“For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)
“For a child is born to us…” Jesus had to be born if He was going to identify fully as a human. He became a man. Only a man could be qualified to be the Messiah our Savior and High Priest. He was fully man.
“…a Son is given to us.” Jesus is also the eternal Son of God. David Guzik says in his commentary of this verse – Jesus had to be perfect and infinite to offer an infinite atonement for our sins. The humanity of Jesus had a starting point. He is fully God and fully man. The Son was given, and at that moment, human nature was added to His divine nature.
This is a very familiar prophecy about Jesus. The hymn is running through my head. I can hear the Christmas choir singing it right now. Of course, on this side of the timeline looking back, we understand it. We know it’s Jesus he’s talking about. We know He’ll come as a baby in a manger, start His ministry at 30, do many amazing miracles, be shunned by the Jewish leaders, and eventually be condemned to death. He will be crucified and will rise again from the dead. Through all of that, He will try to get His disciples to see and understand that He is ushering in a Kingdom that is not of this world.
I can see how the disciples and all who had been looking forward to their Messiah coming were thinking that He would come and set up His government here on earth, wipe out those pesky Romans and everyone else who were oppressing them. But Jesus was coming for so much more. He was coming, not only to set the Jewish people free but to set all men free, Jew and Gentile. They thought their oppressor was a foreign government. Jesus knew that governments come and go. Nations and kingdoms rise and fall. It was sin, the original sin that had unleashed sin and death into the world to bring darkness and oppression that had to be vanquished. Then and only then could those who believe in Jesus and what He was going to do, and what He has already done for us now, be set free and enter a Kingdom that will never end. A Kingdom and a government that rests on His shoulders.
The last line in verse seven above says, “The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” And He did. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy that was given about Him seven hundred years before He walked the earth, and He also fulfilled over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah. When we see this fulfillment, we can rest assured that everything else written in His Word will come to pass. It may not look like what we were imagining, but it will be even better.
Today’s truth is, God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, can and will fulfill every promise He’s made. His Kingdom will never end. He will rule from the throne of David for eternity.
Thank you Jesus that we can put our full trust in You.
Debbie's Perspective 
I wish I could get a good grip on this truth and remind myself everyday that the Lord of Heaven’s Army is true to His word and His Promises….He is for me, not against me.