For Unto Us...

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)

 

          We’re coming to Christmas. I haven’t been sharing verses associated with the holiday because I am reluctant to address the same verses we hear every year. It’s not that I don’t love the story, but what can be said that hasn’t been said every year? My own emotional ups and downs, and the ups and downs of people around me and around the world – these things provide fodder that may also be the same old, same old, but they’re felt in our lives and seem to crowd out Christmas. My history of difficulty with Christmas probably has something to do with it – and my feelings of guilt that I struggle with Christmas, too.

          But today, I find myself thinking about what today’s passage says. I’m not one of those who says “oo” and “ah” about human babies. I have relatives who have babies, and I can tell you, they’re pretty excited. You’ve probably seen an elaborate gender-reveals on social media, for a lot of people, babies are all about excitement. Whether we’re talking about personal or royal, the birth of a child is something positive. In many traditional cultures, the birth of a boy is even more exciting than a girl.

I don’t follow the British royals, but I know there’s generally there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the birth of a royal child. After the question of “Boy or girl?” the next most important question asked is “Have you picked a name yet?” And what of the names listed in this verse? Again, considering British royals as a parallel, Prince William’s full name is William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor. William means "Vehement protector.” Arthur means “noble strength, a bear.” Philip means “friend or lover of horses.” Louis means “renowned warrior.” Mountbatten is an anglicized version of Battenberg and Battenberg and Windsor are towns in German and England, respectively. The announcement of the name is another big event.

The name of the one on whose shoulders the government would be is like a British royal name. One is just not enough. The first is Pele-Yoez, meaning “a miracle, a marvel, a wonder” which indicates “something extraordinary, incomprehensible, inexplicable,” and “to advise, counsel, devise, purpose.” In English, He is “Wonderful Counselor.” A wonderful counselor brings together his omniscience, wisdom and love. A counselor needs each of these.

The second name is El-Gibbor, God Almighty. This speaks to his omnipotence and to his omnipresence, because God cannot be almighty if He isn’t able to get somewhere.

The third is Aviad, the Father of Eternity, and this speaks of his immorality and immutability. He lives forever and doesn’t change from moment to moment.

And the fourth is Sar-Shalom, the Prince of Peace. This is the name that speaks of his immanence, is presence and approachability. There’s a lot more to this name, and I’ll address it more soon.

Put together, this royal son on whose shoulders the government would rest would be transliterated Pele-Yoez El-Gibbor Aviad Sar-Shalom. In the Jewish mind, names aren’t just arbitrary labels parents choose because they like the sound. Names speak clearly to the character of the named person, and to who that person is, part of which involves connection to his/her family. The child given this name would have a lot to live up to. For those to whom he was introduced, it was clear that this person was a force with which to be reckoned.