Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6-8; Luke 2:13-14 I was serving in the army in Viet Nam during the Christmas of 1968 and the Christmas of 1969. The opposing armies agreed to a “cease fire” for about three days. This allowed us to celebrate Christmas with some peace of mind knowing that we would not be attacked during the holiday celebration. When the cease fire period ended war resumed as usual. We live in a world of conflict, war, and personal struggles. As I am writing this article there is war in many areas in the world. People live in conflict with family members, friends, and groups that oppose their views about how things ought to be. We have various organizations trying to help us resolve the conflicts that we have. When conflicts are resolved we enjoy a period of peace. However, our peace, like the cease fire agreements are only temporary. Christmas is a time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a time that we express our hopes for peace. We use words such as “love,” “joy,” “hope,” and “peace.” Is there hope for a lasting peace? In this article I want to say to us that we can live each day of our life with love, joy, hope and peace. We can have these when we know the Prince of Peace. Let us look at two scriptures that tell us about this Prince of Peace. The first scripture is found in Isaiah 9:6-8. The scripture addresses a time in the history of ancient Israel when the people are experiencing unrest. The mighty Assyrian army is a threat to their nation. Besides this, Israel has its own internal problems. God is angry with His people because of their injustices inflicted by the leaders on the poor. The nation is guilty of worshiping idol gods, and at the same time they give half-hearted lip service of worship to God (Isa. 10:1-4). Does this look familiar to you? Things look bleak for God’s people. God is going to use the evil Assyrians to execute His judgment upon His people (10:5-11). It is in the midst of this turmoil that God promises to send one who will bring permanent peace. He is the Prince of Peace. During this time of unrest God speaks through the prophet. God says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6, NASB). Let us be reminded that the bible records many names for God. These names are not limited to how we identify Him. Rather, the names tell us about the attributes of God and the works of God. These names tell us about God’s love for His people. God will come to His people and give them peace. The word “peace” means much more than a temporary cease fire. The Hebrew word shalom means wholeness and wellness. God comes to give His people counsel to lead them in the ways of the Lord. He is the only true God. He is the eternal God. He brings peace that will never end. “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace” (v. 7) that He establishes to “uphold it with justice and righteousness” (v. 7). Has the world ever known this permanent peace? I will get back to this later, but first let us look at the second scripture for this article. We will tie these two together. The Gospel of Luke records events about the birth of Jesus. Joseph and Mary return from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea because the emperor Caesar Augustus has made a decree that everyone should return to the place of their birth and pay taxes (Lk. 2:1-5). While there Mary gives birth to a son. When the child is born angels appear to shepherds in the field watching over their flock (vv. 6-9). The angel tells the shepherds of the birth of the “Savior who is Christ the Lord” (v. 11). “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased’” (vv. 13-14, NASB). Now, traditionally, most Christmas cards record these verses from the King James Version. It says, “Glory to in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (v. 14, KJV). The King James Version (KJV) tells us the purpose of Jesus’ birth. He is born to bring peace and good will to the earth. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) tells us the recipients of this peace and good will. This peace is for those that God is pleased with. When Jesus is born He does not bring peace to the whole earth immediately. The permanent peace that He brings is future. When we look at the NASB translation we understand that peace is present now. Does this sound confusing? Let me see if I can make this clearer. Those who receive by faith Jesus Christ as their Savior have peace right now. Regardless of their life circumstances they experience the love, joy, hope, and peace in their hearts that comes from the indwelling Spirit of God in their hearts. Those who truly make Jesus the Lord of their lives experience peace among themselves; “among men with whom He is pleased.” How does one become a person who pleases God? The New International Version (NIV) helps us. It says ‘“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest.” Thus, our relationship with God is a free gift of God’s grace. So, what does all of this mean for us today? First, these scriptures have little meaning for us until we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We must by faith confess Him as both Lord and Savior. I believe that they say something to believers about who they can have peace with; namely other believers. It means that the way that we can help to bring about peace is through telling others about the love of God demonstrated in the death of Jesus Christ. I believe that all of the charitable things done during the Christmas season are no more than temporary cease fire efforts. For example: After the donated Christmas meal is consumed the poor family is hungry again. After the party and celebration is over, people resume their lives with the same feelings and attitudes towards those that they have conflict with. Racial and ethnic as well as national strife resumes. Jesus was born to bring to us the peace that only God can give. How are the two scriptures related? The prophet Isaiah tells us that a child will be born. He will be born with all the attributes of God because He is the Son of God. He is born for the purpose of bringing peace through justice upon the earth. Luke records that the prophecy is fulfilled. The Savior is born. Both scriptures are future. The finalizations of these prophecies are realized when Jesus returns to the earth to establish His kingdom on earth (see Revelation 21). Love, joy, hope and peace are present with those who believe in Jesus. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He alone is able to bring peace to the earth.