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The Messiah as a Child
December 17
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Music recording by The Falls Church Anglican Choir directed by Simon Dixon. From For Unto Us a Child is Born, Messiah, by George Frideric Handel, 1742. View the Lyrics. Narration by Aimee Riegert.
Old Testament Prophecy:
“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.”
– Isaiah 9:6
(Isaiah wrote this between 740 and 701 BC)
New Testament Fulfillment:
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
– Luke 2:11
(Luke wrote this around 60 AD)

Devotional by Randy Newman.
Image: During excavations of a royal building in Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered eighth-century BC seal impressions from “Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah” and another nearby which appears to refer to “Isaiah the prophet.”
Isaiah 7 through 11 is complex and involves numerous children. There’s the child that will be born of a virgin in 7:14, two children with intriguing names in chapters 7 and 8 (Shear-jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz), and this child is mentioned in 9:6.
Given the scope of this devotional, we’ll focus on the realization that God promised a child who turns out to be far more than just a child. He’s God Himself taking on the form of a baby. Don’t just skip past that marvelous fact. It’s worth a lot of prayerful, worshipful, thoughtful reflection.
Isaiah tells us this child has four names (not five, the way you might think when you sing along with Handel’s Messiah). Each title is worthy of reverential meditation and prayerful application to everyday life.
He’s the Wonder Counselor. His words are wonders. He tells us of the wonder-filled things He’s done in history, most notably the sending of this particular child. He also tells us that His words are worthy of building our lives on them. He’s the Mighty God: there’s nothing He cannot do.
He’s the Everlasting Father: He’s the source of love, affection, acceptance, and delight that every earthly father, no matter how great, falls short of. He delivers what those others only pointed to. Prince of Peace: He’s the One who gives a sense of calm in the midst of pain, stability in the midst of upheaval, an assurance of eternal life in the midst of medical challenges or uncertainties, and He’s the One (and the only One!) who can rearrange our violent world so that wars cease and swords are beaten into plowshares. No wonder angels sang!
Prayer
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,
teach me, strengthen me, help me to live as
Your child, and give me
Your peace.
Amen.

Randy Newman
Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism, CSLIRandy Newman (1956-2024) was the Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism at the C.S. Lewis Institute. He taught at several evangelical seminaries. After serving for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, he established Connection Points, a ministry to help Christians engage people’s hearts the way Jesus did. He has written seven books, Questioning Evangelism, Corner Conversations, Bringing the Gospel Home, Engaging with Jewish People, Unlikely Converts: Improbable Stories of Faith and What They Teach Us About Evangelism, Mere Evangelism. and his most recent, Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief through Terrains of Doubt. Randy has also written numerous articles about evangelism and other ways our lives intertwine with God’s creation. He earned his MDiv and PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity International University. Randy went home to be with the Lord in May 2024.
