Mighty God

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 (NIV)

t is in this name of the Messiah that many falter in unbelief.  For Jesus to be the Messiah he must be Jehovah. Not “a god”, not one of many, not a creation but The Creator.  Many can believe that Jesus was a good man, a prophet, or some sort of lesser god but they stumble at the claim that Jesus is the Eternal God, The Alpha and Omega.

Literally the writer calls Him “The Mighty Almighty” using the Hebrew word “el” as in: El Echad - The One God (Mal 2:10); El Hanne eman - The Faithful God (Deut 7:9); El Emet – The God of Truth (Ps 31:5); El Tsaddik – The Righteous God (Is. 45:21); El Shaddai – The All Sufficient God (Gen 17:1 and 47 more times).  There are twenty two more names that refer to Jehovah in this way and we can know that each one of them describe Jesus.  Surely He is Faithful, True, Righteous, and All Sufficient.  He is the One True God!  Keep checking back because as the New Year begins we will take each name and explore it for a week.

The importance of this name given to Jesus cannot be over emphasized.  No man could die for our sins.  The seed of Adam carried the curse of sin and was incapable of becoming the Lamb of God.  God Himself had to become flesh and live among us.  Consider what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Being equal with God, Christ made Himself of no reputation and became flesh and blood, but He was still God!  He humbled himself and allowed death to take Him.  Oh the glory of that blissful thought!  That God Himself has paid the price for our salvation.  His life was not taken but He laid it down willingly so that we might be saved.

It is beyond our comprehension that Jesus could be the Son of man and the Son of God.  He felt as we feel, hungered as we hungered, was tempted as we are tempted and overcame this world yet He was God Himself dwelling among us.  Emmanuel! 

Again Paul writes to Timothy,

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

As we gaze into the manger where He laid, the mystery of godliness looks up at us from the eyes of a baby.  The cry that we hear is the voice of God.  The heart that beats in this tiny body flows with blood so pure, so precious and rare that all of Heaven stops and looks on in wonder.  For there, surrounded by sheep and cows, born to poor men, worshipped by lowly shepherds, lays the Lamb who is God that will take away the sin of the world.