CHAPTER THREE: THE PRINCE

I don’t believe anyone reading this would disagree with me when I say that “the world we live in is a mess.” Hatred, fear, deception, mistrust, economic woes, and political upheaval seem to rule the day. Even as Christians, we can find ourselves being pulled down by these things and can easily begin to worry about what is going to happen next.

The nation of Israel was feeling those same types of pressures during the time of the prophet Isaiah. However, in the middle of all of the confusion and chaos, Isaiah wrote some words about the promised Messiah—the prince to come—who should put many of those fears to rest.  In Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 he wrote, “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.” (NLT) But those words weren’t only for the nation of Israel. They were written for every person, but so often we forget this and fail to understand what those given names really mean for each of us.

The first name given by the prophet was “Wonderful.” In many instances, we see this title linked with the next name of “Counselor,” but in the original language, it was separated and was the word used for wonder and awe (not “wonderful” as we often use the word currently). One author put it this way: “it is the word wonder that throbs with power, turns your knees to Jell-o and makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.”  This “wonder” is the same root word used in Psalm 78 describing the miracles done by God in freeing his people from Egyptian slavery.

He then calls him a Counselor. A counselor is someone who gives valuable insight. A counselor is one who can steer us away from unnecessary difficulties and guide us to healthy, wise behaviors. A good counselor is someone who has our best interests at heart and who knows how to help us achieve those interests. This means that this Counselor’s wisdom and counsel is beyond the human capacity of thought and reason.

He wraps up this verse with three more names: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Although these are distinct, different names, these three cannot be fully separated. They stand alone yet are unbreakably linked together. Psalm 50:1 says, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.”   Everlasting doesn’t happen without might. Might comes with endurance and the result is peace.  Jesus encapsulates the might of God, the eternal love and protection of a father, and a peace that surpasses our comprehension of understanding. It is in these truths that, even in a messed up world, that we can stand firm and unmovable in our faith.

So what do you need the Prince to be for you this Christmas season? The peace of God protects us through trouble as we look forward to a future eternal peace with God where he rules as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.