One passage cherished for Advent reflection is Isaiah 9:6.
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.
That title “Wonderful Counselor” is one of the sweetest promises for believers. And it should be, yet perhaps not as we often take it. We read “counselor” and are disposed to think of a knowledgeable professional sitting in a sofa chair, pen and paper in hand, ready to listen and resonate with our emotional pitch for a low rate of $150/hr. Or perhaps we see an older, wiser confidante, listening over the coffee cup, helping us sort through our emotions and big life decisions.
But such readings of “Wonderful Counselor” offer us an unfounded promise. It may be a true promise, if we find it elsewhere in Scripture, but as far as Isaiah 9 goes, we have gotten off on the wrong foot, squared. We are misguided first in our understanding of what the “counselor” is, and because of this we do not understand whom the counselor is to.
Correcting these notions will require us to let go of a promise that might be personally meaningful, but textually unwarranted. But, if we are willing, we may open our hands to receive a better hope: better because it is truly greater, and because it is textually grounded.
What is the Counselor?
First, let’s consult the context. In Isaiah 6, the prophet accesses the throne room of God in heaven, which lays the theological foundation for the rest of the book. The vision of the King on his throne, his glory over all the earth, backgrounds all that comes after. In chapters 7–12, God through Isaiah confronts Ahaz, King of Judah, for his lack of faith, and thus his failed representation of the House of David. Since Ahaz will not allow the Lord the opportunity to be God among his people, the Lord will enter through the back door of a little child born in humble circumstances.
In the close context of Isaiah, this is the prophet’s own son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. This baby boy is the “Immanuel” sign, God’s way of showing his promise that he will be with his people. But in the continuing context of God’s grand redemptive plan, it is clear the boy really is a sign, and not the full-filment of the promise all on his own.
“Counsel” is a key theme throughout Isaiah, and it usually carries political connotations. A “counselor” is not a therapist. Rather, a “counselor” was usually used as a technical term for an advisor to a governmental official. A “counselor” to the King would be like a member of the President’s cabinet, such as a Secretary of Defense or of Homeland Security. Later on, in the Greek and Roman governments, the “counselor” would have been a member of the official Council or Senate, comparable to our Congressmen or Senators.[1] This is one of the denotations of the greek σύμβουλος—significant for the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 9:6, which we will return to later.
It is clear from the immediate literary context that “royal advisor” is the type of “Counselor” Isaiah has in mind in chapter 9. The people are looking to mediums and necromancers for verdicts, when they ought to look to God’s Word (8:19–20). Their rulers have failed to consult God’s law and testimony themselves, and so they have failed to lead the people in the same. But God is bringing the darkened people “a great light” (9:2). A new ruler is coming, one who will deliver them from oppression and danger (9:3–4) and put an end to the roiling conflicts (9:5). The government shall be upon his shoulder—he will bear the rulership well, better than all the failed kings and judges before him. This is evident from verse 7: Whereas after Solomon the kingdom was split and continually ransacked and diminished, of this man’s government and peace, there will be no end. He will establish the throne of David and fulfill the covenantal promises of 2 Samuel 7.
It is this Son who will be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” and, yes, “Wonderful Counselor.” Clearly, all these terms elevate this man to the heavenly courts. He will be so identified with God that he actually bears his name—and yet, he is distinct. He is a “Counselor” in the court of God himself.
To Whom Does He Give Counsel?
If the “Counselor” in this context is a counselor to a king, then who is the king?
This question illustrates the significance of our misreading the text. If we take Isaiah 9:6 to mean Christ is a “Wonderful Counselor” to us, well, whom have we sat on the throne? But the context does not allow such a move. There is a place for the incarnate humility and immanence of God in Christ—but here the inverse movement is being emphasized. And that is the point of hope. Israel needed a better king than they themselves could provide. They did not need a better Counselor for Ahaz, they needed a better King than Ahaz. The hope is in the fact that this new King of Judah will be a counselor to the King who is in heaven. He will have audience with God above, and will be of one mind, one counsel, one plan with him.
More than a Counselor
But how can this be, when the Lord later asks the humbling rhetorical question,
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding? (Isa. 40:13–14)
How can any mortal man stand in the council of the Lord, and give him advice? The point in chapter 40 is that none can.
But then, how can any mortal man be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”? Clearly, this man is more than any other man. He is not only the Counselor to the King—he is the King. He is not only in the court of God; he is the court of God. This is where we return to the Septuagint. The translators could have used σύμβουλος to translate the Hebrew יֹועֵץ֙. In fact, across the twenty-three occurrences of the word in the Hebrew Bible, it is translated as σύμβουλος (counselor, advisor) consistently. When a counselor (σύμβουλος) gives counsel, their proposed plan is their counsel, and the word consistently used for this is βουλή (see, for example, Isa. 19:11).
Quite rarely is counselor (יֹועֵץ֙) ever translated as βουλή. However, that is the Greek rendering in the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 9:6. They could have used the regular word for Senator or Advisor (σύμβουλος). Such a title would be fitting to describe a man who had ascended to the court of heaven; surely the Servant and Son of David would have, through his service, gained an audience with God in his heavenly court!
But no—even this is not high enough a station to laud the figure we see in Isaiah 9:6. He is not merely a Senator or an Advisor. He rules omnipotently, and governs unendingly. He does not merely ascend to heaven and appear in God’s Court—he is God’s Court.
This plucks at a thread of tension within Scripture. God takes counsel with no one, nor does he share glory (Isa. 40:13–14; 41:26–29; 42:8). Yet, he has a heavenly court, which by definition has members who ostensibly offer counsel (see Job 1:6 and Psalm 82:1). How can this be?
Only through God the Son Incarnate, whose name is Jesus Christ.
And, as I wrote earlier, βουλή can refer to both the governmental convention and their authoritative decision. At least the former seems in view here—but could it be that the latter is also intended? The messiah, God’s servant, is not only the council of heaven, he is himself the counsel of heaven—which is to say that this Son, this King, this Christ, is the very plan of God to accomplish his purpose to be “Immanuel,” God with us.
The great confidence and promise of Isaiah 9:6 is not that we have a Wonderful Counselor who will help us come up with a plan for our life and future. The good news is that Jesus is the Counselor and King who already has come up with a plan—and the plan was himself.
This is the good news of Christmas, that Christ is the plan of God, both Council and Counsel, and life under his reign, his authority, and his government is perfect peace and joy. Surely, if Christ is so wonderful as to be God’s own Counselor, and if he is so wonderful as to be God’s own plan—surely we can trust his wonderful wisdom, revealed generally in the counsel of Scripture and specifically in the revelation of providence, to lead us along a good path in our own lives.
Merry Christmas—long live the Wonderful Counselor, and may his kingdom never end!
[1] For a survey of the use of “Counselor” in Isaiah, see Isa. 5:19, 8:10, 11:2, 16:3, 19:3, 19:11, 28:29, 29:15, 40:13, 44:36, 45:21, 46:10–11, 47:13.
