The great confidence and promise of Isaiah 9:6 is not that we have a Wonderful Counselor who will help us come up with a plan for our life and future. The good news is that Jesus is the Counselor and King who already has come up with a plan—and the plan was himself.

One passage cherished for Advent reflection is Isaiah 9:6.

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.

That title “Wonderful Counselor” is one of the sweetest promises for believers. And it should be, yet perhaps not as we generally take it. We read “counselor” and are disposed to think of a knowledgeable professional sitting across from us in a sofa chair, pen and paper in hand, ready to lend a listening ear (for a low rate of $150/hr) and empathize with life’s challenges. Or perhaps our idea is more personable: We see an older, wiser confidante, listening across the table at a coffee shop, helping us sort through our emotions and big life decisions.

Both such readings of “Wonderful Counselor,” whether personal or professional, offer us an unfounded promise. It may be a true promise, if we find it elsewhere in Scripture, but as far as Isaiah 9 goes, we have gotten off on the wrong foot, squared. We are misguided first in our understanding of what the “counselor” is, and because of this we do not understand whom the counselor is to.

Correcting these notions will require us to let go of what might be a personally meaningful, but textually unwarranted, promise. But it will open our hands to receive a far better hope: better because it is truly greater, and because it is textually grounded.

What is the Counselor?

First, let’s consult the context. In Isaiah 6, the prophet accesses the throne room of God in heaven, which lays the theological foundation for the rest of the book. The vision of the King on his throne, his glory over all the earth, is in the background of all that comes after. In chapters 7–12, God through Isaiah confronts Ahaz, King of Judah, for his lack of faith, and thus his failed representation of the House of David. Since Ahaz will not allow the Lord the opportunity to be God among his people, the Lord will enter through the back door of a little child born in humble circumstances.

In the close context of Isaiah, this is the prophet’s own son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. This baby boy is the “Immanuel” sign, God’s way of showing his promise that he will be with his people. But in the continuing context of God’s grand redemptive plan, it is clear the boy really is a sign, and not the fulfillment of the whole promise, all on his own.

“Counsel” is a key theme throughout Isaiah, and it usually carries political connotations. A “counselor” is not a therapist. Rather, a “counselor” was usually used as a technical term for an advisor to a governmental official. A “counselor” to the King would be like a member of the President’s cabinet, such as a Secretary of Defense or of Homeland Security. Later on, in the Greek and Roman governments, the “counselor” would have been a member of the official Council or Senate, comparable to our Congressmen or Senators.^[1] This is one of the denotations of the greek σύμβουλος—significant for the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 9:6, which we will return to later.

Read More