The Zone Gathering

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, Price of Peace.” (NASB)

Isaiah prophesied that this child who would be born to us, Jesus Christ, would be called Mighty God. How could a human infant — who would grow into a man — be the Mighty God? What does Scripture teach us about Jesus’ deity and power?

The Hebrew word for “mighty” is gibbor, which is translated as “strong, valiant, outstanding, great.” It generally suggests something or someone heroic. Gibbor appears to be mostly a military team, used to describe God as a powerful, wonderful warrior. The same word is used repeatedly throughout the Old Testament to describe “mighty men” and military battles.

Before we examine how this name Mighty God belongs to Jesus, let’s look at how the word gibbor is used in the OT of God the Father. Deuteronomy 10:17 assures us that “the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.” Nehemiah also describes God as “the great, the mighty, and the awesome” (Neh. 9:32).

The psalmist refers frequently to God as “mighty” and often employs military terminology in describing His strength. He asks “Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Ps. 24:8) and prays for the Lord to “gird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O Mighty One, in Thy splendor and Thy majesty!” (Ps 45:3).

The Old Testament serves as a witness to God’s power and might. He led His people into battle, delivered them from oppressing nations, and continually met their needs when it seemed impossible. But how is this Mighty God displayed and realized in the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of whom Isaiah prophesied?

Jesus Christ was not simply the Son of God — He was one with God and the human expression of God Himself. John 1:1 states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” How do we know that “the Word” refers to Jesus? John goes on to tell us that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus Himself spoke of His unity with God — “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

Isaiah spoke of Jesus as the Mighty God, omnipotent and full of strength. Literally, Jesus is the “hero God.” Jesus Christ is God Himself and He is able to save all who trust in Him. He has nothing less than the full power and authority of God at His command. Even Satan recognized this about Jesus when he tempted Him in the wilderness. He challenged Jesus to command the stones to become bread (remember, Jesus was fasting), to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and to worship him (Matt. 4:1-11). He knew that Jesus had the power to do all these things, and yet — Jesus exercised ultimate authority by refusing to compromise His mission by giving in to the tempter’s demands.

This very same Jesus was mocked as He hung on the cross, crucified for our sins, bearing unspeakable torment and physical pain. The Roman soliders and other detractors challenged Him to prove His deity by saving Himself (Luke 23:35-39). Surely the “Mighty God” could overcome the cross and avoid the death which awaited Him. I recall the words of an old hymn — “He could have called 10,000 angels, to destroy the world and set Him free.” Was Jesus Christ less than mighty because He chose to remain on the cross until “it [was] finished” and our salvation was complete?

Certainly not! Philippians 2 reminds us that Jesus purposely limited His Godhead powers to live on earth, to be human, to identify with us.

Philippians 2:5-11 — “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If this doesn’t show the power of Jesus, I don’t know what does. He chose to limit His powers so that He could identify with us. He stayed true to His mission and became our Savior. The power of His blood conquered sin and evil, and He will have the ultimate victory over Satan in a display of His righteous might. How’s that for a baby boy swaddled sweetly in a manger?

As we ponder God’s wondrous gift of Jesus to us this Christmas season, may we find our comfort and strength through the Mighty God. Paul relied on the God of power when he wrote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). We too can lean on this awesome power when we are faced with trials and tribulations. Jesus Christ is our hero, our warrior, our Mighty God!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 6th, 2005 at 9:21 am and is filed under Bible Drills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.