Question & Answer
Q. What does it mean in Isaiah 9:6 where it says, “the government shall be upon His shoulder”?
A. It was prophesied in Genesis 49:10 that the Lord would reign: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.” The Word of God says in Matthew 28:18, “Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.”
How right it is that the Lord Jesus should reign. We read in Revelation 19:16 that He is the “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Isaiah 9:7 tells us that “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”
Which government does the Lord hold on His shoulder? I dare say, He holds all of them! Over 200 times in Scripture, the Lord is called the “God of Israel.” The Lord certainly reigns over all human governments. Daniel 4:17 says, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”
Christ certainly governs His church as we read in Colossians 1:18, “He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.” The Lord Jesus shall also rule on the earth during His thousand-year reign. Matthew 25 tells us of the judgment of the nations at the end of the Tribulation period to determine who will enter this kingdom. We read in Matthew 25:32-34, “before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
I’d like to draw our attention to one point about the power and tender love of our blessed redeemer. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that, “the government shall be upon His shoulder.” Yet, when rescuing one of His precious lambs, we read of the Lord in Luke 15:5, “when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” While the government is on His “shoulder,” His dear lambs are securely and tenderly held on His “shoulders.” Not only does He hold us on His strong shoulders, He rejoices in our salvation. May the thought of the Lord’s love, power, and care cause us to lift up our voices in praise to our wonderful Savior!
—AnswersFromTheBook.net