This is post #17 in the Christmas devotional “Christmas Joy.” Want to read more devotionals by Mel Lawrenz?
And he will be called…Everlasting Father. –Isaiah 9:6
What a remarkable string of names in Isaiah 9:6! Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Now, these were radical statements indeed, and they described the one who was coming to rule heaven and earth. A coming ruler might—if he were an ordinary ruler—simply assert his authority and prerogatives as sovereign. As we well know, a king is one who has the power because he has an army, and who has wealth because he controls the resources of his realm. That is the way of earthly rulers. But Isaiah also spoke of a ruler whom people would look to in far more personal terms: “Father.”
But Jesus would be no mere earthly ruler. His reign would be “everlasting.” Enduring, unstoppable, without challenge, having the qualities of heaven. An everlasting ruler would have to be a divine king.
It is a different kind of king who reigns as father. A king (or, for that matter, a prime minister, a president, etc.) does not have to treat his subjects as though the he were their father. They can wield power simply because they have it. But a ruler who cares for those in his realm, who truly wants to protect, and provide for his subjects out of a familial kind of love, is as much a father as he is king
Hundreds of years before his birth, Jesus was called “Everlasting Father” because his reign would be about protecting and providing—a king, yes, but a fatherly one. And we should not forget that Jesus’ relationship with God the Father was so close that Jesus could say: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
In some parts of the world, the legend of Santa Claus, derived from St. Nicholas, is called “Father Christmas.” At its best, the legend expresses the belief in someone out there that is bigger than life, full of benevolence and magical charm. That Everlasting Father exists. Nothing can compare to the reality that Jesus Christ has become, for the world, the Powerful Protector and Perfect Provider, a king whose authority is so right and so good, it will never end.
Born a child, destined to bring fatherly care. Always and forever. In this, the children of God place their faith and hope.
[What has been the most spiritually influential experience in your life? See the survey HERE.]
Prayer for today:
Lord, help me to fully submit to your authority as king in my life, and then let me know your protection and provision which goes beyond what any early father can provide.