Mighty God
This is the second Sunday of Advent. We are moving through Advent this year by looking at the titles which the prophet Isaiah gives to the Messiah in Isaiah 6:9.
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Isaiah 9:6 NIV
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Last week we began by considering what Isaiah meant by naming the Messiah as a wonderful counselor. Today we move on to consider what Isaiah has in mind when he calls the Messiah our mighty God. This one does not take as much explanation of the Hebrew language as we saw last week. If you remember from last week, the Hebrew word which is translated into English as “counselor” carries quite a bit of nuance in Hebrew. But as we move forward today, the Hebrew words gibor el translate into English as “mighty God” meaning pretty much exactly the same things.
There is not much of any buried nuance or deeper meaning hidden underneath this title for the Messiah. Yet, there is an indication that Isaiah has specific ideas in mind when he uses the term mighty God in reference to the messiah. To dig a little further into that today let’s turn our attention over to Isaiah 40, which gives us a deeper glimpse into Isaiah’s vision of a Messiah who is the mighty God.
Isaiah 40:3–11 (NIV)
Isaiah 40:3–11 NIV
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
It might be helpful to first place what is happening in this passage within the larger framework of Isaiah as a whole; because chapter 40 marks a significant division in Isaiah. I would divide the entire book of Isaiah into four parts—maybe five. The first five chapters are an introduction which lays out God’s case against his people because of their rebellion. Then maybe chapter 6 stands by itself as Isaiah’s commission by God to be his prophet. Chapters 7-39 are all filled with prophecies against not only against Israel, but also against the surrounding nations. The basis of the argument is that the people have stopped trusting in God; and because they no longer trust in God, they have turned away from him. Regardless, it is a whole bunch of chapters filled with mostly judgement. Not to say there aren’t glimmers of hope either. After all, the passage we are using as a foundation for this series which names the titles of the Messiah comes in Isaiah 9:6, tucked right into this long section of chapters about judgement.
But then chapter 40 turns a corner and begins a whole new section in Isaiah which continues all the way through chapter 55. And chapters 56-66 conclude the book with the final section. By the time we get to chapter 40 Isaiah has already laid out the prophecy that the entire southern kingdom of Judah along with the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Babylonians. Isaiah is telling the people ahead of time that the Babylonian exile is coming.
This means that by the time we get to chapter 40 there is a question that should be burning in the minds of the people hearing Isaiah’s words: what hope is there? If Isaiah’s words are true about the coming destruction of Zion and the Babylonian captivity, then it sounds pretty much like the gods of Babylon have won. The pagan gods of Babylon appear to have defeated the LORD if this prophecy of Isaiah comes to pass. The appearance is not only that the LORD has abandoned Israel, but also it appears that the LORD is defeated, that the LORD has lost.
That sets the scene we are encountering right here as we read these words of Isaiah in chapter 40. He is now responding to the questions which the first 39 chapters place in front of the people. Has the LORD lost? Is there hope? For the people of Israel in the Old Testament, the covenant promise of the LORD is inseparably tied to the promised land of Canaan. The promise to Abraham was a promise that included a blessing which showed up in two things: descendants who would become a nation of God’s people, and land in which those descendants would live. For the Old Testament people of Israel, any hope of the LORD rescuing and redeeming his people from a far away land of exile would have to include a restoration of the promised land in Canaan.
This explains the introduction of chapter 40. Let’s be reminded that Isaiah lived in a time when there were no airplanes or airports for long-distance travel. For that matter, there were no trains or cars either. Travel mostly took place on foot. People had to walk from one place to the next. Babylon was not only a long distance away from Zion, it was separated by very harsh terrain. The choice was to either attempt to travel across a scorching desert wasteland which provided no water, or navigate a route of rocky hills with steep canyons that could not by climbed.
What does the hope of deliverance look like for God’s people in a situation like that? Isaiah describes it in verses 3-5.
Isaiah 40:3–5 (NIV)
Isaiah 40:3–5 NIV
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
God himself will make a way where it looks like there is no way. That is what Isaiah is saying to God’s people here. And now look at the message which accompanies the way opened up by God himself. Verses 6-8 are the reminder that the people themselves have no power and no strength to make any of this happen. Isaiah wants it to be unmistakably clear that it is only the power and strength of the LORD which accomplishes making a way for God’s salvation where there appears to be no way for salvation.
