“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.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-16)

Can you imagine this moment? Can you put yourself in the shoes of the shepherds shaking in fear at the sight of the heavenly hosts filling the night sky? Can you feel the weight of centuries of silence broken in a split second by the proclamation that the promised Messiah from Isaiah 9 had been born? This announcement wasn’t given to the government officials of the day, the wealthy and elite of society, or even the religious leaders of Israel. In a baffling moment, the Lord made this good news of great joy known first to lowly shepherds – the Messiah is here and peace is promised for them. 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ … they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 1:1-2, 9-11)

Now imagine this scene. Try to fathom the long, arduous road the wise men took to find the promised King. Imagine their immense joy at finally finding Him – the one they had read about and sought after. These men were not likely of Jewish descent, but they had studied the prophecies of God’s Word to His people Israel, and they believed in the coming Messiah. They went to great lengths to seek Him out and worship Him. The Messiah was for them, too. 

Let Us Adore Him

Like the shepherds, do you sometimes feel the ache of obscurity in your own life? Do you feel unseen, lowly, undesirable? Like the wise men, do you long to see the fulfillment of God’s promises? Do you desire to seek His face and worship Him? 

“O come ye to Bethlehem, joyful and triumphant! Behold the King of Angels!” This beloved Christmas Hymn invites us all on a pilgrimage to behold Christ incarnate alongside the humble shepherds; to journey in faith with the magi; to sing with the citizens of heaven, “Glory to God in the highest!” Let God’s kindness to the shepherds and the wise men remind you that this good news of great joy is for you, too. 

Psalm 84:5 says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” 

In other words, blessed are those whose hearts are inclined to be with God, worshipping Him, adoring Him in his dwelling place. How often do you find yourself coming before God simply to adore him and enjoy Him for all that He is? He is worthy of that. In fact, He is the only one worthy of all our hearts’ affections. Not only that, it is good for our hearts to proclaim His worthiness – to come behold and adore Him, reminding our forgetful hearts of what is true, good, and right about Him. 

His Name Shall Be… 

Isaiah gives us an incredible picture of who we have come to adore, and we get to sing and proclaim it in this song. 

He is the Wonderful Counselor. Jesus is the Word, there in the beginning, before all things, and enduring through all generations, from everlasting to everlasting. By him and through him all things were made. He sees all, knows all, and holds all things together. He, the Son, knows and does the will of the Father. Because of all these things, we can trust His counsel and care for us. (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:17)

He is the Mighty God. He didn’t just come as a good man to the earth; He is fully God, in all his omnipotence and strength. He sustains and upholds all things by the Word of His power. All rule and authority has been given to Him. He is crowned with the name above every name, that all would know He is Yahweh, the one true God! (Hebrews 1:3, Ephesians 1:19-23, Philippians 2:9-11)

He is the Everlasting Father. By Christ’s work on the cross, all who would believe in Him are adopted as God’s children. This new identity cannot be taken away from us; it is from everlasting to everlasting. In love, He has brought us into His family to be His own, to share in an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading! (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:9)

He is the Prince of Peace. We were once walking in brokenness, sin, and estrangement from our God, unable to make peace with Him on our own. So Jesus made a way for us. He bore our iniquities on Himself, defeated sin and death, and brought us peace with God. We are no longer enemies of God, but brought near, made whole and righteous, living in shalom with our Creator. (Isaiah 53:5, Ephesians 2:13, Romans 5:1)

He is Immanuel, “God With Us,” the Word made flesh, dwelling among us. As believers, there is nowhere we can go that He is not present. He promises never to leave or forsake us, and to be with us to the end of the ages. We are His, and He has made his dwelling with us. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, John 1:14, Psalm 139:7-10, Deuteronomy 31:8, Revelation 21:3)

We’ll Praise Your Name Forever

“Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:2)

How can we not respond to this good news of great joy? Does it not stir our hearts to adore him? 

Picture our future hope - our Messiah returning to make all things new. We will join with every nation, tribe and tongue in worship of our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Immanuel. And even while we wait for this second Advent of King Jesus, we can praise Him with all that we have. We can sing in exultation in unity as the body of Christ. We can live joyfully and triumphantly through the victory of Christ over death and grave. We can give Him all the glory due His matchless name. 

So, all ye faithful ones, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.