“Name above all names” – throne names of the Messiah!
Name above all names – at the name of Jesus every knee will bow!
Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” -Luke 1:30-32
A Child is OR will be born AND to whom?
For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders.
And His Name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
New American Standard Bible – Isaiah 9:6 (9:5 in the Hebrew Scriptures)
When Philip was miraculously “transported” to the side of an Ethiopian chariot (Acts 8:26-40), the Ethiopian official was reading from the prophet Isaiah and the difficult passage predicting the “slaughter of the lamb” whose “life was taken from the earth” (predicting a suffering death of Messiah), he asked Philip a very important question: “Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” (Acts 8:34)
“Who is the prophet talking about?” is a major question to be studied in the birth & death of Messiah!
Who is Isaiah referring to in Isaiah 7:14 & Isaiah 9:6, someone in the day of Ahaz & Hezekiah, or the advent of Jesus or some future Messianic King who will bring an everlasting reign of peace on earth?
Let us look at the words in Hebrew without any Jewish or Christian interpretation:
“For a child is born unto us a son is given unto us and will be the government upon his shoulder and will be called his name wonderful counselor, God mighty, everlasting-Father, prince of peace.”
For some Jewish scholars these verses refer to the son of Ahaz, King Hezekiah, because God delivered a mighty miracle of rescue to Jerusalem under Hezekiah’s leadership to deliver Judah from the Assyrian assault.
The verses of the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 9:5) are written in the past or perfect tense, meaning that they are meant to express a “completed” (past) action, so they look for a fulfillment in the historical past.
Was this prophecy “completed” and fulfilled in the past faithful reign of King Hezekiah, whose name means “Yahweh is my strength” (strength of God); the second most miraculous deliverance & rescue of God’s people after being rescued from their bondage in Egypt?
For some scholars these are four names that describe God and God alone, but then why does the prophet say, “a son” will be born (Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6)?
Christian scholars, like Jewish scholars, also struggle to agree in interpreting these powerful words of promise.
Why are the verbs in past tense changed to a future tense to proclaim an event that would take place approximately 700 years later? (Come and study this with me on Sunday; let’s grow!)
Do these four or eight divine names (adjectives or attributes) belong to God alone and not to a child/son?
Does Jesus fulfill these “God-names” in His coming, living & dying?
Where is this “good news of great joy” and “peace on earth & goodwill to all” promise fulfilled?
On Sunday, December 7 we will study the second throne name: “Mighty God” and these two titles of Divinity: 1) Mighty (gibbor) & 2) God (el) as we thoughtfully consider the Scriptures that tell of the birth of Jesus Christ.
How is it possible that a child can fulfill this miraculous promise to rescue & redeem?
Because He is more than an infant in a Nativity scene; He is the Mighty God born to give us life; born to bring us peace – peace with God; He is Immanuel which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), and because He is a Savior for all the people (Luke 2:11), “for nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)!
Where are you looking for the power to rescue & redeem this Advent season?
The joy of the Lord is our strength; the Mighty God be with you all,
Pastor Scott