Divine Titles

The Hope for all Israel has finally been promised! For years, the people of Israel have been longing for a savior, and now they have a foreseen taste of how sweet His reign shall be. He will be given to us, and with Him shall come peace for eternity. 

"To us a son is given" (Is. 9:6). And what a gift He is! There's nothing we could ever do to earn the precious, eternal gift that is Jesus. The Lord chose to come down, give Himself to us, and dwell with us forever. God saw the depravity of man in its entirety and knew that we would fail to be able to atone for ourselves. To completely atone for the sins of man, the Son of Man would have to be given to us and live a sinless life to be the Spotless Sacrifice, which would wipe away our sins in totality. The Perfect Lamb of God was graciously given to such an undeserving people, but doesn't that magnify the depth of God's love for us? Instead of turning away from us in our sin and leaving us to fend for ourselves, He stepped in and provided the missing piece to His perfect puzzle. The Gift of God was given in His perfect timing to redeem a world that knew not the weight of His ultimate sacrifice.

"He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6). What powerful names, only able to be ascribed to the One who would save our souls. This "Wonderful Counselor" would be the One who would inspire awe and wonder from the sweet, comforting counsel He gives through His Holy Spirit. The "Mighty God" is the same Mighty God who created the entire world, came to save it, and is coming again to take His beloved ones home. Our "Everlasting Father," is the One who is faithfully protecting His children with the strength of His mighty hands. The "Prince of Peace" has come, and His peace surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). These beautiful names would only be able to be ascribed to the One who was destined to be glorified forever through the redemption of His people.

"Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom" (Is. 9:7). We see this prophecy fulfilled from the mouth of the angel who appeared to Mary, telling her she would conceive the Savior of the world. The angel said, "The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). These two prophecies about the Son of God were first promised to David, back in 2 Samuel, when the prophet Nathan visited David, and the Lord made a covenant with David. The Lord, through the prophet Nathan said, "I will raise up your offspring succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son" (2 Samuel 7:12-14). David's son, Solomon, did build the Lord a house, but 14 generations later, through the lineage of David and the cleansing blood of Jesus, the Lord was at last able to dwell in us forever.

Seeing Jesus in the prophecies of the Old Testament come to life in the New Testament is one of the sweetest testimonies we read in our Bibles. All of creation held their breaths until the Savior, at last, came down to us to save us for an eternity with Him. While we await His glorious return, His peaceful presence dwells in us, encouraging us day by day to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.