The Counselor of Wonder
The Counselor of Wonder.
Right away, many will say, "But isn't the Holy Spirit the Counselor?" Yes he is, but this verse is speaking about Jesus, and we are told he is "The Counselor of Wonder." So what do the words mean?
"Wonder" is Strong's word H6382, pele, meaning: miracle, marvelous thing, wonder.
"Counselor" is Strong's word H3289, yâ‛ats, meaning: to advise, consult, counsel, determine, devise, guide, purpose.
The words are pretty straightforward, and are not used in any odd ways, and so for this reason the name is a difficult one to understand; we want so much to apply it to the Holy Spirit, but this verse is clearly about Jesus. The commentators too are stuck, being caught in the same dilemma: writing a lot, but not really saying much.
It is the first name on the list, coming before "Mighty God;" that must mean something!
The sequence is first the work he will do: Governor; then the name he will be called: Counselor.
It seems to me that it means: He who will tell us amazing things, things we never heard someone say before.
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Mat 7:28-29
"And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Mat 13:54
"The officers answered, Never man spake like this man." Joh 7:46
So firstly, in his person and words and works, Jesus was unlike any other man who ever lived!
Think about it, the basic Christian message is that Jesus, the Jewish Carpenter who died on a Roman cross, is eternal God; his family, and the Jewish nation totally rejected him; and the first century Greeks said it was beyond foolishness, it was ridiculous and absurd (1Co 1:18-31)
Humanly, it really is too much to believe; it is beyond comprehension, it is wonderful!
And then what does he counsel?
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Mat 11:28
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" Joh 11:26
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Joh 3:18
This counsel is beyond the human ability to believe.
That is why Jesus said:
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:" Joh 6:44
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." Joh 3:5-7
The Father must draw, the Spirit must give life to believe, because if they do not, NO ONE can come to Jesus, NO ONE can believe!
And secondly, his counsel is wonderful, because it is good.
The gospel is good news; it is NOT bad news!
If God did nothing, we would all end up in hell.
BUT GOD INTERVENES, he does what was needed to be done to rescue us from the just punishment of hell. We deserve to go to hell! Hell is God's prison for sinners. Sinners are criminals against his government.
Think of a person in court, accused of a crime. He knows he did it, everyone knows he did it, he knows he deserves punishment, everyone knows he deserves punishment, the punishment spelled out in the statue book fits the severity of the crime, no argument at all, but then someone intervenes and he is not just pardoned, but his crime is expunged, erased from the court records.
Is that not good news? The gospel is the same, well of course better because it is for the eternal benefit of our souls, but the point is made: there is nothing bad in the gospel, it is all good news: we are not just deliver from punishment, but we are received by God as a son/daughter, and promised eternal bliss with him forever in heaven.
And it is better and beyond anything else we have ever heard.
That is why Isaiah first asks "Who has believed our report?" and then asks, "To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed, so that they may believe?" Isa 53:1
So I would say that this name, "Counselor of Wonder," is telling us that everything about Jesus is beyond our imagination, it is all good, and that he is counseling us to receive it.
10 June 2025