Mighty God

⁶  For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

       and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

       Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

       on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

       with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

       The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

²¹ A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

Isaiah 10:21 cf. Deuteronomy 10:17 and Jeremiah 32:18

This passage in Isaiah is a passage of anticipation.  The prophecy uttered looks to the far future.  All Israel were hoping for the Messiah that God had promised since Moses.  It had been many hundred years, but the Messiah had not come.  God sent Isaiah to speak another prophecy of the coming Messiah.  This time there were many clues packed into one poetic prophecy.  The entire package of the prophecy written in Isaiah 9 started from verse 1.  Matthew quoted the beginning of the prophecy in ch. 4:13-17:

¹³ And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

                ¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

                ¹⁶ the people dwelling in darkness

have seen a great light,

                and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:15-16 is a direct quotation from Isaiah 9:1-2, with some minor adjustments:

¹ But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

                ² The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

                those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

Matthew’s direct quote was meant to prove the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy in Jesus Christ.  Even though Matthew only quoted the introduction of the prophecy, it was proof enough to point the entire prophecy to Jesus Christ.  This includes the particular verses 6-7 which is our passage for today’s sermon.

            The loaded clues carried by this particular prophecy brought in four names that the True Messiah would bear: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  These four names could not be separated from each other as they all find fulfillment in one person, Jesus Christ the True Messiah.  Now, we won’t be spending time elaborating each name, for we neither have the time nor space for it.  The main focus for today’s sermon is the second name “Mighty God.”  And I shall elaborate to you the meaning of this second name of the True Messiah as prophesied by Isaiah.

            I will need you to give me your undivided attention as we are going to ponder a very difficult interpretation of this passage.

            The name “Mighty God” is translated from the Hebrew words: “אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר” which means exactly it.  The usage of the word “גִּבּ֔וֹר” has a particular purpose here, in which the great strength of God is highlighted.  This emphasis indicates that this God is not weak, in fact this God is so powerful that He is undefeated, or Mighty.  He is not like any god that can be defeated.  However, the most mind-boggling about this name is that the Messiah is said to be God.  I’ll tell you in a minute why this is difficult to understand.

            When the Israelites anticipated the coming of the Messiah that Yahweh promised, their hearts were lifted.  They expected a savior that would save them from the decline of their kingdom and the ridicule of the nations around them.  But for many hundred years the Messiah had not come.  They searched within the descendants of the King of Judah hoping that they would find the Messiah in that lineage while the kingdom was still standing.  Some even thought that Hezekiah was the “child” that Isaiah prophesied.  But all that proved wrong.  So they continued to hope.  Their hope was shut down when the kingdom was delivered to Babylon.  They all went into exile without successfully finding the Messiah.  The promise remained a promise.  Then they returned from the exile.  Their hope went up.  Who knows this time the Messiah would come and restore the kingdom of David?  But no, no True Messiah came.  Many claimed to be the Messiah, here and there, but in the end they were defeated and none were able to restore the ruined kingdom of Israel.  Until one day, an Angel came to Mary telling her that the Messianic Prophecy was going to be fulfilled through the baby that she would carry and gave birth as a virgin.  Then the unfolding of the birth of the savior continued to roll.

            This is where I am going to tell you why the name “Mighty God” is unacceptable for many people to be assigned to the True Messiah that God sent into the world.  Two levels of difficulties.  First, the Jews had immortalized the idea of the Messiah that the coming Messiah would be the superpower being that none could touch, destroy, or defeat.  He must be so powerful just as the names indicate.  Thus they expected that God in God form would come down to earth as Messiah.  This first level is very difficult to deal with because that is not what God has in mind.  And secondly, when God executed His plan in Jesus Christ, the Jews rejected the Messiah altogether.  They could not accept Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus was not the Messiah they had created in their imagination.  They considered Jesus to be weak as opposed to the name “Mighty God.”  They regarded Jesus to be mere human, and thus He could not be the Messiah, who is supposed to be God.  Take a look at John 10:31-33:

³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”  ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Their anticipation of the Messiah went haywire when they got Jesus as the Messiah, and not some kind of supernatural being like they imagined.  In turn, the Jews would not accept Jesus as the Messiah, even though He is the True Messiah as prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 9.

