Christmas: The Wise Dad That Lives in Perfection Forever
[6] For 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. [7] Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV
Whatever we do this Christmas, this is what it is all about. A child would be given to Israel that would go on to become the ultimate king. Isaiah heard or saw or somehow received this from the Lord. When he retold it, he included things that were probably verbatim and some things that were in his own words. That’s the funny thing about speaking through prophet: God speaks to the people through the language and the style of the people.
So Isaiah describes Christmas as the coming of one that is a Wonderful Counselor. If you’ve ever needed advice or a wise person to talk to, Jesus is the best. He is a Mighty God, which is a deity that is not weak. From a time of tribal and national religions where gods and goddesses and spirit-beings were local to their countries, Jesus would show Himself powerful across borders. He was and is not weak. Mighty.
Every human child longs for their father or some sort of man-figure to love them. Even 83 year old men miss their dads. Jesus will be like a father that will never go away. A father that is always there for us. (And these are stacking characteristics! He is the Wonderful-Counselor-Everlasting-Father, so He’s a wise dad forever!)
And finally He is the Prince of Peace. When Jewish people talked about peace, it didn’t just mean that there was no fighting. Peace also meant everyone had a job, there was plenty of food on the table, all of your kids were healthy, you got along with your next door neighbor, the Cubs won the World Series, and all was right in the world.
That is what Christmas is celebrating. If you don’t hear the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel when you read those verses, that’s ok. The might and wonder and longevity and peacefulness of Christ shine in these verses and shine over the month of December. The child-king is coming and is already here! Merry Christmas!
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