:44) and Zechariah (Zechariah 14:9). Then all kingdoms and governments will be under His dominion.]

Isaiah lists four titles for the child; what are they?

[Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.]

What does each tell us about Jesus?

Wonderful Counselor-

"Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?" Isaiah 40:13

"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” Romans 11:34

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” Job 12:13

Mighty God-

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Psalm 24:8

“No one is like You, LORD; You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.” Jeremiah 10:6

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:5

Everlasting Father-

(Literally: Father of Eternity. To Jews, the father of something is the originator or source of it. Thus, Jesus is the source of eternity)

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17

"In the beginning, Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hand. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.” Hebrews 1:10-12

Prince of Peace-

(As the Son of God or the King’s Son, He is a Prince, even as He is King of kings.)

"Of the greatness 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.” Isaiah 9:7

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Close In Prayer

In the Week 2 Songs for Advent, there is a song-- Sing We Now of Christmas-- which has a beautiful refrain that was inspired by today's passage. Today's scripture reading reaffirms that we can go to the Lord for anything. He is eternal, so His wisdom knows no bounds, He is all-powerful, so His ability knows no limits. He is ruler of all and the bearer of true peace.

If you are searching for peace, wisdom, hope or eternal life, go to the Lord, He is all you need.

Make A Joyful Sound!

Choose a song from Song for Advent- Week 2 or choose your own.

#WonderfulCounselor #MightyGod #PrinceofPeace #EverlastingFather #Immanuel