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        "What Child Is This?"
        Isaiah 9:6
        Theme:         With supernatural guidance, the One who knows all power has designed an eternal redemption that permanently brings peace to all who will bow to Him as King

      1. The Provision of the Child – "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;"

        1. The Humanity of the Savior

          1. With the situation so bleak – Israel about to be handed over in judgment to the Assyrians, Isaiah brings to a climax the promise of God to bring deliverance.
          2. This deliverance will be through the promised Messiah who would be virgin born - cp. Isaiah 7:14
          3. This child was provided at the fullness of time – cp. Galatians 4:4-5
          4. This emphasizes the humanity of Christ – that He became flesh and blood so that He could vicariously suffer for our sins – Hebrews 2:14-15
            1. First, this enabled Him to amass a lifetime of perfect obedience that He could offer to the Father; He was a man who perfectly kept the Law and had in Him no sin - the basis for His offering – Hebrews 2:10; 5:8-9.
            2. Second, it enabled Him to step into our place and suffer for our sin to fulfill the wrath of God – 2 Corinthians 5:21.

        2. The Divinity of the Savior

          1. However, we are also told that this child possesses other characteristics that make it even more special – "a son will be given to us."
          2. This is a reference to the incarnation of the Son of God – that God Himself would become flesh and dwell among men – John 1:14; John 3:16

      2. The Power of the Child – "And the government will rest on His shoulders;"

        1. The Guarantee of His Reign

          1. Isaiah tells us that this child – as the Deliverer - will provide the foundation for the Kingdom of God
          2. The comment that "the government will rest …" signifies the certainty of His career as the great King – so long promised – cp. 2 Samuel 7:13-16.
          3. This same promise is said to be fulfilled in Christ – cp. Luke 1:32-33
          4. Although the Messiah was rejected upon His first Advent, He will come again to rule in fulfillment of all the promises and covenants – this a promise of God.

        2. The Grandeur of His Reign

          1. This government that will rest on His shoulder – it will be a Kingdom of power and glory.
          2. It is described as a reign that will be characterized as a "rod of iron" – that is, there will be nothing inconsistent with the will of God – His will shall prevail over all – cp. Psalm 2:9
          3. Although Jesus rules today from Heaven over the spiritual realm of God’s subjects, there will come a day when He will actually rule "with a rod of iron" on earth – cp. Revelation 19:11-16.

      3. The Prestige of the Child – "And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

        1. Provider of Supernatural Counsel

          1. The term "Wonderful Counselor" most likely should be considered as one title – portraying the quality of the counsel provided by the Lord.
            1. The term "Wonderful" regularly means "supernatural" – qualifying the kind of counsel that the "Counselor" provides.
            2. In that He is described as the "Counselor" indicates that He is to be sought concerning the issues of life.
          2. During His first advent, the Messiah would provide such supernatural counsel as to often be misunderstood and/or rejected – cp. John 6:66-68
          3. His counsel is rejected because it fails to correspond to the "conventional wisdom" of the world – cp. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
          4. However, when Christ returns the second time, then no one will reject His counsel and all will in unison call Him the "Wonderful Counselor" – cp. Isaiah 11:1-5.

        2. Power of the Supreme God

          1. The second name given to the Messiah when He rules is "Mighty God" – a reference to the tremendous and limitless divine power available to the Messiah.
          2. This also emphasizes that there is nothing that is more powerful than the Messiah – He is "Almighty" – nothing can stand up against Him.
          3. In this title is the promise that He will overcome all enemies and will also completely conquer evil as He puts all things under His feet – cp. 1 Corinthians 15:25-28.

        3. Precedence Over the Span of Eternity

          1. The next title given the Messiah that would come is "Eternal Father" – a name that most literally reads: "Father of Eternity"
          2. He is the author of eternity – most notably everlasting life – as the Greek translation of this text reads: "Father of the world to come"
          3. Thus, from the very beginning, the Messiah would not be coaxed into His redemptive mission – He fathered it!.

        4. Prince of Peace

          1. This final title sounds the crescendo of this section – referring to the matter most on the minds of those knowing the distress of their captivity – that the Messiah would bring peace.
          2. This was the point of the provision of the child – to bring peace on earth – cp. Luke 2:14
          3. The peace that men seek can be found in nothing except the provision of God for men – cp. John 16:33
          4. Thus, the peace of God is available only when the "Prince of Peace" rules in our hearts – Matthew 2:6
          5. Thus, with supernatural guidance [Wonderful Counselor], the One who knows all power [Mighty God] has designed an eternal redemption [Eternal Father] that permanently brings peace to all who will bow to Him as King [Prince of Peace].

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