Mighty God

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, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Have you ever wanted something so badly and waited so long for it only to finally get it and be disappointed? Maybe it didn’t deliver the results you were hoping for or it wasn’t at all as described.

That’s exactly what the Israelites experienced in waiting for the promised Messiah. They longed for the one who would deliver them from their Roman oppressors. They were certain this deliverer—this savior—was going to be a great political and military leader. After all, Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would be a Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6). It should be noted here that in Hebrew text, “God” was used to refer to a human king, as it reflected the honor and authority due him and acknowledged his closeness to the Lord. So, Isaiah was saying, in terms with which the Israelites would be familiar, that the Messiah would be a king with great might. A mighty conqueror.

Can you imagine then the excitement of the Jewish people upon hearing the news that their long awaited Messiah had finally come? Their hope must have been absolutely euphoric. No longer would they be enslaved. However, when Jesus didn’t do what they were expecting Him to do, their hope, once saturated with promise and optimism, dried up leaving them disappointed and bitter.

Now, the Israelites were correct in expecting this Messiah to be a powerful king, however, they wrongly assumed his might would be manifested in the political and military arenas of Earth.

Maybe they made this wrong assumption because they couldn’t see beyond their own desperate conditions to understand that Isaiah was really prophesying about a Messiah who would be a mighty king that conquers more than earthly armies and evil nations. That he was prophesying about a mighty king who will rule like no other king before him, having an eternal kingdom and power over ALL nations. It’s possible they couldn’t see that Isaiah was predicting a mighty king who will deliver his people not from the yoke and consequences of earthly slavery, but from the yoke and consequences of sin’s slavery.

I’ve always said the only reason I have any understanding at all of Jesus is because I can read about Him in the Bible. I also have the added benefit of biblical commentaries available to me that point out things I wouldn’t necessarily get on my own. Otherwise, I probably would have been like the Israelites and missed too what Isaiah was really prophesying.

But here’s something I don’t want any of us to miss:

The fact that Jesus abandoned His deity to be born of flesh attests to His great power. His death and resurrection corroborate He is a mighty conqueror.

Maybe you’re not waiting on a savior, but there’s a savior waiting for you. His name is Mighty God.