This is the good news which Isaiah tells the people to shout and declare. God himself will make a way of salvation for his people where there appears to be no way for salvation to happen. It is because the Messiah comes as our mighty God that this can happen. God’s salvation comes with might—with strength and with power. In a world in which everything else around the people of god appears to indicate that the LORD has lost and that the LORD has abandoned his people, into that world the Messiah appears as the mighty God who makes a way of salvation where it seemed as if there could be no way possible.
What does that power and strength of the mighty God look like? Isaiah is not finished yet. He concludes this passage by describing it for us.
Isaiah 40:10–11 (NIV)
Isaiah 40:10–11 NIV
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
This is what Isaiah means when he describes the Messiah as our mighty God. This is what the strength and power of the LORD looks like in the form of God’s Messiah. The contradiction between verses 10 and 11 is striking. If we were to read verse 10 by itself we might be left with an idea of God’s power that doesn’t even come close to what we see in verse 11. There is a part of us that naturally thinks of power and strength and might as being expressed in things like tremendous victory in battle. A football team that has a front line of players who are each 300+ pounds of pure muscle can pretty much have their way pushing around another team which cannot equally match up. An army which carries an arsenal of warships and bombers and missiles can easily annihilate an opposing force which only has knives and clubs. When we think of strength and power, often we tend to think of brute force which cannot be matched; dominance which cannot be opposed. Just look at how the NET (New English Translation) Bible states verse 10.
Isaiah 40:10 (NET)
Isaiah 40:10 NET
10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior;
his military power establishes his rule.
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him.
For the record, this is a terrible translation of Isaiah 40:10. The original Hebrew has no words at all which reference warriors, or victory, or military. The translators who made that version of the Bible pressed a very particular interpretation into that verse of what they envision the strength and power of the God to be. And they are not alone. I imagine there are many others who interpret God’s strength and power in those same terms.
Alright, I do actually need to mention the nuance of some Hebrew words in this passage. I am not sure what kind of picture comes to mind when you think about what it means for a God of strength and power to carry his reward and recompence as it says in verse 10. We see other English translations refer to it as being a prize. In that sense it is characterized as being the spoils of war. By that way of thinking it would be Isaiah’s way of declaring that everything Babylon plundered and stole from Israel, God will plunder and take back.
More often in the bible these words are in reference to economics than spoils of war. The Hebrew word which shows up in this verse as reward is more commonly translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as wages or hiring agreement. And the Hebrew word which shows up in this verse as recompence is mostly translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as labor or work. The deeper nuanced meaning in verse 10 is that the results of Messiah’s labor and work is what accompanies him. It is the result of what the Messiah has accomplished which points to the Messiah’s strength and power.
Verse 11 drives the point. This is no longer a picture of power and strength characterized in a militant warrior. The mighty arm of the Messiah mentioned in verse 10 is an arm that gathers and holds lambs in verse 11. The reward (or wages paid out) to provide for the recompence (or the labor given) on behalf of God’s people results in something very specific. Isaiah says the Messiah carries his people close to his heart and gently leads them. Isaiah’s picture of God’s salvation is one of grace and mercy, not dominance and force.
This doesn’t sound much like a militant warrior anymore. And yet Isaiah makes reference to the strength of the Messiah as an assurance for their hope. God himself will make a way of salvation for his people where there appears to be no way for salvation to happen. It is John the Baptist who proclaims in the wilderness that God’s redemption is at hand. It is Jesus who comes with all the strength and power to command storms to stop, and tell demons to cast out. And in this exact same power and strength Jesus holds his people close to his heart as a shepherd tends his flock. The only way that happens is by Jesus making a way where there was no other way to be found.
You and I cannot climb over that mountain which separates us from God if we just try a little harder—it cannot be done. You and I cannot cross over that scorching desert which separates us from God if we just figure out a way—it cannot be done. Only Jesus breaks those barriers of separation by taking our sin to the cross. Only God has the power and strength to do that. And at the very same time only God has the ability for the power of his salvation to show up for us as gentleness and grace.
And he shall be called mighty God—the Messiah who makes a way of salvation for his people where there appears to be no way for salvation to happen.