To Us a Child Is Born

In this Advent season we have been looking at texts specifically speaking of Christ being born. In Galatians 4:4, we read of Christ being “born of woman, born under the law,” and learned that by doing so he was able to free us from having to fulfill the law in order to be saved. He did that work on our behalf. In Philippians 2:7 we read that he was “born in the likeness of men,” and so set an example for us of humility. Now we come to our final text this morning. Let’s see what the text has to teach us about Christ being born.

Text

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.

Interestingly enough, the verses are about government. The child to be born will be the head of a government: “and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” This child will have the responsibility of a nation laid upon him. This can be done because of who the child is.

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This child is Wonderful Counselor. The term for wonderful oftentimes describes God and his acts. In 28:29 Isaiah says, “This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel.” Linked with Counselor, we have the description of one who possesses wisdom beyond the ordinary, indeed, wisdom that is supernatural. By Counselor, Isaiah does not have in mind our modern day notion of counselor of personal problems; he is thinking of the wise men chosen to advise the king. This king, however, does not need such counselors because he is the Wonderful Counselor. “Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?” (Isaiah 40:13)

This child is also Mighty God. This is a blatant designation of divinity. In 10:21, Isaiah using the exact words, prophesies, “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” The term for mighty is gibbor, and it is used for a military warrior. Here, Isaiah is indicating that the ruler of government is also the deliverer in battle.

This child is Everlasting Father. When the OT speaks of God as father, it is in mind of God’s compassion. Isaiah, in 63:15-16, appeals to God as Father to show compassion:

The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
  are held back from me.
For you are our Father,
  though Abraham does not know us,
  and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
  our Redeemer from of old is your name.

The psalmist in Psalm 103:13 says, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”

That this child is to be Everlasting Father means for his people everlasting security. This supernatural ruler and warrior will be a father to his people caring for them with compassion and tenderness.

Finally, this child is Prince of Peace. He comes to establish peace. He establishes peace with God. “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me,” God bemoans in Isaiah 1:2. This child will reconcile the rebellious children to God. He establishes peace among men and within our very hearts.

 Isaiah tells us that on the day of salvation this song will be sung:

We have a strong city;
  he sets up salvation
  as walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
  that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
You keep him in perfect peace
  whose mind is stayed on you,
  because he trusts in you (26:1-3).

This Prince who possesses such peace will give that peace to us.

What great attributes belong to this child – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! We can anticipate what kind of ruler he will be.

⁷Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

His kingdom will continually grow until he is ruler over all creation. And his reign will be marked by peace. All other kings expand their rule through warfare and oppression; the kingdom of the Prince of Peace grows through peace.

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

As a true son of David he will reign over a kingdom that is rightfully his, fulfilling the promise of God to David. He is not a usurper of the throne or a false pretender. He is the one true king.

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

The Wonderful Counselor will act with perfect wisdom, always knowing what is right to do, and as Mighty God always carrying out his will. He will not be like a ruler lacking good judgment or power.

from this time forth and forevermore.

The Everlasting Father will compassionately watch over his people through eternity. He will not die, nor will his righteous, peaceful reign end. We can be certain that all this will take place because

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The word for LORD is Yahweh. This is the most sacred name of God given to Moses when God delivered his people from Egypt. He is the Lord of Hosts. He is the God of all power. The Lord is zealous for his kingdom. He does not have a casual interest in the work of this child. His is jealous for his glory and determined for it to be displayed through this child’s deliverance and reign. Finally, he will accomplish all that has been prophesied. The birth of this child and his redemption and reign, is guaranteed by the Almighty Lord.

What a wondrous child this is; what a wondrous ruler he will be. And how wondrous it is that he is for us. It is easy to pass over the first words of this text.

⁶ For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

Who is “us”? It is the covenant people of God, Israel. Isaiah specifically states that his prophesies were for “Judah and Jerusalem” (2:1). As you know, the one kingdom of Israel was split into two nations, the northern kingdom retaining the name Israel and the southern kingdom the name Judah. Even so, God did not accept the division of the people as division into two different covenant nations. There remained one, and God held the northern kingdom as accountable to him as the southern kingdom. His promises applied to both as well. Look at the beginning of chapter 9.

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

Zebulun and Naphtali are tribes of the northern kingdom. Their boundaries were encompassed by what would become known as the territory of Galilee where the town of Nazareth is located. Though the child will be born in Bethlehem of the southern kingdom, it is out of Nazareth in the northern kingdom that the grown man will make his appearance. And so, from there the great light will break forth in the land of darkness.

