For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
In this Scripture passage, the prophet Isaiah is prophesying the birth of Jesus. He begins with saying, “For unto us a child is born…” Have you ever considered the magnitude of that statement? Unto us a child is born. Unto a bunch of unrighteous, unruly, sinners a child is born. We will never be worthy of this great gift, but God gave Jesus to us anyway.
He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus came to earth as a baby growing into a man, not just any man but the man who would take our sin even though He Himself had never sinned. He would a horrible death for our transgressions. It is said in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Peter sums it up in 1 Peter 2:21-24 by saying, “For you were called to this because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He was suffering, He did not threaten but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died for our sins, we might live for righteousness, you have been healed by His wounds.”
Jesus didn’t come and die on that cross for anything He had done, this was all for us. God sent Him down to earth fully human conceived of a virgin to save us. It’s important that we understand Jesus came for us. He was beaten, humiliated, hung on a cross and died for our sins. He rose and conquered death so that we may have eternal life.
No matter what we will do, we will never deserve this, but we should strive to do the best we can to follow His example. We must remind ourselves daily why He came to earth. He lived to set an example for us. He died to free us from sin and death.
Isaiah not only prophesied Jesus’ birth but went on to say Jesus would be named Wonderful Counselor. The word wonderful refers to supernatural. Jesus is a supernatural counselor. At His first coming, He brought words of life. He will come again and rule with perfect wisdom.
He would be named Mighty God. Mighty God is a term applied to Yahweh which predicts the ultimate victory the Messiah will have over evil. We are to do our best to conquer evil with good and leave vengeance to the Lord, He will vindicate (Romans 12:19)
He will be named Eternal Father, the Messiah will eternally watch over His people protecting them, and supplying their needs. We have no need to worry. If we simply focus on Him, He will supply all we will ever need (Matthew 6:33-34).
He will be named The Prince of Peace. This refers to one who brings Peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). In Him we can find peace regardless of our circumstances.
I may never understand why God loved us so much He would send Jesus to save us but He did. It’s not for me to understand. It’s just for me to show my appreciation by bringing Him glory, honor and praise in all I say and do.
As you go through this day and every day remember, “For unto us a child is born, a Son is given.” Show your appreciation for this great gift by honoring Him in all you do.
Have a great day!