Yes — Isaiah 9 announces the Messiah as the child and Son given to the nation of Israel, the coming King on whose shoulder the government will rest.
In Isaiah 9, the prophet addresses Israel: 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.' Les Feldick teaches that this is a prophetic utterance to the nation of Israel, identifying the promised Son as their Messiah — the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. He connects the giving of the Son with John 3:16, where God gave His only begotten Son, and notes that Israel received Him not. The government upon His shoulder looks ahead to the Messiah's reign, including the thousand-year kingdom.
Isaiah 9:6 — Directly answers the question by announcing the child and Son given to Israel, with divine titles identifying the Messiah.
Isaiah 9:7 — Describes the endless government and kingdom of the Messiah upon the throne of David.
Isaiah 9:6-7 declares: 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.' The child and Son are given 'unto us,' and the government rests upon His shoulder. His names include The mighty God, revealing that the promised child is divine. John 3:16 echoes the giving of the Son: 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.' John 1:11 records the result: 'He came unto his own, and his own received him not.'
Les Feldick emphasizes that Isaiah 9:6-7 is a prophetic utterance given to the nation of Israel — Isaiah was not writing to the Egyptians or Babylonians, but to Israel. Therefore, the pronouns matter: 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.' He ties the giving of the Son to John 3:16 — 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son' — and asks to whom the Son was given. His answer: the nation of Israel, even though John 1:11 says 'He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.' Les also points to the capitalized names in verse 6 — Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God — as terms of deity belonging to the coming King, the Messiah, the Son of God, who enters the New Testament as Jesus the Christ. He places the verse within the third part of God's covenant promises to Israel — the promise of a government or a King — and explains that the government upon the Messiah's shoulder refers to His ruling and reigning, including the thousand-year reign. He reminds listeners these are the words of Handel's Messiah, but the passage points beyond Christmas to the coming King and kingdom.
Isaiah 9:6-7 contains the words: 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.' The passage speaks of a child born and a son given, a government on his shoulder, and a kingdom established forever upon the throne of David.
Les Feldick teaches that when Isaiah says 'unto us,' he is addressing the nation of Israel — not the Egyptians, Babylonians, or any other Gentile nation. He connects 'unto us a Son is given' with John 3:16, where God gave His only begotten Son, and asks, 'To whom was the Son given?' His answer is the nation of Israel. John 1:11 shows what happened: 'He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.'
Les draws attention to the capitalized names in Isaiah 9:6 — Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God — and says these are all terms associated with the coming King, the Messiah, the Son of God. He describes them as 'appropriately His terms of deity.' This is the same Messiah introduced in the New Testament as Jesus the Christ.
The prophecy says the government shall be upon the Messiah's shoulder. Les asks, 'Who is this going to be that's going to be the government?' His teaching is that the Messiah Himself will be the government. He also connects this with the thousand-year reign — the government upon His shoulder is the ruling and reigning of Christ's millennial kingdom.
Les places Isaiah 9:6 within the covenant promises to Israel. God's promises come in sequence: first the promise of a nation, then the promise of the land, and now the third part — the promise of a government or a King, who will be the Son of God. In the prophetic program, once the king and kingdom were established, Israel was to bring salvation — the knowledge of their Jehovah — to the Gentiles, though Israel rejected this program.
Israel's Prophetic Role for the Gentiles
Les sets the context for Isaiah's prophecy: God planned to use Israel, after the king and kingdom were established, to bring the knowledge of Jehovah to the Gentiles.
Isaiah's Pronouns Point to Israel
Les shows that Isaiah 9 addresses the nation of Israel — 'unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given' — and connects this to John 3:16, asking how God gave His Son.
The Son Given to Israel
Les ties Isaiah 9:6 to the words of Handel's Messiah and to John 3:16, answering that the Son was given to the nation of Israel, who received Him not.
The Man-Child Refers to Christ
Les notes that in Isaiah 66, the man-child always refers to Christ the Lord Jesus, reinforcing the messianic meaning of Isaiah's birth imagery.
The Messiah as the Government
Les emphasizes that the government shall be upon the Messiah's shoulder — He is the one who will be the government of Israel.
The Divine Names of the Messiah
Les teaches that the capitalized names in Isaiah 9:6 — Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God — are terms of deity for the coming King, the Son of God.
The Thousand-Year Reign
Les explains that the government upon the Messiah's shoulder refers to His ruling and reigning during the thousand-year kingdom.
The Third Covenant Promise: A King
Les places Isaiah 9:6 as the third part of God's promises to Israel — the promise of a government or King, the Son of God — and urges readers to always ask to whom a passage was addressed.
Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The central prophecy identifying the Messiah as the child and Son given to Israel, with divine names.
Isaiah 9:7: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Promises the endless kingdom and government of the Messiah upon the throne of David.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Les connects this to Isaiah 9's 'unto us a son is given' — God gave His Son to Israel, the Messiah.
John 1:11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Describes Israel's response to the Messiah, the Son given to them.
Isaiah 66:7: Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
Les uses this to show that the man-child in Isaiah always refers to Christ the Lord Jesus.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that the child born and the Son given in Isaiah 9:6 is the Messiah, the Son of God, who is introduced in the New Testament as Jesus the Christ. The capitalized names — Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God — are terms of deity that belong to this coming King.
To the nation of Israel. Isaiah is writing to Israel, not to the Gentiles, and Les connects this with John 3:16 — God gave His only begotten Son to Israel. John 1:11 shows the result: 'He came unto his own, and his own received him not.'
Les teaches that this identifies the Messiah as the coming Governor — He is the one who will be the government. It points to the ruling and reigning of the Messiah, including the thousand-year reign.
Both passages emphasize the giving of God's Son. Isaiah says 'unto us a Son is given,' and John 3:16 says God 'gave His only begotten Son.' Les asks to whom the Son was given and answers: to the nation of Israel.
No. While the words of Isaiah 9:6 are set to music in Handel's Messiah and are familiar at Christmastime, Les teaches that the passage is a prophetic utterance to Israel about the coming King, His government, and His thousand-year reign.
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Failed to Evangelize the World — Isaiah to Acts