Isaiah: The Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

One of the many Messianic prophecies that we find in the Old Testament, this is one of the few that lists names for Christ. All of the names here view Christ as a ruler. He is the wonderful counselor, bringing about righteous judgment on this earth and in heaven. He is the mighty God,  full of wisdom and strength as our virtuous ruler. He is the everlasting Father, continually acting in that role as Father for all who will come to Him in every generation.

And He is the Prince of Peace.

It is fitting that this verse is in Isaiah. Out of all the books in the Bible, only Leviticus mentions the word peace more, with most of the references there being toward peace offerings. Isaiah prophesied at a time when Israel was searching for peace, and that time has continued even until now. Isaiah, like many others, held to the belief that the reign of their Messiah would bring peace to this earth, rather than bringing war to defeat all of Israel's enemies.

One of my favorite verses that shows this desire and knowledge that God would bring peace to and for Israel and to all who love God is Isaiah 26:3. This passage is part of a song that Isaiah wrote for Judah. Here, he writes "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." The words perfect peace there in the original Hebrew are actually the same word repeated twice: shalom shalom.

The word shalom in Hebrew is often and rightly interpreted as peace. It is the only word that we have that comes close to the application that the Hebrew language brings. While we view peace as calm, comfort, or tranquility, Hebrew shalom goes deeper. Shalom is a sense of completeness or wholeness that gives one the desire to give back. And Isaiah says that God will give a double portion of completeness to those people who keep their mind focused on Him.

One day Christ will come again and truly bring shalom shalom to the earth. Until then, let us keep our minds focused on Him, that He might bring us His shalom, His completeness to Him. And when He brings it to us, let us give our lives back to Him in reverence and in service.