“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.” Isaiah 9:6 ESV
Reflection: who is the true ruler of your heart?
Christmas is a time when Christians all over the world celebrate, and are again reminded of the Savior who was born, long ago, in the most humble conditions and beginnings. A King and ruler, to carry the most difficult of burdens. To offer us freedom and the gift of life. Luke summarized so well what happened, in a few verses that is read all over the world,
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” Luke 2:4-14 ESV
Hundreds of years earlier, Isaiah had a vision of this day, writing ““For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;” Isaiah 9:6a. And it is so interesting what he saw as the characteristics of this child, this son being born. Notice that the first thing Isaiah mentioned was about His government and rule, as he wrote “the government shall be upon his shoulder”. And, he continued “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.” Isaiah 9:7 ESV.
in addition to being an eternal just and righteous King and ruler, Isaiah tells us more about who this King is, that “his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6b ESV. Each of these four characteristics is worth an in-depth study, why the Lord through Isaiah specifically chose those four to describe Jesus, as His name. And, as we read in Luke, the angel proclaimed at the birth of Jesus ““Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 ESV. We learn that this child born is the Savior, the Christ, the Messiah, the promised one. The fulfillment of prophecy.
But let’s dwell today on His government, of which the “increase of his government and of peace there will be no end”. An expanding government and kingdom, which this ruler “will establish and uphold with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore”. This is clearly a different kind of kingdom and government than anything we see in the world, and why it was, and still is, so difficult for many to receive His rule, His government. Because it is established voluntarily, in us. As we remember from the life of Jesus, He didn’t rule with physical power and authority as governments in the world do, He simply presented truth and asked people to follow Him. And, His kingdom expansion, happening one by one, even to this day. One person at a time, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Colossians 1:13 ESV,
An expanding kingdom until the last day, the day of the Lord, until all enemies of His kingdom is put under His feet. “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:23-26 ESV
So as we celebrate Christmas this year, celebrating the arrival of the true, just and righteous King of kings, let each of us fully surrender all to Him, and make Him alone the King and ruler of our hearts.