            Today, in this 21^st century, we too are facing a similar problem.  We too often expect a different Messiah.  We have our own version of the Messiah.  We want a Messiah that would grant us whatever we ask. We wish for a Messiah that would magically cast all our problems away.  We hail a Messiah that would promise us a massive fortune for our businesses.  We adore a Messiah that would spare us from any sickness.  We even demand a Messiah that would hide us from any misfortune.  We want a Messiah who is a “Mighty God” that can serve as our bodyguard, that we can carry around to show the world that they should not mess with us or they would get the revenge of the “Mighty God.”

If the Messiah is not like what we imagined, we kick and scream.  We reject a Messiah that allows us to face challenges.  We curse a Messiah that lets us get sick.  We mock a Messiah that does not shower us with dollars from the sky.  We are mad at a Messiah that permits misfortune to come at us and take away our security.  We do not want a Messiah that will not do what we ask, or grant us what we want.  Yeah, Jesus Christ of the Bible will never fit our sinful desires.  So we often reject the True Messiah.  We even challenge Him that ‘if He is truly Mighty, then He should be able to keep our life pleasant and comfortable.’  Thus many would conclude that the fact that our life is rocky is proof that He is not Mighty.

Just like the Israelites at that time and in the time of Jesus, today we too often misunderstand the meaning of the name “Mighty God.”  No, the Messiah is not our bodyguard that will do whatever we want.  He is Mighty God alright, so powerful and undefeated.  But He is not our servant.  He is not our muscle man.  He does not always cure our illness.  He does not always keep misfortune away from us.  He does not always make us successful in our career or business.  He is The Mighty God after all, who can tame Him?  Who can control Him?

We often imagine the Messiah is like the Genie in the lamp.  The Genie is restricted in the lamp, even though the Genie is the mightiest being in the universe.  The Genie is always bound by a strict rule, in which he can’t grant any wishes without first requested by the owner of the lamp.  And the wishes are limited to only three.  The Genie can grant any wish, because he is the most powerful being in the entire world.  The Genie made Aladdin a prince by the name of Prince Ali from the country of Ababua.  He can grant Aladdin all the riches in the world.  He can do the unthinkable.  But he can’t make anybody fall in love, nor change someone’s personality.  Yes, the Genie is mighty.  But people forget, the Genie, even though mighty, he is not God.  The Messiah on the other hand is The Mighty God.

Now, I shall proclaim to you the grace of God.  The Messiah is indeed is not under our command, and we are supposed to be grateful for it.  For He alone knows what is best and good for us.  We much too often do not even have a clue of what is good and best for us.  We don’t remember much of the past.  We don’t know the complete history of our life, how much more the history of the entire world.  We don’t even understand completely what is happening to us presently.  And we have no clue whatsoever about the future.  On the other hand, the Messiah, who is the Mighty God, knows what is best and good for us.  So, first and foremost, have faith in Him.

Secondly, He is The Mighty God, all powerful and the undefeated Supreme Being.  His Might is real.  He calmed the storm.  He cured the sick.  He walked on water.  He raised the dead.  He hold in his hands all the authority in heaven and earth.  As His character can be trusted, The Mighty God would not use His power to bully us.  But instead, He uses His power to protect us from the devil.  Remember that Lord’s Prayer line that says: “but deliver us from the evil one”?  Even though the devil is strong, he is not stronger than the Messiah.  If in His weakest state, during the incarnation, He could demolish the devil, how much more if He is in his strongest state, that is after He is resurrected and ascended to heaven.  The devil does not stand a chance against Him, the Mighty God.  Jesus Christ, the Mighty God, protects us from the attacks of the devil.  The Mighty God saves us from the grip of sin, from the hands of Satan, and from eternal hell.  The Mighty God is indeed our Savior.  Yes the Mighty God was born into this earth 2000 years ago in the form of a regular baby boy laid in a manger whose name was Jesus, known as the son of Joseph and Mary.  His birth was sung by a thousand angels of heaven.  His coming was proclaimed thousands of years before.  And His entire historical earthly life has been proclaimed throughout all ages into all the world until His return at the end of time.  Fall not into the trap of human sinful imagination.  Stay true to the Messiah’s own interpretation of who He is.  Then you shall meet the True Messiah, The Mighty God, face to face.  Amen.