| “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9:6-7 JND). |
| There are many verses in the Old Testament that tell us details about the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus, and these two verses are some of them. Hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote these words by inspiration. That means that the Holy Spirit led him to write them. There are several important details to notice in these verses. |
| First of all, it says that unto us a child “is born,” but unto us a Son “is given.” Why is this? It is because the Lord Jesus was always the Son of God, away back in a past eternity. He never became the Son of God; He was always in that relationship with God His Father. But He had never been a child before. He became a man when He was born into this world, and in that sense He was born. |
| Secondly, we see five special names that the Lord Jesus has. Certainly He is wonderful, for everything He did, and everything He is still doing, fits the definition of the word “wonderful.” The word “wonderful” means something that is excellent and admirable. But then He is also called “counsellor.” That means that He is able to give us good advice in any situation. Others may give us advice, but nothing is as good as the advice the Lord gives us. |
| Next, He is called “the mighty God.” Although the Lord Jesus became a man, He is God, and always was God. He has all the power of God, and even when He was here in this world, He was just as much God as He was before He became a man. Again, we cannot understand how He could be God and man in one person, but He was. And He is still a man! He will remain a man for all eternity, in order to enjoy our company. |
| Then He is called something that we cannot totally understand, and you will notice that I have used the J. N. Darby translation. He is called “the Father of eternity.” How could someone be the Father of eternity? We cannot imagine anything like that, for we cannot really “wrap our minds around” the idea of eternity. Yet this is a name of the Lord Jesus. |
| Finally, He is called the “Prince of peace.” This is a beautiful name, for His work on Calvary’s cross has made peace with God for us. Eventually His work will bring peace to this world for all eternity! This is the only place in the Bible where this name of the Lord Jesus is used, but how beautifully it describes who He is and what He has done. |
