Government and Peace
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7
It seems that most teaching on these verses concentrates on these precious words of description of the Christ: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Just reading them should bring gratitude and worship to our hearts.
Just as interesting but far less frequently discussed are the words, “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.”
So, this Child, now already born and given to us, was not just to “be given” but He has a purpose here. He “governs.” His kingdom was established through His birth, death, resurrection and ascension to sit at the right hand of God. Now, His Kingdom will increase and of its increase there will be no end.
Also worthy of note is that it will be established with “judgment and justice.” God’s Kingdom grows when people are judged for their sin and justice is sought. This justice is always thorough for the Christian as Christ has paid the penalty for all of our sin when our own confession is that we are sinful in nature and need the sacrifice of Christ to pay the penalty for it (the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23). This is the basis of our salvation.
But, this is so much bigger than personal salvation. He “governs” everyone and all nations regardless of their response to Him. His Word lays out the laws for His Kingdom – also regardless of the world’s response to them. Many may reject this truth up to their judgment when they die.
Christ was given to us as a Ruler over all the earth (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). “And of the increase of His government and peace there will no end.” Over time there will be more and more people and nations bowing the knee to God through Jesus Christ, now, in history. (Habakkuk 2:14)
In our nation this seems impossible to believe – but God’s Word says it. This Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace was given the name “Jesus” in His incarnation as God communicates that He would save us from our sin (Matthew 1:21). He was also prophesied as “Emmanuel,” God with us (Matthew 1:23). These are not fluffy, “avoid the conflict” kind of names. These are powerful, strong, fearless words that give us understanding of His “reign” over all (I Chronicles 29:12).
As the Christians of America today, are we being conformed to this image of Christ as strong and powerful to change things, so that His Kingdom will grow as we work for Him?
Consider the words, “He will save His people from their sins.” If we are not willing to call a sin a sin or we are attending a church that substitutes words for sin (a mistake, an offense, misdeed, a lapse in judgment, etc.), then this primary name of Jesus is defiled. Synonyms for “sin” according to the eSword Thesaurus are “wickedness, iniquity, depravity, immorality, evil, and debauchery. These are not “mistakes.”
Sin is serious business to God and without fully understanding it, people will not see the depth of their own depravity or that of others.
The “Child” of Isaiah 9:6 is no longer a babe in the manger. He is “Emmanuel, God with us.” He is King and rules over all. And, though we are not seeing the kind of Christian growth in America that we would like, the Lord is at work all over the world growing His Kingdom.
He is here. Now. His government and peace are continuing to grow. He still comes in judgment and justice. Who needs to know that you can tell?