Isaiah 9:6c – “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
In the Hebraic understanding, a name isn’t just a label—it reveals essence, identity, and destiny. Isaiah doesn’t say these are merely descriptions of the Messiah; he says His Name shall be called — meaning this is who He is. When we declare these names, we are not offering poetic praise — we are calling upon real attributes of the living King. In just one verse, the prophet unveils the depth of Messiah’s personhood, showing us that this child is no ordinary child. He is the fulfillment of heaven’s promise and the revelation of God’s nature.
Wonderful (פֶּלֶא / Peleh): This is the word used by the Angel of the LORD when He appeared to Samson’s parents in Judges 13. When Manoah asked His name, He replied, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful (פֶּלִאי / pele’i)?” — a title linked to divinity and mystery. This wasn’t just any angel—it was a pre-incarnate appearance of Messiah. “Peleh” is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe the miraculous acts of God. Messiah isn’t just amazing—He is a supernatural wonder, beyond comprehension, worthy of awe and reverence.
Counselor (יוֹעֵץ / Yo’etz): In a world flooded with opinions and confusion, Yeshua (Jesus) is the eternal voice of wisdom. This is not human strategy, but divine counsel that flows from perfect understanding. He doesn’t merely advise—He leads with truth that pierces through every lie and brings clarity to chaos. Isaiah later says in 11:2 that “the Spirit of counsel and might” will rest upon Him. When you don’t know what to do, He is wisdom made manifest. (Colossians 2:2-3)
Mighty God (אֵל גִּבּוֹר / El Gibbor): This title leaves no room for ambiguity. “El Gibbor” appears again in Isaiah 10:21—used exclusively of YHWH Himself. It literally means “God the Warrior.” This child born to us is not a godly man, but God made flesh. He is the conquering King, the defender of Israel, and the One before whom every knee will bow. His name here directly affirms the deity of Messiah, silencing those who try to reduce Him to mere prophet or teacher.
Everlasting Father (אֲבִי עַד / Avi-Ad) is a title that does not blur the distinction between Messiah and God the Father within the Triune nature of God, but rather reveals Messiah’s eternal essence and fatherly role. In Hebrew thought, to be called the “father” of something means to be its source or originator. Thus, Avi-Ad identifies the Messiah as the Father of Eternity—the one from whom time itself proceeds. He is not merely one who lives forever; He is the source, author, and sustainer of eternity itself. His nature is unbound by time, and His care knows no expiration. As Avi-Ad, He nurtures, sustains, and never abandons. He is the One who was, who is, and who is to come—the eternal foundation behind all existence.
This title powerfully affirms Messiah’s deity. No mere human could ever be called the “Father of Eternity”—that is a designation belonging to God alone. Isaiah is proclaiming that the Child who is born is none other than the One through whom all things came into being. This truth is echoed across Scripture: Micah 5:2 declares that His goings forth are “from everlasting”; John 1:1–3 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word… all things were made through Him”; and Colossians 1:17 reveals, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Messiah is not a created being—He is the preexistent King, the One who steps into time yet exists beyond it, the eternal source of life who holds all things together by the power of His Word.
Prince of Peace (שַׂר שָׁלוֹם / Sar Shalom): “Shalom” is more than peace in the absence of war—it means wholeness, harmony, restoration, and right order. And Yeshua is not just a messenger of peace; He is the ruler who brings it. He is the One who speaks, and storms cease. He reconciles man to God, breaks down dividing walls, and makes the broken whole. His peace is active, reigning, and redemptive.
So when life feels fragmented—when your heart is restless, your path uncertain, or your world shaking—run to His Name. Call upon each title, not as a distant truth, but as a personal promise. He is your Wonder, your Counsel, your God, your Father, your Peace. Let these names become part of your prayer life. Invite Him to be all these things to you—personally, powerfully, daily.
Every one of His names shatters the limits of what you thought possible. In Him, the mystery of heaven meets the mess of earth. So lift up His Name in faith, not as ritual but as revelation. Declare it over your mind, your household, and your future. He is Wonderful when you’re overwhelmed. Counselor when you’re confused. Mighty God when you feel weak. Everlasting Father when you feel alone. Prince of Peace when the war won’t stop. His Name is not just what He’s called — it’s what He does. Call on Him. Trust in Him. For He is the One whose Name that is above all names! (Philippians 2:9-11)
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Here we have a stark word. Here we see the Lord testing Israel: “He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” [Deuteronomy 8:16]. Yet Paul says that they put Him to the test. A great irony occurs when God is testing us, and we despise His discipline, thereby testing Him.
The Apostle Paul continues his warning to the Corinthians against idolatry by referring to Israel’s celebration/worship of the golden calf. Aaron’s proclamation, “These are your gods (plural) O Israel” could be one of the earliest declarations mixing the worship of the true and living God, YHVH, with idols. This is called “syncretism”. Dictionary.com defines it: ” the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.”
The Apostle Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:6 against desiring evil as they did, would seem to point to the obvious sins – lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, etc. – and following their deliverance from slavery, many of the children of Israel were certainly guilty of some of these. But this passage in Numbers describes a type of sin we don’t normally consider: it was simply their desire for the foods they ate in Egypt.
When I was in school, it seemed they ran a “fire drill” at least once a year. A long, loud, kind of scary bell would sound and we knew it was either a real fire, or, more likely, just another drill. We were formed into lines, ushered down the halls, and out the doors we went. Of course, the point was practice….so we would be prepared for a real fire.
The children of Israel are facing yet another test, this one, even more severe than hunger– dehydration – which, unabated, quickly leads to a miserable death. Yet, now, every day they are also seeing the miracles of God, who is feeding them regularly with manna, and surrounding them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Once again, they fail the test, even in the midst of their daily witness of miracles. So even though the test is more severe, the evidence for trust is that much greater.
Is there something about miracles that makes them forgettable? Or is the problem with us? After journeying for a season the children of Israel were faced with hunger — another test. This time, naturally faced with starvation, they murmured against the Lord, AGAIN! You’d think they might begin to put it together that God truly wanted them to trust Him. Apparently not yet. The dire circumstances attacked their mass cerebral cortex (memory) and once again they went into attack mode, bitterly complaining in unbelief. The Ten Plagues, the pillar of fire, the Red Sea walk, the Egyptian chariot soup, none of these connected to the present hunger pangs. Nature trumped super-nature, and sadly, God Himself.
The Apostle Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 10 recalls the great miracles God performed for the children of Israel during the time of the Exodus. Delivered from Egypt and Pharaoh’s slavery, they were dismayed to discover his maniacal rage pursuing them anew, driving them into a deadly corner and imminent destruction. Humanly speaking, their terror and panic was understandable. With their eyes they could only see the wrath of Egypt succeeding at last to utterly destroy them. In that state of mind, how might they have remembered the consecutive miracles God had wrought against Egypt which had brought them to this very place?