God With Us

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 (Isaiah 9:6).

“God with us” has its foundations, both in theology and as a historical fact, in these verses. If the God who is inescapably present in our lives were a demon or a monster, this affirmation would be one of endless terror. Even if he were only implacably just, his presence would not be a blessing to us unless we were somehow able to live without mistake, error, or sin at all times. But the good news is that the God who is with us is a God who wants to turn our darkness into light, our conflict into shalom, our loss into abundance, our despair into joy. The One who rides with passionate desire at the head of the hosts of heaven (“Lord Almighty”; lit., “Yahweh of hosts”) has a passionate desire to do good to all people. If a God like that is with us, that is good news to all eternity.

But how can he be with us? If he is transcendent, if he is morally perfect, if he is infinite, if he is eternal, how can he be with us who are created, sinful, finite, and mortal? Surely he can only be with us in a metaphorical way, because the barriers are too great to be crossed. If that is all the phrase can mean, then it is a very hollow one. But this passage sets the stage for the most astounding event in history. The transcendent becomes one of the created; the morally perfect experiences what it is to have sinned; the infinite becomes finite; the immortal experiences mortality. He is with us!

The “child” born of the virgin is the son of David, but he is also the Son of God. The bulk of his ministry was in Galilee, but he was “enthroned” on a cross in Jerusalem. By taking into himself the sin and oppression, the horror and tragedy of this world, he was able to give back righteousness and freedom, hope and fulfillment. In fact, we may argue that it is hard to think of another way in which the apparent contradictions of Isaiah 9:1–7 could have been resolved than in the way in which they actually were in Jesus Christ. The contemporary significance of this passage of Scripture comes down to this: Have we allowed the Child-King to take over the government of our lives? Only then can we know the benefits of God with us. We cannot have the light, the honor, the joy, the abundance, the integration that he offers in any other way.

Adapted from John Oswalt's Commentary on Isaiah