Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
These verses comprise some of the most famous lyrics in Handel’s Messiah. The words “to us” hit me as I meditate on them. This child described in these verses was given to us. Not to me, not to you. To us. This is a gift on a global scale, and there is a sense in these verses that the Messiah will change the whole earth.
Notice his names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. A person’s title says a lot about what they do and what is important to them. He is a ruler that brings great peace. Fairness and justice describe his kingdom. The last sentence is my favorite. If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is passionately committed to something, I have no doubt it will happen.
Most Jewish people familiar with these Messianic prophecies expected a government ruler to be their savior. Perhaps a king or a military leader. The mistake here, and one that we often make today, was to look at prophecy through an earthly lens. The Messiah wasn’t going to come and save them from an earthly oppression. He wasn’t going to overthrow earthly governments. He wasn’t going to establish an earthly kingdom. No, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had something much bigger in mind. Eternal things cannot fail, crash, end, or be destroyed. This king Jesus will bring permanent peace. Pause today and ask yourself, “What are some ways I still think about Jesus from an earthly perspective?” Allow him to tear apart the limits in your thinking and expand your understanding of him as the eternal King.