Messianic Promise: Isaiah 9:6

The words God gave Israel and ultimately the world through His spokesman Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6-7 are some of the most eloquent and beautiful in all of literature. The substance of the divine promise, however, far surpasses the literary value of even these articulate and expressive words. Here we will consider the contents of verse 6: the first three statements made about the One promised by God and the four names or titles this Individual will bear.

The words “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us” comprise two separate clauses, but we will look at these together because they serve as an example of synonymous parallelism in Hebrew poetry. In synonymous parallelism, an idea is stated, then restated in a slightly different way (see Ps. 24:1-3; Jer. 17:10; Psalm 51 also has abundant examples). Isaiah wrote, “a child will be born for us.” God would send His anointed One—His Messiah—as “a child.” Conventional wisdom would tell us to look, even initially, for a man, not a child! Yet when God sent His ultimate Spokesman into the world, He sent Him as a child—a baby, actually. This makes perfect sense from one perspective, but it defies all logic from another. Such is God’s way (see Isa. 55:8-9). This innocent, young member of the human family also would be “a son”—but not just an ordinary son. He would be God’s Son; in fact, God in human flesh! And God gave Him to us (see John 3:16). As wicked human beings with worldly lusts in our hearts and sinful cravings that we all-too-often seek to satisfy, we are undeserving of Him and unworthy of Him; yet God gave Him—to us! This meant that He would come first to Israel (He would be a member of God’s covenant people), but ultimately His coming would benefit everyone in the world.
God’s anointed One would rule over Israel and even reign over the entire world: “the government will be on His shoulders.” Other Old Testament passages foresaw this as well; Micah 5:2 speaks of His authority over Israel, and Zechariah 14:9 of His worldwide rule. How many incompetent leaders did Israel have through the years? How many inept heads of state has the world seen? Yet God’s anointed One will rule with absolute justice and righteousness.
He is a “Wonderful Counselor.” Although often seen as two separate names, this probably is one title, given the pattern for the subsequent titles. Wonderful means “extraordinary, distinguished.” As Counselor, the One anointed of God would teach and instruct people who listen anxiously (see Isa. 2:3; Mark 10:1).
He also is “Mighty God”—not godlike, but God Himself (see John 1:1).
And He’ll be called “Eternal Father.” But if He’s God the Son, how is He Father? This title isn’t a description of the Messiah’s role or place in the trinity; it rather emphasizes His timeless nature and the fatherly authority He will exercise during His never-ending reign. “Father of eternity” is perhaps what is meant. Remember as well that Colossians 1:19 tells us that all God’s fullness resides in Jesus Christ (also see John 10:30).
Finally, He is the “Prince of Peace.” Not only does He bring peace to human hearts (see John 14:27), but ultimately He also will preside over a widespread, pervasive peace—forever (see Ezek. 37:24-28). Consider the words of the Christmas hymn “Joy to the World.” It primarily highlights Jesus’ second coming, an event we see foreshadowed in Isaiah 9:6 as well.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.