Isaiah 9:2- 7
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 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. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this!
Have you ever met someone with real zeal? They are a sight to behold. The energy they live life with is amazing! It seems as though a person operating with a Holy Ghost zeal never stops, never runs out of energy, purpose, provision or compassion. A holy zeal is what the early church in the book of Acts operated under. The zeal of the Lord is not reserved for the Lord. It is also not reserved for the great evangelists who shout from the platform, “Come to Jesus”. The zeal of the Lord is reserved for His people whom he sets free and whom call upon his name! Those who are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and see the great light of his salvation have access to this zeal.
Isaiah 9:1-7 is a prophetic messianic passage from the Old Testament that most of us know well. The zeal of the Lord is required to accomplish this work. Christ had the zeal of the Lord almighty operating in him and through him every day he lived on this earth in this earthly tent. It was the zeal of the Lord that had Jesus ministering in the temple when he was 12 years old, not concerned about where he would sleep, what he would eat, or how he would get home.
It was the zeal of the Lord that caused him to overturn the tables in the temple. It was the zeal of the Lord that drove him to minister day and night to the lost sheep of Israel as the crowds pressed upon him in hope of salvation. It was the zeal of the Lord that led Christ to go to the cross and suffer and die at the hands of evil men. It was that same zeal that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the father. It is that zeal of the Lord Almighty that will complete the work he has started in each of us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all work together with the zeal of the Lord to accomplish all things.
The Zeal of the Lord Operating in the Holy Trinity!
Isaiah 9:7 And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Wonderful Counselor refers to the 3rd person of the Trinity. We see Jesus refer to the Holy as the counselor in John 14:26, 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Helper. The Greek word for helper is paraklētos which. means counselor, intercessor, helper, one who encourages and comforts. Our counselor, the Holy Spirit, carries out the will of the Father with that same zeal as in the days of the early church.
Mighty God: This affirms the triune God-head. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Three in one. All false religions or “doctrines of demons” tell the lie that Jesus is not the one and only Son of God. They lessen his deity by calling him a good teacher, or a prophet, or even just one of many sons of God. This lie is defused here with this passage, as all the persons of the Holy Trinity are given the name, Mighty God!
Everlasting Father: The eternal nature of our heavenly Father is seen here. Not only that, when this prophetic passage was written, the people of Israel did not refer to God as their heavenly Father. They only referred to him as the “Father’ of their nation. It was not customary or accepted to address God as “Father”. Jesus was the first person to address the Lord as His Father. It was so offensive to the Jewish Pharisees that this caused them to want to stone him. This prophetic passage was a picture of the access and intimacy we would experience because of the sacrifice of Jesus. We now have access to the Father, and we now have the privilege of calling the Lord, our Father! Our Everlasting Father has zeal for you and the work he is doing in you for his glory!
Prince of Peace: The only mention of God as the Prince of Peace is seen in this passage. This is essential to our understanding of the role of Jesus in our life. In John 14:27 Jesus states, “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Another place we see a reference to a King of Peace is in Genesis 14:18 when Abram has an encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ as Melchizedek, King of Salem or Peace. . 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, Salem here is the Hebrew word for peace. Jesus, our Prince of Peace, operates wit the Zeal of the Lord Almighty to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is breaks down every wall of hostility between us and the Father and brings peace to our soul and spirit. Jesus’ zeal accomplished this work and he continue to accomplish this work in our life today.
As the Lord today for His zeal to accomplish these things in your life! The wonderful counselor wants to be your teacher, comforter, and counselor. The Everlasting Father wants to provide for you, protect you, lead you, correct you, and guide you. The Prince of Peace wants to be your friend, savior, intercessor and lover of your soul.
