Faith That Lives..

"For unto us a child is born, unto us, a Son is given: and the
government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.- Isaiah 9:6, 7

Of the increase of His government and the peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and
to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even
for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform it."

The Bible informs us that David was the greatest king that Israel had
ever known. But like Moses, he too was a foreshadowing of the soon
coming Messiah. Like Moses foreshadowed the coming of Jesus, the
Prophet, David foreshadowed the coming of Jesus, the King. As David
was a mighty warrior, Jesus the soon coming King, will be the mighty
Lord of Hosts and conquering King. Just as the women sang praises of
the thousands that David destroyed, the world will call the new
King, "Wonderful". The comparisons of these two kings could go on,
but where they stop is in the fact that, King David, as great and as
mighty as he was, could never fulfill Israel's hopes for a Messiah.
Shortly after David died, the kingdom became divided and Israel began
to think that God had broken His promise of a Messiah.

David's kingdom was not the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel,
but rather it was the symbol of something greater to come. In 740 BC.
God sent a prophet by the name of Isaiah who prophesied of a greater
kingdom than David's; and a greater king than David. In Isaiah 11: 1,
2 he said, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of
Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out his roots. And the Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear
of the Lord."

Isaiah was talking about the coming of Jesus, our King. Not just any
king, but a King Who would have upon His shoulders, an increased
government, increased in peace. They would call Him the "Prince of
Peace." This King would have great wisdom and understanding. The
Spirit of counsel would be upon Him so great that the world would
call Him "Counselor." Unlike David, this King will not die, but will
rule forever.