I will be preaching on the Isaiah 7-9 section (“Immanuel” and “Mighty God” passages) next Sunday at the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church. I just love this section (my first sermon at PRBC was on Isaiah 6, actually). Keil and Delitzsch made a comment regarding the use of “mighty God” that I’ve noted in the past:
The name gibbor is used here as an adjective, like shaddai in El shaddai. The Messiah, then, is here designated “mighty God.” Undoubtedly this appears to go beyond the limits of the Old Testament horizon; but what if it should go beyond them? It stands written once for all, just as in Jer. 23:6 Jehovah Zidkenu (Jehovah our Righteousness) is also used as a name of the Messiah,—a Messianic name, which even the synagogue cannot set aside (vid., Midrash Mishle 57a, where this is adduced as one of the eight names of the Messiah). Still we must not go too far. If we look at the spirit of the prophecy, the mystery of the incarnation of God is unquestionably indicated in such statements as these. But if we look at the consciousness of the prophet himself, nothing further was involved than this, that the Messiah would be the image of God as no other man ever had been (cf., El, Ps. 82:1), and that He would have God dwelling within Him (cf., Jer. 33:16). (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (2002). Commentary on the Old Testament. (Vol. 7, Page 164). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Some might wish to see a further level of understanding even on the part of the prophet, but that is not why I note this citation. It is just so refreshing, when one has to slog through all sorts of constant liberalism in almost anything written on the OT today, to read someone willing to faithfully read the text in its own context. And indeed, we celebrate the incarnation of the Mighty God this week. Hallelujah! Amen.
