Isaiah 9:6
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. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7 and Philippians 2:5-11
We continue looking at the list of names that Isaiah assigns to the future Messiah. But these aren’t literal names for Jesus, they are more like titles or aspects of his character. They give insight into who Jesus is and what he is going to do.
“And he will be called … Mighty God.”
The title of Mighty God implies both power and divinity. The Messiah would be a warrior king – a hero and a champion. He would lead his people in battle and achieve victory. The Hebrew word for mighty is “gibbôr” meaning a powerful military leader. As Israel’s Mighty God, this coming king would rule over the armies of God like no other leader before him – including David. God’s warrior would come to rescue Israel.
So it’s easy to see how Jesus did not meet the expectation of the Jews when he began his ministry. They were expecting a warrior like David but even greater. Their Jewish ancestors would sing about David, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam 18:7). When this great Messiah comes, he would deliver Israel from the Romans through his military conquest and divine leadership.
But Jesus came to earth as a servant leader to win the spiritual battle. Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). He also said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36).
When Jesus came to earth, he became an obedient servant giving up his power to rule the physical world. Paul tells us the mindset of Jesus:
“Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:6-8)
Using the title of Mighty God, Isaiah is also declaring the Messiah to be God. This is not an isolated prophecy given by Isaiah. Other authors of the Scriptures also declare Jesus’ divinity:
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14)
- “The Son is the image of the invisible God… For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Col 1:15, 19).
- “Every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2: 11).
Jesus claimed to be God and he performed many miracles to prove his divinity. But the most significant proof was the resurrection. Only God can defeat death and thus Jesus backed up his claim to be God by doing the one thing that only God can do – come back from the dead.
Jesus will return one day to completely fulfill the title of Mighty God. Every living creature will bow to the One through whom all things were created:
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).
Jesus will fulfill his role as the all-powerful military leader and will defeat death for all eternity. He will lead God’s armies and claim the earth as his forever. And he will be a good king – worthy of our praise. We will live with him for all eternity and his kingdom will never end.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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