Wonderful Counselor
“WONDERFUL COUNSELOR!”
For Unto Us a Child is Born – Part 1 of 4
Isaiah 9:6
Pastor Robby Roberson
December 2, 2007
* Consider: Video of the Names of God
As Isaiah prophesied of the great child who was to come (740-700 B.C.). “He was to be born a Child. The implication, given in parallel style, is that this Child, a Son, was to be born into the nation of Israel (to us)” (J.F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary).
“We are told that there are 256 different names the Bible accords to Jesus our Lord. It is as though one name could not express the infinite virtue and worth of His marvelous life. We have already read about one of them in Isaiah 7:14, ‘Immanuel.’ In Isaiah 9 we read about other names” (W.A. Criswell, Isaiah: An Exposition, pg. 86).
He gave four couplets that would describe Him. “He will have four descriptive names that will reveal His character. He will be the nation’s Wonderful (this could be trans. ‘exceptional’ or ‘distinguished’ Counselor, and the people will gladly listen to Him as the authoritative One” (Walvoord, Ibid). “Wonderful, Counselor’ is actually one name instead of two. As wisdom personified (Prov. 8:14), His counsel will be sufficient for all” (The Criswell Study Bible, pg. 790).
WONDERFUL = the Septuagint uses the word megales. The Hebrew word means marvelous, wonderful (TWOT). It might be best put as wondrous “Preponderantly both the verb and substantive refer to the acts of God, designating either cosmic wonders or historical achievements on behalf of Israel. That is, in the Bible the root refers to things that are unusual, beyond human capabilities. As such, it awakens astonishment in man” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, pg. 723). Another example of the word is:
“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” Pr 30:18-19
“A ‘wonder’ would refer to something out of the ordinary, something unusual and uncommon. Had you been present to see Israel walk through the parted waters of the Red Sea dry shod, you would have said, ‘That is wonderful.’ Had you been standing by Joshua, the captain of the hosts of the armies of Israel when he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still over the Valley of Ajalon, you would have said, ‘It is wonderful.’ Had you stood on Mount Carmel in the days of Elijah when in answer to a man’s prayer, fire fell from heaven and consumed the wood, the sacrifice, and the altar, and licked up the water and dust in the trench, you would have said, ‘It is wonderful’” (Criswell, Ibid, pg. 87).
COUNSELOR = the Septuagint says boules. The Hebrew word means counsel, purpose, advice, devise, plan, decision, directing counsel (TWOT). It is “to give counsel, deliberate, purpose, determine.” The first occurrence of the word is:
“Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.” Ex 18:19
Throughout human history, probably no king has reigned with greater wisdom than Solomon (see: 1 Kings 3). But, his wisdom was nothing compared to the wonderful counselor! In the gospel account’s, it is interesting how people are awed by the wisdom of the Lord Jesus.
“No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.” Mt 22:46
“All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” Is 28:29
“But the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” 1 Pe 1:25
Here are at least four ways that He gives wonderful counsel:
1. HE GIVES WONDERFUL COUNSEL BY PROPOSITION (HIS WORD).
“Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.” Pr 8:14
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Pr 19:20-21
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Ps 119:9
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Jn 17:17
You may have heard the story of Dorie Van Stone, from Precepts Ministries. She was a little girl in an orphanage who was beaten, dirty and full of hate until a group of college students came and told her that God loved her.
She cried out to God at that moment and said, “They said you love me. If that is true, you can have me.”
Not long after that a Christian matron came to her orphanage named Irma Friend. She said it was the first time (at age 13) she realized that adults could be kind. She had to leave the orphanage at 13 and they finally found a family in San Francisco that would take her and the State would pay them. She could finish school and work for this family.
She was standing in the hallway and waiting for the social worker to come and the matron gave her a gift – the first gift she had ever received (again at 13). She said, “Dorie, this is a gift for you and I trust it will be the most precious gift you will ever receive.” She pulled out a New Testament and put it into her hand and closed her hand over it and said, “Dorie, I trust it will become the most precious gift that you will ever receive.”
That New Testament never left her. It made the difference in her life. She found John 3:16 all by herself. She memorized it. She found other verses about how the Lord would never leave her, they she belonged to Him, of His care for her, etc.
In San Francisco, she had to get up earlier than anyone else to have a chance to wash her face. She was not allowed to bathe but one day a month (she could only wash her hair every eight weeks). In the early hours of the morning she would take that little New Testament and kneel down at her altar (a bathtub) and read it with excitement and hunger. On a daily basis, she was stopped by being told, “Get out.” And, as she stepped out the door, she was slapped or hit and left bloody or blackened to begin her school day.
2. HE GIVES WONDERFUL COUNSEL BY PROMPTING (HIS SPIRIT).
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” Jn 14:16
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Jn 14:26
“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” Jn 15:26
“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Jn 16:7
A classic example of this would be in Acts 16:6-10. It is one of the reasons you sit here today!
3. HE GIVES WONDERFUL COUNSEL BY PATTERN (HIS LIFE).
The Lord Jesus personified wise counsel. He is wisdom lived out!
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Co 1:20-24 (see also: Mt. 7:28; Mark 1:22; 10:24; 11:18; Luke 2:47; 4:32).
4. HE GIVES WONDERFUL COUNSEL BY PRAYER (HIS ANSWER).
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Jas 1:5
Please don’t miss that because of the coming of this child – there is relationship with this wonderful counselor available to you (“For unto us”). Consider also: James 1:23; John 14:15, 21, 23.