By Walt Walton
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6
The Christmas story begins several hundred years before that night in Bethlehem. The Old Testament, especially the prophet Isaiah, predicts a promised coming Redeemer—the Messiah who would redeem the people of God. These Christmas prophecies were written nearly six hundred years before Jesus’ birth. Isaiah promised something incredible would happen, and the details Isaiah provided were fully fulfilled by Jesus.
Consider the weight that Isaiah’s prophecy had to carry promising a Savior, God incarnate, who would come and dramatically alter human history forever. An extraordinary child would be born and become everything the Jewish nation longed for.
“A child will be born to us” is a statement about this Messiah’s humanity. He would begin life like any other human—as an infant. The New Testament shows us that Christ experienced every temptation common to humanity, but He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). As a man, Jesus felt everything we feel, hurt like we hurt, wept like we weep, and in His death, he even felt the weight of sin as He took our sin upon himself.
This wonderful counselor would be the answer to the world’s confusion. During his life on earth, Christ demonstrated his wisdom. When people came to Him, he spoke the truth and loved unconditionally. Jesus is the source of all truth (John 14:6), and it is to Him that we still turn to make sense of life’s confusion. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor who knows everything. He provides what our hearts need; he answers every need physically and spiritually, and He always gives wise counsel to those who will hear and obey Him.
Isaiah’s prediction is fulfilled in Jesus, as God’s peace becomes available to humankind (Luke 2:14). When the angels proclaimed peace on earth at the birth of Jesus, they are also ushering forth an invite—each person is invited to approach this peace, this Father, this mighty God, this wonderful counselor.
This Christmas season, consider the wonderful promises of Christ and how He has fulfilled these prophecies in your life. He made prophecies into reality hundreds of years ago. And he keeps promises still—today and every day. Let us, this Christmas, turn to this realized promise and receive his peace.