On the Road to Bethlehem #12: The Ruler We Need

“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.
Of the increase of His government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over His kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

—Isaiah 9:6-7

In ancient Israel, it was understood that the coming Messiah would be a great ruler—unlike any ruler known before. He would be over the entire government, bearing titles of identification worthy of His person such as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” He would ascend to the throne of His father David and rule over His kingdom with justice and righteousness. His rule would be characterized by peace never known before.

When Jesus was born, He arrived right in the middle of great political tension. Wise men came from the east to worship the newborn king. Upon reaching Jerusalem, they asked,  

"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”—Matthew 2:2. 

Herod, the ruler at the time was troubled (along with all of Jerusalem), because his reign was shaky and any possibility of someone usurping his rule presented a threat that necessitated action. He summoned the Jewish religious leadership, extracted the locale of this would-be Messiah, and then summoned the delegation of foreign wise men to a clandestine meeting. Here he feigned piety in an attempt to ascertain the Christ’s specific identity in order to have Him secretly and successfully eliminated. But, God would not let the wise men be pawns in Satan’s game. Being warned by God in a dream, the wise men returned home a different way, thus narrowly avoiding any role in Herod’s diabolical assassination attempt.

Knowing Herod’s intent to have Jesus killed, God warned Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt with Jesus and Mary and remain there until God deemed it safe for their return—just narrowly escaping Herod’s fiendish clutches. Furious from being slighted, and his real motives uncovered, Herod ordered the execution of all of the baby boys (Matthew 2:16-18), unaware that Jesus had already escaped.

Herod was threatened because Jesus offered a direct challenge to his rule. The earthly king didn’t have any room for the heavenly king and sought to thwart His kingship. Herod foolishly thought that God’s promise-plan of redemption could be stopped, but it cannot. Jesus will rule unlike any ruler the world has ever seen. He will be the King and ruler par excellence. He will defeat evil and will usher in a time of peace and righteousness unknown since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. We look forward to that time, when He comes not as a baby boy, but the conquering King. Nevertheless, during this Advent season, we pause to reflect in faith on the ruler we hope and long for—Christ Jesus—our Savior and God. Amen.