By Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Rev. Ron Purkey

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end ….” (Isaiah 9:6-7a)

Isaiah 9:1-5 brings both a promise of future blessing and the reality of then-present judgment. The reference to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali points to the northern kingdom of Israel.

At this time, it was already a part of Assyria and headed for destruction because of the people’s sins. Yet God would one day bring honor to this land, for God’s son would live and minister there (Isaiah 9:1). There would come a day when the people walking in darkness would see a great light (Isaiah 9:2), and the kingdom of heaven would come near (see Matthew 4:15-17). In the future the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will reverse the humiliation and bondage of Israel and usher in an era of peace in which the garments of war will be no more (Isaiah 9:5).

In Isaiah 9:6 is another messianic prophecy. Its language is very precise. Isaiah said a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us. This tells us Jesus had to be born as a child to come to us, but he is also the preexistent Son of God who was given to us.

The child would be born in time and space in Bethlehem, but the son has existed from all eternity. And since the government will be on his shoulders, which is a reference to Jesus’s coming rule in the millennial kingdom, he rightly bears the great names ascribed to him: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Here again we see the “near” and “far” aspects that frequently occur in Old Testament prophecy because Jesus was born 2,000 years ago as a child, but the government of the universe has yet to be placed “on his shoulders.” This will happen at his coronation as king of kings and lord of lords in the millennium.

In Isaiah 9:7 notice the description of Jesus’ kingdom rule: He will reign on the throne of David and over earth’s kingdoms, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness. In other words, his reign will have social and political aspects as much it will have spiritual aspects. This detail has implications for the church today as we seek to live in accordance with God’s perspective.

The multifaceted nature of the kingdom of God is very real, biblically substantiated, and relevant to the manifestation of the church’s greatest and true potential. Our activity today should be reflective of, and point to, the ultimate kingdom of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) in which he will execute justice for the oppressed and rule righteously over his subjects (see Isaiah 10:1-2).

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines at www.rtcol.com/purkey free on the website. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.