“Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift.” (2 Cor 9:15)
Last Thursday, in “The Indescribable Gift,” Part 1, we saw from Isaiah 9: 6a that this beautiful, “Indescribable Gift” is for each one of us. We also saw that although it is an individual gift, it isn’t just about the forgiving of our individual sin. Rather, it is about conquering sin and death, forever, and for this, we needed a gift that was not only fully human, but also fully God: The perfect “indescribable” gift, Jesus Christ!
But there is oh, so much more to Jesus’ gift. Let’s look at the next line of Isaiah 9:6:
“And the government will be upon His shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:6b)
Friends, let’s keep in mind that Isaiah wrote this prophecy at least a hundred years before Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity, and nearly 600 years before the birth of the Jesus. Isaiah lived in a time where there had been a long line of kings in both Israel and Judah of whom the Bible records, “And he did evil in the sight of the LORD…” (2 Kings 17:2, see also 1 Kings 15:26, 34, 16:7, 30, 22:52, 2 Kings 3:2, 8:18, etc.). In fact, the Bible records that Isaiah lived in the days of “Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah…” (Is 1:1). Although it is recorded that Uzziah and Jotham did what was right in the sight of God, the “high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” (2 Kings 15:35, see also 15:4), and of Ahaz it is written: “For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD.” (1 Chron 28:19). The point is, Isaiah was sitting in the rubble of both Israel’s and Judah’s monarchies, and he looked out under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, looking across the centuries to a time when God would rule on earth through His Son: “And the government will be upon His shoulders.”
Just what does this mean?
Isaiah actually goes on to give us more detail: “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.” (Is 9:7)
Unlike the failed monarchies of Israel and Judah, and unlike the failed governments of our modern world, this verse takes us forward to a time when Jesus will be our government. This government, under Jesus, will be orderly (“to order it”) and peaceful (“Of the increase of…peace there will be no end.”). It will be established with judgment and justice (“…establish it with judgment and justice”), and Jesus’ powerful government will never, ever end (“from that time forward, even forever.”)
Isn’t that a beautiful promise? As we look out over the world today, we see that peace and order and justice are so desperately needed; yet the promise of Christmas clearly shows us that there will be a better way, for this “Indescribable Gift” has been given to us in the form of a baby, whose birth we celebrate this Christmas.
Continuing on with the description of Jesus’ gift given to us in Isaiah 9: “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Vs. 6c)
So often when we hear this text, these descriptors just flow together; yet each one has a fantastic message to speak to each of our hearts. We will look at each of these descriptors over the next two lessons in order to discover yet other dimensions to Jesus’ “Indescribable Gift” that we celebrate this Christmas. For today, we’ll begin start with the word, “Wonderful…”
This is perhaps a rather common word, one that we throw around every day, but even in such a common word we learn of the enormity of Jesus’ ultimate gift. The dictionary describes it as thus:
1. excellent; great: We all had a wonderful weekend; and
2. of a sort that causes or arouses wonder; amazing; astonishing: The storm was wonderful to behold.
We can therefore say that His name will be called “great and excellent, amazing, astonishing, of a sort that arouses wonder.” *
If you go back to the original Hebrew script, however, you find the word pala. This can be directly translated as, “something uncommon or out of the ordinary,” “a phenomenon lying outside the realm of human explanation; that which is separated from the normal course of events; something that cannot be explained.” **
Thus, Jesus’ “Indescribable Gift” is great and excellent, it is amazing and astonishing, it is of the sort that arouses wonder, it is outside the normal course of events and cannot be explained. Is it any wonder that Paul calls this an “Indescribable Gift?”
With Salvation, the utmost solution to sin and death, perfect government, and a wonderful Savior, could there really be more to Jesus’ “Indescribable Gift?” Join us on Tuesday and see: “The Indescribable Gift,” Part 3.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
* www.Dictionary.reference.com
** http://www.jesus.org/is-jesus-god/names-of-jesus/wonderful-counselor.html
(To access the entire “Indescribable Gift” mini-series, please click here.)