“And He will be called . . . Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)
I would guess that most of you reading this devotional are, like me, from the Western Christian tradition, that is, not a member of the Jewish faith. Therefore, words and phrases in the Bible such as “Prince of Peace” don’t ring with the same significance to as they did to the descendants of the Hebrews. Taken separately, these two words simply mean Prince as a ruler or leader of a nation and Peace – Shalom – or in the ancient Hebrew – salom – means safety, prosperity, wellbeing, wholeness, and contentment. But when a Jew heard these words, they spoke volumes more – of the long oppression of the Hebrew people and their struggle to survive. And they spoke to the hope of the promised Messiah.
The nation of Israel cycled in and out of oppression and blessing because of their hot-then-cold devotion to the Lord. In 607 bc, after falling deeper and deeper into idolatry and disobedience, God took the nation of Israel away from the Jewish people and for seventy years exiled them in Babylon. When they returned to Jerusalem, their homeland was under foreign rule; they were subjects of the Persians, Greeks, and, at the time of Jesus’ birth, the cruel Romans. They would continue under foreign rule until May 14, 1948 when they were once again recognized as an independent state.
The Jewish people longed for a descendant of the line of King David – the Prince of Peace – who would free them from oppression and re-establish their nation. He would reign on “the throne of His father David, and . . . over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33). At the time of Jesus’ birth they expected a warrior-King who would defeat their enemy and restore the kingdom.
They were right about the Messiah’s mission – yet they were also wrong. He did come to defeat their enemy. But their enemy was not Rome – the real enemy that had enslaved them was the curse of death and sin – the same enemy that has oppressed every human being since Adam and Eve. The same enemy that has enslaved you and me. The Prince of Peace – the Messiah – came to break the power of that curse. His mission was much bigger than freeing a nation; He came to free all of humanity.
You may not trace a Jewish heritage, but you can proclaim Jesus Christ as your Prince of Peace, the One who set aside His crown in heaven to wear a crown of thorns on earth that you might be free and reconciled to your Creator. The mission of Messiah was to rescue you and restore you to the family of His Father. At the cross of Calvary Jesus accomplish that mission. For you.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20