isaiah 9:6 reflection

"And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

I was initially exposed last year to the idea of Isaiah 9:6 as a synopsis of the ideal qualities of the Davidic dynasty and not primarily a reference to Christ, and I am finally understanding what this means. The passage was a pattern, an expectation of the Davidic kings, but no one met it. The people would have heard what Isaiah said and looked at King Ahaz to see if he would fulfill it. He failed at the first one. Hezekiah? Closer, but not quite. Zedekiah? Definitely not. But then—wait. Jesus. Matthew and the other apostles watched Him with baited breath. Wonderful Counselor? The wisdom He spoke with had to come from above. Mighty God? He healed the sick and forgave sins. Everlasting Father? He protected women, cared for children, and provided food for 15,000 people! Prince of Peace? His death brought salvation and peace with God. And the apostles believed that He will bring ultimate peace over the whole earth when He returns.

I realize that I have read the Bible referentially most of my life (immediately linking a passage with a future person or event), but it is becoming easier to approach Isaiah from a literary perspective and to understand the author’s original intent. I am sure that this will be a continued theme for me for many years. I am starting to see the patterning of Isaiah 9:6 in other passages. Some of these tell how the LORD or His messenger exemplify these (Isaiah 11), while some show how other rulers have failed to meet them (Isaiah 9:13 – 10:2).

I think what strikes me the most is that as a church leader, these same qualities should be true of my character.

Am I a “wonderful counselor”—do I make wise decisions and give advice from a framework of wisdom?

“Mighty God”—how do I use power? I can think of three specific avenues:
1) The power (authority, influence) of my position as a leader:
Do I use this power to love and help the people entrusted to me in their relationship with Christ or for my own selfish gain and notoriety?
2) The power and resources to help those less fortunate
3) The power (strength, might) of the Holy Spirit:
Am I relying on His power in all of these areas, or my own strength?
All three of these make me think of the example I am to others—my character in each of these areas affects the people in my sphere of influence. This is an overwhelming prospect which I do not take lightly but too often forget.

“Everlasting Father”—I am not a man and in that sense will never be a father, but there are qualities of a father that should be true of me—comforter, encourager, and protector and provider (which can be exemplified by generosity).

“Prince of Peace”—am I a peacemaker (Romans 12:16-18)? Do I seek the unity of the Spirit or cause petty arguments with my fellow workers? Do I complain and grumble? Am I vindictive? How do I relate with staff from other churches? (We're all in this kingdom thing together.)