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27 22 "FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN, TO US A SON IS GIVEN." - ISAIAH 9:6 The Gift of the Child Richard S. Hess, PhD Distinguished Professor of Old Testament "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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. e zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:6–7 T he gift of children is a special one. It began with the births of the first children in Genesis and continues right up to the present. e child celebrated at Christmas, however, is more than the birth of so many others. We rightly speak of the gift of life, but for this child, that gift was more than what may come from a human father and mother. e child born at Christmas brought into the world both the divine life of Father God and the human life of Mary His mother. Given the terrible effects of sin on the human race, bringing all sorts of tragedy and destruction, only a reception of divine life from God could reverse this downward trend. Only the life that the baby Jesus brought into the human race could provide a way out of the pit and destruction of what sin had done. When we look at the titles of verse 9, we see first of all "Wonderful Counselor." is is a great promise of One who will solve so many of the problems we face. e epithet "Mighty God" is a clear sign of that divine life that Jesus brings to us through His birth, death, and resurrection. is sets Him apart from any other king or person of any kind. "Everlasting Father" compounds that sense of deity, although the expression is more ambiguous than "Mighty God." "Prince of Peace" is an expression that comes at the end. Shalom, with the sense of wellbeing and wholeness, provides a climax and conclusion to this praise of the One born at Christmas. He restores what we lost in our hearts and will one day fully restore it in this world. 22 December