Wonderful Counselor

Sadness during the holidays.

Can we give it up one last time for the worship team and Christmas Choir?

Lyrics like these help us remember that no matter what’s going on in life, everything is going to be okay. But sometimes it seems difficult to trust the sound of music and the lyrics of a song. Especially when you feel your spirit is low, or your mind is racing to and fro. The Holidays don’t always remove burdens but provides a weight that we carry. Stress. Unrealistic expectations, loneliness, belief in the myth that everyone else is having a good time. Advice about how much to spend, what to spend it on, and how to deal with the difficult situation at home, work, or at Church. Weight to carry can lead, especially in this season with little sunlight to hopelessness and sometimes even depression. We have this need for advice/counsel on who to buy presents for, how much money to spend, and how to create a culture not of materialism which doesn’t in the end bring joy…

Reminder to memorize Isaiah 9:6

What is a counselor

Lessons from Isaiah’s counsel

What kind of counselor is available to each of us today, no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done.

READ ISAIAH 9:6,7

Isaiah 9:6,7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Last week we discussed how Jesus is the Wonder of Wonders. But part of what makes him so wonderful is that He’s a Counselor.

What is a counselor & our need for one

A counselor is someone who gives advice about circumstances or problems.

Counselors occupied a regular place in the King’s courts. This was the case for the kings of Judah, with whom Isaiah was counseling and proclaiming truth.

It was wise for the king to employ an “abundance of counselors” to advise him on national security (Prov. 11:14; 15:22) and war (20:18; 24:6).

Other Kingdoms had Counselors

The pharaoh of Egypt (Isa. 19:11-15) and Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon (Dan. 3:2) also had counselors. Artaxerxes of Persia had seven counselors (Ezra 7:14), corresponding to the “seven princes of Persia and Media” consulted by Artaxerxes’ other name, Ahasuerus (Esth. 1:14).

Other Counselors

Outside the court, parents (Prov. 1:8), elders (Ezek. 7:26), prophets (Jer. 38:15; 2 Chr. 25:16), and wise men (Jer. 18:18; 49:7) typically acted as counselors.

Counselors had a lot of authority and influence.

Artaxerxes in Persia: Ezra 7:14 “For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand,

Today Counselors have a lot of influence in people’s lives. Guidance Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Career Counselor, Life Coach, Substance Abuse Counselor, Mental health, social worker, school counselor.

The fool ignores counsel and brings about ruin (Prov. 1:25, 30), or follows the wrong advice (1 Kgs. 12:6–14).

Isaiah 1:2–3 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: ‘Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.’”

We forgot where our soul is fed (feeding trough). We go to others before we go to the One who reared us and brought us up. Dewey

Everyone needs Counseling

Religious but not repentant (1:12-17)

Neglect justice to the fatherless and the widow (1:23)

STORY

Isaiah 28:29 “This also comes from the Lord of hosts; He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”

Isaiah’s counseling of the kings and other counselors

Isaiah used parables (1:2–3; 5:1–7; 28:23–29), proverbs (3:10–11; 10:15; 29:15–16; 49:9), woe oracles (5:8–15; 10:1–5; 28:1; 29:1; 30:1; 31:1), and vocabulary that was common in wisdom literature. J. Jensen’s study of the use of torah in Isaiah also suggests a close connection to wisdom thinking. Both of these studies illustrate Isaiah’s contact with wisdom traditions in Israel’s culture as well as his rejection of some of their conclusions.

Parables (Illustration): a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

Proverbs (a saying that conveys a world of truth in a few words)

They’re not absolute commands nor promises, but are partial principles that need to be coupled together with other proverbs to better understand.

A proverb is a poetic, terse, vivid, thought-provoking saying that conveys a world of truth in a few words… The point of a proverb, then, is to get rightly related to reality through hard thinking and sustained reflection.” - Tim Keller

Isaiah 3:10–11 “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.”

What comes around goes around. Buddhists call it karma. But this is not always true. I heard a man say just earlier this week in the community, not within this church, but “why did God allow bad things to happen to my mom, when she was a great person.” Especially when we look at what happened to Christ, what came around did not go around. But these proverbs are useful to counsel us along the way.

Isaiah 10:15 “Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!”

How can we as God’s creatures, made by Him for Him, turn around and give him advice or bully Him? Would the axe turn around and start talking to him or disagree with which tree He uses. The axe does not make the decision. The rod does not wield the user. The user wields the rod.

Using the Scriptures to give Counsel (Torah)

Torah/Law: the law of God as revealed and recorded in the first five books of the Bible

Isaiah 2:3 “and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Law = Torah

As everyone would go to the temple (vertically climbing a mountain, Jerusalem setting upon a hill), and it’s from there we hear His ways. For what reason? That we may walk in His paths.

Isaiah 42:21 “The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.”

Isaiah 51:4 ““Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.”

Teaching = Torah/Law

The Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counsellor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, and a physician to cure you. The Word is a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, and a crown to crown you.

Thomas Brooks

Bearer of Bad News - Woe Oracles

Although he does offer God’s wise counsel to various kings, most of his comments are critical of the king and his advisors, and it appears that his advice was not always given in the king’s court (he met Ahaz by a pool of water in 7:3).

Woe oracle: a grim and terrifying announcement of God's judgment

In Isaiah 3:3, we see the judgment of God displaying that he would take wise counselors away from the kingdom, along with other prominent roles in society.

Pharoah: “The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel… Where then are your wise men?… The princes of Memphis are deluded… The Lord has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds.” Isaiah 19:11-14

Isaiah 29:15–16 “Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”

Isaiah 5:8–15 “Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land. The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing…

Isaiah 28:1 “Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!”

Isaiah 29:1 “Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round.”

