Isaiah 9:1-7
The Need for Hope (v.1)
- Gloom
- Distress
- Oppression
The Nature of Hope (vv. 2-5)
- Light
- Joy
- Peace
The Names of Hope (vv. 6-7)
- Wonderful Counselor
- Mighty God
- Everlasting Father
- Prince of Peace
More to Consider
As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband. Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today
Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all...As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength. G.K. Chesterton
Although Mt 4:16 applies the passage as a whole (vv. 2–7) to Jesus Christ by implication, the NT does not specifically apply to Him the names, or titles, listed in this verse. Some commentators believe Isaiah was describing a Judean ruler to come during his own time; thus, these names were applied to the reigns of Hezekiah, Josiah, and even Ahaz. But even if the names do not recur, as such, in the NT, they fit the ministry and messianic role of Jesus. As a “Wonderful Counselor,” He is a doer of “miracles, wonders, and signs” (Acts 2:22) who sends the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to continue His work (Jn 14:26). Hailed as “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28) in His resurrection, Jesus has been given “all authority … in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18). As one with the Father (Jn 10:30), He is eternal—“alive forever and ever” (Rv 1:18). As a member of David’s royal line (Rm 1:3) He is the Prince who brings peace between Jew and non-Jew (Eph 2:14), whose rule over all kingdoms (Rv 1:5) brings an end to wars. John Collins
