“And His name will be called . . . Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6).
Heavenly Father, You who gave names to Your Son as He came to earth to make You known to the human race, please help us to understand, not from a human perspective, but from Your perspective what each of these names really mean. We pray this in faith, in the one Name that we cling to for salvation, the name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.
Today we are studying another name of the Son that was given, not lent, to the human race! I will also share with you, in what season(s) of my life, my Divine Counselor, walked very closely with me. I pray that it will cause you to reflect on your life, and see when His counseling was a blessing to you.
First let us look at the definition of a Counselor from two sources:
COUNSELOR 1. One who gives counsel: adviser. 2. An attorney, esp. a trial lawyer. 3. One who supervises children at a camp. —counselorship n. (Webster’s II, New College Dictionary, Third edition).
(Hebrew) “Yâ’ats, a primitive root; to advise; (reflexive) to deliberate or resolve:—advertise, take advice, advise (well), consult, (give, take) counsel (-lor), determine, devise, guide, purpose. . . . Many counselors help ensure that plans will succeed . . . God counseled His servants (Ps 16:7); the coming ruler of Israel will be the “Wonderful Counselor” Isa 9:6[5]). The verb also means to decide, to make plans or decisions” (Hebrew-Greek KEY WORD STUDY BIBLE, KJV, Old Testament Dictionary).
You will notice in the second to the last example just quoted, that two of the names are coupled together to form one name, Wonderful Counselor, Some versions of the Bible present it in this manner. Either way, Our Savior is wonderful, so there is no doubt that His counsel will always be wonderful!
Comparing some of the definitions with Scripture, it will become very evident how well the names given to our Redeemer are reflective of His character.
One who gives counsel: Psalm 119:9, 11, “How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word. . . .Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.”
Consult; (give, take): ” ‘ “Come now, and let us reason together,” ‘ ” Says the Lord, ” ‘ “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword” ‘ ” ‘ ” “; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:18, 19).
The verb also means to decide, to make plans or decisions: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive” (Jeremiah 29:11).
When we read words of counsel like these; One with whom we are invited to consult; and One whose thoughts toward us are always of good, never of evil; could we desire a better Counselor than the Lord, Christ Jesus?
I can only answer for myself. When I was a youth, and did not know of the dangers and consequences of making the wrong decisions, Jesus found me, and rescued me, before I could do anything that would ruin my life. When I think of all the possibilities of failure that lurked around me, without my even being conscious of them, and Jesus saved me fom them all, the only thing i can say is, “Thank God for His Word that kept me from the sinking sands of life.
My only desire is to keep in touch with my Counselor, as long as my life shall last, and hide His words in my Heart, that I might not sin against Him!