Wonderful Counselor

It is that time of year when Christmas cards start arriving in the mail. It would not be unusual for a Christmas card to quote Bible verses about the birth of the Messiah. Of course, many of these verses come from selections in the gospels. But there are also places in the Old Testament where the prophets told about the coming birth of a Messiah. One of the most well-known of these, which often appears on Christmas cards, comes from Isaiah 9.

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

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.

It is a poetic line that is often quoted around Christmas. Yet I cannot help but wonder what the prophet Isaiah meant in these words? What does Isaiah mean that the Messiah is wonderful counselor, and mighty God, and everlasting Father, and prince of peace? For our advent series this year I would like us to consider a little more deeply what Isaiah means by these titles for the Messiah which he writes about in Isaiah 9. We will use passages from other parts of Isaiah to help us find some understanding.

Ultimately this is about encountering the story of Christmas again in ways that renew and refresh who we are in Christ by grounding ourselves in a renewed and refreshed embracing of what it means for Christ to be our savior. Today we consider what it means for the prophet Isaiah to name the Messiah as our Wonderful Counselor.

Isaiah 11:1–10 (NIV)

Isaiah 11:1–10 NIV

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Hebrew yoetz “counselor” = noun—someone who gives advice, verb—to plan, to judge, to decide

The English word counselor may bring many different ideas to mind. In some instances, a counselor may refer to a psychological therapist. For students a school counselor helps to recommend and arrange class schedules based on what will be most beneficial for the student. The Hebrew word yoetz that Isaiah uses in this passage aligns with what we think of as a counselor, but the meaning carries a little bit further. Used as a noun—as Isaiah does here—it simply means a person who gives advice. But this same Hebrew word can also be used as a verb to describe action. When it is used as a verb it means to plan or to decide or to judge.

Messiah has the authority to make judgements and decisions

This idea of the judging and deciding fits well with what Isaiah describes here in chapter 11. It is more than a Messiah who comes with wise teachings and valuable insights. It is a Messiah who also has the authority to make judgements and decisions. Now the question becomes, what kind of judgements and decisions come from this counselor Messiah? Isaiah says in chapter 9 that the Messiah will be a counselor who is wonderful. Here in chapter 11, we see a broader description of what those judgements and decisions will be like which make the counseling of this Messiah so wonderful.

the thought of judgement is not always pleasant

Perhaps the thought of using the words judgement and God in the same sentence feels a little scary. There can be some rather extreme views of what the judgement of God can look like. Maybe it conjures up images from the book of revelation which talks about fiery lakes of sulfur burning up all the enemies of God’s kingdom. So, maybe for some, the thought of God’s judgement is filled with destruction. Then again, the book of Revelation is intentionally written using symbolic imagery—none of which is to be taken literally. And there are scenes in Revelation which talk about John’s dream and vision of worship and praise, as well as a vision of God’s new creation being a place with no sorrow or pain. So then, what kind of judgement are we really talking about? Consider again how Isaiah sets up the character of the Messiah as a counselor who judges and makes decisions on behalf of his people.

Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)

Isaiah 11:2 NIV

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

the Spirit of the LORD enables the judgments and decisions of the Messiah to be held in the highest authority

Isaiah is saying that the Messiah will, in fact, be elevated to the place of being judge over his people. This is so because the Spirit of the LORD enables the judgments and decisions of the Messiah to be held in the highest authority. It will be obvious to all that no one may challenge or refute the counsel of the Messiah. Isaiah wants there to be no mistake about this. The counsel of the Messiah is a counsel that holds authority—ultimate authority.

Israel has not had a good history with authoritarian leaders

This may sound a bit scary as well. People in our world have not fared well when authoritarian leaders have been in charge. It would be no wonder that those who have had bad experiences with authoritarian regimes might turn a sour face towards this kind of prophecy from Isaiah. This would be especially true during the time of Isaiah when some of the more ruthless authoritarian kings ruled in Israel. The people may not take too kindly to Isaiah’s message that the promised Messiah comes with authority. And our world today isn’t very crazy about welcoming untethered authority either. It is the reason in this country that we live within a constitutional democracy that places checks and balances on those appointed to civic positions of authority. The people in Isaiah’s day observed just as we observe today that power holds the strong potential corrupt those who hold it.

It makes perfect sense, then, that when Isaiah talks about the promised Messiah as a counselor who comes with the highest authority to make judgements and decisions, that Isaiah moves immediately to describe the character of the Messiah’s authority as different than anything else the people have known or experienced before.