Isaiah 30:1 ““Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!”

Isaiah 8 - The Coming of Assyrian Invasion…

Isaiah 8:10 “Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.”

Immanuel is a sign of judgment in Isaiah

Isaiah 8:16 “Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.”

Isaiah 9:1 “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” ACTUALLY IN HEBREW 8:23, NOT V. 1 OF CH. 9

The Bible depicts a lack of understanding, the need for a counselor as living in darkness without light. If you want to comprehend and understand the way of life God has made you for… If you want wisdom for your circumstance, counseling can help you, but it won’t cure you. The reason we live in the dark, and the reason we do not understand, is sin. We’ve disobeyed God and run away from Him, and in turn away from His counsel. And because of it, we stumble, we don’t know where to turn, we are hopeless in the dark.

Some people just want a quick fix. They want counseling. But what they need is a Counselor.

Our Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9 - Hope

v. 2 - Darkness is a sign of a lack of understanding and knowledge, but moved to light.

V. 3 - Moved from anguish (9:1) to joy (9:3)

V. 4 - Broke the burden

V. 5?

V. 6 - Wonderful Counselor

God promised the Davidic dynasty a “wondrous counselor” (Isa. 9:6 [MT 5]),

Isaiah 11:1–2 “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

V. 7 - Jesus does not merely stand beside the king to give counsel but He himself sits enthroned, he establishes, upholds it… God seeks no counsel, and no one can counsel God (Isa. 40:13–14).

Isaiah 40:25–26 “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.”

Wise Men// Astrologers//Magi came to him when he was 1 to 2 years old just to check him out. They didn’t stay and offer a great deal of wisdom to Joseph and Mary, but they brought gifts, perhaps from King Herod. GOSPEL - WE DIDNT BRING HIM GIFTS TO PUT AT HIS CRIB. WE BROUGHT HIM OUR SIN UNDER THE TREE. AND INSTEAD OF OUR MINDS BEING DARKENED AND OUR EYES GROWING DIM, HIS DID.

His counsel stands the test of time.

Psalm 33:11 “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”

He counsels with no distractions

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

He never looks at his watch; He looks at you.

He’s never in a rush. He’s easy to be with.

He is the destination of His counsel

Psalm 73:24 “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.”

What’s in it for Him? It’s not your money. It’s not research to see how you’re going to respond to His advice or how this is going to play out in your life. He’s not restricted by the governement/agency he works for. He’s not just trying to make you smarter, wiser, or even more calm and collected. He’s after you.

GOSPEL -

But we rejected His counsel.

Deride him. Wagged our head.

We disagree with His counsel: You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.

We write him off… Save yourself.

We tell him to prove it: Come If you are who you say you are… If you’re really loving… If you really cared about me in the darkness… then you would do this… We are the bad news friends. We are the bad oracle to the Son of God. Mocking Him with our lives. Rushing around like busy bees, too busy to listen to Him. Too smart to follow Him.

Our sin put him enthroned Him on the cross. And there, what did our Wonderful Counselor do?

He counseled Himself. Using Psalm 22.

A parable, a proverb, as He was accursed, He used what was available to Him… A Psalm that King David wrote many years before.

Even though He never takes His eye off of us, He says God, My God, why have you forsaken me… And you know why? He was forsaken, so that you and I would always have a Counselor, always have light, always have hope.

So, what are you waiting for? Call His number. Set up a meeting with Him. Set up a life with Him. Will you join me?

Matthew 27:39–44 “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.”

Matthew 27:45–46 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””

Matthew 27:50 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”

APPLICATION:

RSV uses Counsellor to translate parakletos in gospel of John. “To call beside” one who actively stands by and exhorts, encourages. Also one passively to stand by someone, particularly in a lawcourt (as a friend and not a professional pleader), like an advocate mentioned in 1 John 2:1.

The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, Vol. IV (His Name—The Counsellor (No. 215))

God’s deliberations are as flashes of lightning; they are as wise as if he had been eternally considering, but the thoughts of his heart, though swift as lightning, are as perfect as the whole system of the universe. - Spurgeon

Remember, there is nothing that happens in your daily life, but what was first of all devised in eternity, and counselled by Jesus Christ for your good and in your behalf, that all things might work together for your lasting benefit and profit.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. LIII The Everlasting Counsellor (No. 3,066)

“Is thy counsellor perished?”—Micah 4:9.

So this counselor is a wonder because his counsel goes beyond the merely human.

John Oswalt

A woman said to a marriage counselor, “I married looking for an ideal. But I got an ordeal and now I want a new deal.”

Anonymous

sIn truly biblical counseling, therefore, where a counselor and counselee meet in the name of Jesus Christ, they may expect the very presence of Christ as Counselor in-charge.

Jay E. Adams

A counselor can tell you what to do, but can’t always help you to do it. Jesus, on the other hand, the wonderful Counselor, is also the mighty God. He can truly solve your situation.

Jon Courson

Isaiah fulfilled the role of a prophet, who announced the words of God, one who hardened the hearts of people, a wise counselor of kings, a performer of dramatic sign acts, and an author and editor.

Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 40.

Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? - Isaiah 40:13

Isaiah pairs the terms wonderful and to counsel in two other passages: Isaiah 25:1 and Isaiah 28:29, both describing Yahweh (thus reaffirming the Messiah’s divinity). The first of these is obscured in English; where you see the word plans the author used the same word as counsel in Isaiah 9:6. - Website

Isaiah 30:1-2 The Lord warns against worldly counsel, saying that those who take counsel without the Lord's advice are rebelling against him.

Isaiah 8:10 The verse says, "Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us".

Isaiah 11:2-5 The verse says, "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of counsel and might".

Isaiah 46:9-10 The verse says, "I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it".