What Child Is This?

The Prophet Isaiah answers the question raised by the favorite Christmas Carol, “What Child is This?” He is “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9.6). Each name unlocks aspects of our Messiah’s character.

Wonderful means astonishing or extraordinary and describes the accomplishment of a difficult act or feat. Counselor is legal term describing an advisor in the king’s court or a planner. Some scholars combine these two words which literally mean a wonder of a counselor.

Mighty God is a statement of deity and of a military conqueror. He is the God who...