Advent 2025, Week 2: Isaiah 9, Part 5
As Isaiah continues talking about the government of Jesus in Isaiah 9, he gives us more descriptions of the messiah. Consider his famous words in Isaiah, 9, verse 6:
“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
These royal titles show have a fascinating variety.
Wonderful Counselor. Jesus will call the Holy Spirit “the Counselor.”
Mighty God. The Messiah is not just a person, he is God.
Everlasting Father. The Messiah is eternal. Also, Jesus regularly prayed to the “Father,” and yet in Isaiah’s prophecy, the Messiah is also God the Father.
In these first three titles, notice how Isaiah’s description of the Messiah aligns with Christian trinitarian theology. But there’s one more title.
Prince of Peace. Of all the titles, this one is specifically royal. But this prince is not a military general. He is a prince of peace.
The kingdom of heaven is peaceable kingdom. When Jesus was arrested the night before his crucifixion, his disciple Peter whipped out a sword and cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear. Peter was thinking about armed rebellion. Jesus said, “Peter, put your sword away…All who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
What Jesus was requiring of his people here is that his kingdom would not advance through military means. He was enacting another prophecy from Isaiah, that of Isaiah 2:4-5,
““Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
Jesus’ kingdom melts down the tools of war into the tools of human flourishing. That is what brings light. We need that kind of peace.
Isaiah concludes with a powerful statement about the messiah’s kingdom in verse 7:
“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
More emphasis on peace. This time adding justice and righteousness. Justice is a legal word. A measurement, a judgement, a legal claim. Righteousness is a very similar word, referring to loyalty to the community, honesty, what is good and right.
Notice, though, in verse 7, who is the source of the justice and righteousness? The Messiah. The Messiah establishes justice and righteousness. Upholds them. The word “zeal” here is sometimes translated “jealous.” The Messiah’s zeal, his strong desire, will make sure that his kingdom is filled with justice and righteousness. That is a very different kind of kingdom indeed.
When we read about the government and nations, our own and those around the world, throughout history we read a story of corruption, injustice, war crimes, and the like. There is much darkness in so many human governments.
Not the Messiah’s kingdom. In the Messiah’s kingdom there is hope and peace, as his light breaks through the darkness. In the Messiah’s kingdom we experience inner peace of wholeness, not perfectly, but in a real way.
We participate in bringing that light of peace, when we are peacemakers, justice bringers, striving to pursue righteous living.
The first week of Advent was about hope. This second week we have focused on peace. The light of Jesus brings peace in the darkness.
Photo by Jonathan Meyer on Unsplash
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