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Isaiah 9:6 - The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

WORD STUDY

A Child Is Born To Us, A Son Is Given To Us: This child, the Messiah, would be David's descendant (11:1).
   He will be called: These names can be read as four throne names, signifying
   the nature of the child's rule:
      (1) The Wonderful Counselor (or Wonderful, Counselor) conforms to God's
         wisdom (11:1; 25:1; 28:29; 40:13), unlike the counselors of Judah
         (1:26; 3:3).
      (2) Mighty God is an affirmation of the Messiah's divine nature.
      (3) He cares for his children as the Everlasting Father, the father whose
          care continues forever (cp. 22:21; 63:16).
      (4) The Prince of Peace is a leader who brings peace.
   Alternatively, the four names could be collapsed into two:
      (1) "A Wonderful Counselor [is] the Mighty God"; and
      (2) "the Everlasting Father [is] a Prince of Peace" (on his nature, see
         11:1-9).
   Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Matt 1:1; Luke 1:32; see also Isa 7:14; 8:3,
   18), will bring in the kingdom of his peace (Rev 19). [NLT SB 2008]

COMMENTARY PEARL

   In the Teacher sent from God, heaven gave to men its best and greatest. He who had stood in the councils of the Most High, who had dwelt in the innermost sanctuary of the Eternal, was the One chosen to reveal in person to humanity the knowledge of God.
   Through Christ had been communicated every ray of divine light that had ever reached our fallen world. It was He who had spoken through everyone that throughout the ages had declared God's word to man. Of Him all the excellences manifest in the earth's greatest and noblest souls were reflections. The purity and beneficence of Joseph, the faith and meekness and long-suffering of Moses, the steadfastness of Elisha, the noble integrity and firmness of Daniel, the ardor and self-sacrifice of Paul, the mental and spiritual power manifest in all these men, and in all others who had ever dwelt on the earth, were but gleams from the shining of His glory. In Him was found the perfect ideal.
   To reveal this ideal as the only true standard for attainment; to show what every human being might become; what, through the indwelling of humanity by divinity, all who received Him would become--for this, Christ came to the world. He came to show how men are to be trained as befits the sons of God; how on earth they are to practice the principles and to live the life of heaven.
   God's greatest gift was bestowed to meet man's greatest need. The Light appeared when the world's darkness was deepest. Through false teaching the minds of men had long been turned away from God. In the prevailing systems of education, human philosophy had taken the place of divine revelation. Instead of the heaven-given standard of truth, men had accepted a standard of their own devising. From the Light of life they had turned aside to walk in the sparks of the fire which they had kindled. Ed73-74

COMMENTARY

The Shalom of the Prince of Peace
   Before Jesus came, we lived under a burden of sin from which we could not escape, with a gulf between us and God that we could not bridge. The broken world had long been pining for peace. Sin is a heavy burden, and separation from God is the deepest ache of the soul. But God knew exactly what we needed, and He wanted us to know who was coming. Seven hundred years before Jesus' arrival on earth, He shared the good news of who Jesus the Savior would be: The Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6).
   In Hebrew, the word king and the word prince are used interchangeably. That means that the prince embodies the power of the king. He has all the authority, the ruling delegation, and the royal standing of the king. So Jesus is not just the Prince of Peace; He is the King of Peace. As the King of Peace, He alone is the author and giver of peace.
   In Hebrew, the word for "peace" is shalom - a far more meaningful word than our English equivalent relates. Shalom means complete well-being - not just a feeling of mental or emotional clarity. It means being complete, being whole, and lacking nothing. It settles unrest; it fills the empty. Wherever Jesus went on earth, He brought wholeness. The blind saw. The sick were healed. The storms were calmed. The sinful repented.
   Shalom cannot exist in a heart that is devoid of Jesus Christ. It cannot exist in a heart that is divided between a love of God and a love of the world. So how can we get this peace? To experience the peace of the Prince of Peace means surrendering every part of our lives to Him. We can know lasting, eternal peace because Jesus Himself became our peace through His sacrifice (see Ephesians 2:14-18).
   Our peace cost Jesus a great deal as He died on the cross for our sins. He suffered so that we could find joy, contentment, and peace in a reconciled relationship with the Father. Through Christ, the barrier of sin separating us from God is destroyed. Through Christ, we can know peace in the midst of the storms of life. Through Christ, we can experience wholeness and contentment.
   Prayer: Prince of Peace, show me areas of my life that I have not surrendered to You. Help me to lay them at Your feet. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
   "The LORD blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). [Michael Youssef, Ph.D.; https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/leading-the-way/]

CLOSING THOUGHT

Future Peace
   A time is coming when the whole world will be at peace - it is a promise from God. But if we do not understand true peace, we open ourselves up to deceit. One day a deceiver will appear on the world's stage and proclaim that he will bring peace to the world. Those who follow him will go down with him.
   An FBI agent once told my wife, "We spot counterfeits by studying the real thing." Likewise, how do we spot deceivers? By knowing the One who is real. Genuine truth will arrest the fraud.
   Peace will not come to the earth until the Prince of Peace returns.
   And He is coming. One of these days the sky is going to break open, and the Lord will come back and bring His wonderful peace.
   Imagine! There has been no world peace since Cain murdered Abel. But God has not left us in hopeless despair. He sent the Lord Jesus, the Savior, who is the hope of peace.
   Have you studied the real Christ enough to know a counterfeit? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham]

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Isaiah 9:6 - Gift of All Gifts; For Unto Us A Son Is Given.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20241218-1428.html

Isaiah 9:6 - Christmas from Heavens Perspective.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231201-0831.html

Isaiah 9:6 - HAVE JESUS; HAVE PEACE.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221208-0814.html

Isaiah 9:6 - Gift of All Gifts; For Unto Us A Son Is Given.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211222-0934.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211221-0911.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/