My Advent ponderings this year are inspired by my recent study of Isaiah and one of the most beloved descriptions of the character of the Messiah.

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.

Isaiah 9:6

The first Sunday, I pondered WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Next MIGHTY GOD on the second Sunday. Then EVERLASTING FATHER.

Finally Isaiah describes this one-who-would-reign-on-David’s-throne ¹ as the PRINCE OF PEACE.

Prince means ruler, leader, chief, or captain. Peace is shālôm—completion and fulfillment, a state of wholeness and thriving. It includes contentment, prosperity, well-being, health, safety, and unity in relationships. ²

The angels declared this shalom arrived when Jesus was born in the manger (Lk 2:14). While this peace is not what we see in the world around us (Jn 14:27, 17:33), we can experience it now because Jesus has reconciled us to God (Rom 5:1, Col 1:20) and to others (Eph 2:14) by taking our punishment (Is 35:5). The complete expression of this peace will arrive when Jesus returns to reign on David’s throne, and it never end (Is 9:7).

• Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)
• Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
• I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
• Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)
• Through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:20 NLT)
• For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. (Ephesians 2:14)
• But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
• Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. (Isaiah 9:7)

Commentator Dr. Thomas Constable summarizes this reigning one as “the monarch whose coming results in peace between God and people, and between individual people.” ³

When I catch a news headline or remember that not all my relationships are as they should be, I cling to my Prince of Peace. I seek to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart knowing I am called to peace (Col 3:15).

This is a grand vision of an ultimate and final peace. But the healing and peace starts in the immediate, here and now, first with God, and then with others, all by Christ. And how far will that peace spread? To the most difficult places of all. Not only in an abstract, universal sense, but into our own broken relationships, families, and homes, which often feel like the most war-torn of territories.

Matt LeRoy & Josh LeRoy ⁴

The Reigning One—Jesus—is a monarch of well-being.

How might you need Jesus to be your shalom?

PRAYER

Prince of Peace, “bring your reign of peace to our broken places … reconcile the impossible divisions that still exist in [our] life [and] help us to follow [your] example in becoming a people of peace.”⁵ “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thess 3:16).

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As Christmas Day is now upon us, let’s put all four of Isaiah’s descriptors of Jesus together:

To summarize, the messianic ruler’s titles depict Him as an extraordinary military strategist who will be able to execute His plans because of His supernatural abilities as a warrior. His military prowess will ensure His beneficent rule over His people, who will enjoy peace and prosperity because of His ability to subdue all His enemies.

Robert B. Chisolm Jr ⁶

Look at Jesus. As the Wonderful Counselor, he has the best ideas and strategies. Let’s follow him. As the Mighty God, he defeats his enemies easily. Let’s hide behind him. As the Everlasting Father, he loves us endlessly. Let’s enjoy him. As the Prince of Peace, he reconciles us while we are still his enemies. Let’s welcome his dominion.

Raymond C. Ortlund ⁷

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¹ Isaiah 9:7

² https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7965/kjv/wlc/0-1/

³ Dr. Constable, SonicLight.

⁴ Matt LeRoy and Josh LeRoy, Protagonist: Stepping Into the Story of Advent (Franklin, TN: Seedbed Publishing, 2019), 25.

⁵ LeRoy, 26, 62, 88

⁶ Robert B. Chisolm Jr, “A Theology of Isaiah,” in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 313-314.

⁷ Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah, 99.

All scripture is from the New International Version unless noted with emphasis added.