Isaiah 11:3–5 (NIV)

Isaiah 11:3–5 NIV

3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

qualities of the Messiah’s judgements — righteousness, justice, faithfulness

Messiah supersedes even the greatest kings (David, Solomon) by tracing back to Jesse

Catch the qualities the prophet uses to describe how the decisions and judgement of the Messiah will not be like any of the other counselors that people have ever known before. Righteousness. Justice. Faithfulness. This is a Messiah who will act on behalf of the poor. This is a Messiah who will give special attention to the needy. Even the greatest kings in Israel’s history could not maintain these standards without fault. David held greater authority than any other king in Israel. Solomon held greater wisdom than any other king in Israel. Even they could not faithfully hold these lofty standards without ever slipping. Perhaps this is why Isaiah chooses to introduce this passage by naming the Messiah from the root of Jesse, David’s father. The Messiah that Isaiah is talking about in fact supersedes the great kings like David and Solomon. The Christ not only descends from these kings, but Christ also goes before them and ahead of them. This Messiah that Isaiah is talking about is not just the next king in line. Christ will be different, above all the rest. And the manner of his counsel will display his anointing.

Isaiah is not done here yet. Now he goes on to describe this scene of what the world will look like under the authority and guidance of the Messiah’s counsel.

Isaiah 11:6–9 (NIV)

Isaiah 11:6–9 NIV

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

it is Christ who brings about this perfect harmony in the new creation

the point is not HOW that perfect harmony exists; the point is WHY that perfect harmony exists

I should say that biblical commentators are not in complete agreement if Isaiah means for the description in these verses to be taken literally or symbolically. For my part, I do not think that it matters. The point is the same either way. It is not Isaiah’s point to give a zoology lesson on what the animal kingdom will look like in the new creation. It is Isaiah’s point to describe the way in which the Messiah will make judgements and decisions with such righteousness, justice, and faithfulness that the entire creation cannot help but live in perfect harmony together. The point is not HOW that perfect harmony exists. The point is WHY that perfect harmony exists. It will be because of the Messiah. That is the point we should take from the description of these verses. It is Christ who brings about this perfect harmony in the new creation—no matter what the details of that harmony actually looks like.

we live through advent in the church today as a reminder of how we wait for the Messiah to make all things new

What does this mean for us today as we await the return of Christ to bring complete fulfilment to a perfect new creation. It is no accident that in the Christian tradition we celebrate this season of advent every year in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The waiting for Christ to come at Christmas echoes our waiting for Christ to return. Just as the people of the Old Testament in the days of Isaiah were waiting for the Messiah to come, we live through those Bible stories in the church today as a reminder of how we wait for the Messiah to make all things new as God has promised.

Christ not only judges with pronouncements, he judges with actions — takes our sin upon himself to the cross

At the same time, the gospel gives us additional perspective on the nature of the Messiah’s wonderful counsel. The righteous judgements and perfect decisions of Jesus are not just pronouncements he makes. The counsel of Jesus does not just arrive with the words he pronounces. The perfect judgement of Jesus also arrives in his actions. Jesus shows by his actions that the wicked sinfulness of a broken world must be accounted for. Our sinful actions must stand in judgement before a perfect and holy God.

Jesus takes the judgement upon himself so that we could be counted as righteous before God

gives us hope as we await God’s complete restoration of creation

The Messiah must come as the counselor who judges all that is an offence before God as an assault against God’s perfect righteousness. What does Jesus do? He takes all the guilt of our sin and he brings it upon himself at the cross. Jesus does not just pronounce the judgement that is necessary for God’s perfect holiness to be maintained, he takes that judgement upon himself so that we could be counted as righteous before God. The Messiah provides the way for his people to proceed forth in faith and in hope.

the full presence of God now resides with his people within the gift of the Holy Spirit — counselor who guides the church

And there is something else the gospel leaves us with when looking back through a passage like this from Isaiah. I mentioned at the beginning that this Hebrew word yoetz does not only mean counsel in terms of judgement and decision. It also refers to counsel as advice and guidance. When Jesus completed his work on the cross and rose victorious over the grave, he ascended and returned back to the heavenly Father. But from that moment on, Jesus promised to send his church another counselor. God resides within the people of his church in the Holy Spirit. As the triune God of grace lives united as one in eternal harmony as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the full presence of God now resides with his people within the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the church.

how the Spirit guides the church today

through the Word — through prayer — through the giftedness of God’s people — through spiritual fruit which the Holy Spirit produces in us

God continues yet today to guide his people through the Holy Spirit. God continues yet today work his will in his people through the Holy Spirit. God continues yet today to be active in his world through the Holy Spirit. We know what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are. It is spoken of in the Bible, and I talk about it all the time in sermons. It is the Holy Spirit which produces in his people the fruit of love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is the counsel—the guiding—of the holy Spirit which brings these things about in the lives of God’s people and in God’s world.

he shall be called wonderful counselor — the Messiah who has restored us and our world to himself by his own authority, and continues to guide his people today by the presence of the Holy Spirit

Our God reveals himself to us. And he shall be called wonderful counselor. He is the Messiah who has restored us and our world to himself by his own authority. And he is the Messiah who continues to guide his people today by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.