The Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9:6

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace

This passage contains the birth announcement that God gave to the Prophet Isaiah, and immediately we see something special about this message. If you examine the usual cards that inform you of birth, you will not find any references to what the baby will be when he or she grows up. As parents, we might have some hopes and aspirations for our child, but at birth, we cannot be certain about their future. Yet we have a prediction of what kind of person this baby will be and what He will accomplish, and it declares these things seven hundred years before His birth. So we start out with a very remarkable and special announcement and wow! Just look at Him! He is absolutely unique. He is given four titles: (1) Wonderful Counselor. (2) Mighty God (3) Eternal Father (4) Prince of Peace.

What Is The Meaning of the title “Wonderful Counselor”?

In the Hebrew, the Word PELE connotes something extraordinary, something so great it leaves you in a state of awe. It describes something so tremendous and so amazing that it’s literally beyond all description. It speaks of that which goes beyond human comprehension - like a miracle. The Hebrew dictionary says, “a marvelous thing, an astounding thing which causes a feeling or attitude of intense amazement. Jesus is a counselor that excites wonder.

There is no greater counsel that He has given to us than to trust in Him as savior.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [John 14:6]

As a believer, we hear this message so often that it can become ordinary or commonplace to us. God forbid that this message and these words cease to be anything but extraordinary. Jesus died for me! Unheard of! Without precedence! Inconceivable! There is a reason why the gospel is called "good news." As the Apostle John wrote more than sixty years after his conversion:

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.[1 John 3:1 NKJV]

"What manner of" means that this kind of love is exceptional. It is foreign, unearthly, and uniquely God's own kind of love. We have all received a personal invitation from the Wonderful Counselor to believe in Him as the one and only Savior. He explains that we all have a spiritual need.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

We are all like sheep that lost our way and He, the good shepherd, comes and finds us. He comes to give us something we do not have - everlasting life and one day, entrance into a place called heaven.

11] And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12] He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:11,12

The wonderful counselor has given us an incredible message! If we would trust in Him, He will save us and take us to heaven to be with Him forever and ever.

Our Wonderful Counselor encourages us to learn about Him.

Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The teaching that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:29,30 NCV

Much of the trouble we face in life is because we have placed our trust in unreliable authorities:

• We trust in Culture - everyone is doing it.
• We trust in Tradition - we’ve always done it that way.
• We Trust in Reason - It seems logical.
• We trust in our Emotions - it felt right

These authorities that we listen to are flawed, due to the imperfect state we are in, because of our sinful condition. If we want the wonderful counsel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must turn to the Bible and enroll in the School of Christ. It is only there that we have His words. Listen to His invitation, "Learn about me!" The Bible must become the authoritative standard for my life, the compass I rely on for direction, the counsel I listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark I use for evaluating everything. If it is your authority, then it must have the last and final word in your life.

The Scripture is the written testimony of the words and counsel of the Lord Jesus Christ. His counsel comes through his Word, and it excites wonder if we approach it properly. Jesus counsel’s you today “to accept His teachings and learn from His word.” If you’re a Christian, the Counselor, the Lord Jesus Christ, encourages you to abide in His Word and if you do:

It will transform your life. It will frighten the devil so that he will flee from you. It will heal your hurts, build your character, encourage and comfort you in times of sorrow and sadness, change your circumstances, impart joy, help you overcome adversity, defeat temptations, it will inculcate hope, cleanse your minds, and give you a guarantee for your future that will last forever, just to mention a few things.

In order to receive the wonderful counsel of the Lord, it is not enough to believe the Bible; we must fill our minds with it.

God Counsels Us To Read His Word Daily.

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses wrote down God’s Word to Israel, and one of the things he said was that when they possessed the Land, God would give them a king, and then he said this:

18] Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

19] It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, Deuteronomy 17:18,19

God Counsels Us To Research It.

But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy. James 1:25 NCV

You haven’t truly studied the Bible until you ask this question, "How does this passage apply to me, today?"

God Counsels Us To Remember It.

We should memorize God’s Word.

Your word I have hidden my heart, That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:7, 8

This Psalm is what we call a messianic Psalm; that is, it looks ahead to the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 10:7 the writer quotes this Bible verse and attributes this statement to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, addressing the Father, "Your Law is within my heart." Our Lord believed God's word was important enough to memorize it. He read it, He research it, He remembered it, and He reflected on it.

God Counsels Us To Reflect On It.

Psalm 1:1-2

1] How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law, he meditates day and night.

When you accept Jesus as your Wonderful Counselor, you will be amazed every day by His wonderful Word. If you love Him, you will love His Word. You will desire to read His word daily, research it diligently, remember and reflect upon it often and allow it to transform and mold your mind and life into one that will become more like His. If you want His counsel, you must open His Word.