²  The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

In the land where the darkness was the greatest because the sin was the greatest – in that land will the light first shine. In the land where judgment was the greatest (for the northern kingdom was destroyed and scattered), there would mercy first be manifested. It is a testimony that however great the sin of the northern kingdom had been, God keeps his covenant promises; God does not cut off completely those included in his covenant; God’s grace abounds more than sin can abound.

So “us” refers to the covenant nation of Israel, to southern and northern kingdoms. But there is another clue that indicates more is included. When we read “Galilee of the nations” as the name for the territory, we immediately think about that being where Jesus lived. Look again at the name. It is not simply “Galilee” but “Galilee of the nations.” The Hebrew term for “nations” is also translated “Gentiles.”

All through the history of Israel, that particular area was a mixed area demographically. The Canaanite peoples were never completely driven out, and so there was always an intermixture of non-Israelites with Israelites or Jews. Indeed, in most of the period after the Babylonian exile and Jews had returned to Palestine, the Gentiles were the majority in Galilee.

The reference to “Galilee of the nations,” then, is that a light will shine in the darkness of other nations. This is not stretching the meaning of the phrase. God’s first promise to Abraham was that in “you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Psalm 67 expresses this sentiment:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us,
² that your way may be known on earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
³ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

⁴ Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth.
⁵ Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

⁶ The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, shall bless us.
⁷ God shall bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Isaiah speaks specifically of the Servant of God who will be a light to the nations:

I am the Lord;

    I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations (42:6).

And if there is any lingering doubt if the light is for nations and peoples outside of Israel, listen to the worship in the throne room of God giving glory to the Christ the Lamb:

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).

And so, “to us” is to everyone as identified by John in his gospel:

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God (John 1:9-13).

Lessons

It will soon be Christmas. As good Christians, even in the midst of the secular celebration, we do not forget that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and we keep “Christ in Christmas.” We celebrate the wonder of Christ’s birth. But let’s reflect now on what Isaiah 9:6 focuses on: the Christ child is for us.

To us this wondrous child was born. To us the Son of God was given as Son of Man. He came to be our ruler, to give us peace. The purpose of God becoming man was for our benefit. We are not mere spectators of this wonders of wonders event; we are the goal of its mission. The Wonderful Counselor’s plan was to save us; the Mighty God exercised his power to deliver us; the Everlasting Father brought us eternal life; the Prince of Peace reconciled us to the God from whom we were estranged.

Consider how wondrous it is that God would do such a thing for us. We were not members of his covenant nation. We were Gentiles outside of the covenant, and yet God made us receivers of the covenant promises. Were we somehow of special note? Did God see something special in us? Romans 5:6-9 tells us that it was while we were weak, were sinners, were enemies that Christ came to die for us.

Consider as well that God did not need us. He was not lonely; God is Three Persons in One; he needs no creatures to keep him company or to fill in where something is lacking; he certainly did not need rebellious creatures. As much as we may look to God’s promises, he did not need to make any of them; he never needed to make a covenant with anyone. We add nothing to his glory. Even so, he chose to send his Son to be born in a humbling manner, to face suffering from his creatures, so that his creatures might be made like his Son.

Consider the special place given to us who were born after Christ. This very prophecy and others were for our benefit, as Peter explains.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹ inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:10-12).

The great men and women of faith in the Old Testament – as great as their faith was and as great as their accomplishments through faith were, what they most desired was reserved for us in our time.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:39-40).

To us a child is born – to us! That is a great wonder indeed. Do you feel at times left out? Passed over? The wondrous gifts given to mighty men and women of faith – if only God would give you a miracle, some special gift. Well, he has given you Christ; he has reserved his greatest gift for you!

Do you feel unworthy to be saved because of your lack of a pedigree? Though you were on the outside because of being a Gentile, he nevertheless has fulfilled his promise to bring the blessing of the light of Christ to you because you were outside. Christ came outside of his home to bring you inside his.

Do you feel ashamed because of your sins? Surely you cannot receive such a gift. The point of Romans 5 telling us that we were sinners and enemies when Christ came to us is to assure us that Christ did indeed reconcile us to God. Whatever you may see in the mirror, know that God sees not a sinner but an adopted beloved child because his Only Son was given to us to become God’s children. Are you ashamed? God is not ashamed to be called your Father; Christ is not ashamed to be called your Brother.

There may be someone here who has never received the gift of Christ for all the same reasons. Because of who you are and what you have done, you believe that the gift is not for you. Maybe, you think, if you could get your life in order, you might be good enough to be given such a gift. Have you not understood? A child is born to us precisely because we live in darkness, and only he can be the light that dispels the darkness around us. A son is given to us because we cannot have peace without him.

To us – to you – a child is born; to you a son is given. All that is required of you is to believe in such a gift and receive it by faith. Receive the Christ child and let the Christ Redeemer deliver you from darkness.