Sunday's Blessing - 08/02/2026 - The Names of God - El Gibbor – Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibbor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The majority of the time, when you see Jesus portrayed in film, books, and art, you see the “gentle” Jesus, one who is compassionate, long-suffering, tender-hearted, and quiet in nature. However, there is another side to this Man who came as the Messiah to save mankind. You see this in the cleansing of the temple when He chased out the money changers with a whip, or when cornered on the brow of a bluff where the crowd was about to throw Him off, He “walked through the midst of them.” In this prophetic scripture from Isaiah, he speaks of one coming who would be all of these things: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father. But one of these names stands out as being a little more than gentle – Mighty God.
The Hebrew words used to express this name is El Gibbor, which means, “champion, chief, excel, giant, man, mighty man, one, strong man”, according to Strong’s Concordance. Yes, it could mean strength of character, implying Jesus was still the passive man portrayed in media. However, the word “gibbor” also means, “warrior or tyrant.” I picture a character more like Maximus, portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie “Gladiator,” who only fought when he had to; but he would fight.
Perhaps when Isaiah’s words were first spoken, people scratched their heads trying to imagine one person embodying all of these characteristics: Wonderful Counselor – one who can listen intently to understand what you’re going through, then give sage advice which truly changes your life; Everlasting Father – a trusted mentor to teach how life is to be lived by showing his children daily by the way he lives; Prince of Peace – one who always seeks mediation to quell the tension and provide a win-win in every brokered agreement. But Isaiah adds a curveball in what was otherwise an at-bat with easy underhanded tosses toward the plate. This gentle giant would also wield a sword which would eventually topple the demonic kingdom that held the world captive. He would be El Gibbor, the Mighty God, who would save man from spiritual death by conquering the Serpent from Eden by crushing his head on Calvary.
This mix of temperament found in one Man became evident when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” The responses could not be more varied. Consider these which had apparently been spoken to the disciples by those who had watched Jesus do what He did. “Some say you are John the Baptist returned from the dead.” This man, John, wore animal skin, ate locust and wild honey, and challenged the current religious and political establishments of his day. There was nothing passive about, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness; make His paths straight.”
“Others say you are Elijah.” This man, Elijah, challenged the followers of Baal to a showdown on the mountain to end the debate about whose God is more powerful. (see 1 Kings 18) After an open display of God’s power, Elijah then killed 450 prophets of Baal. That is far from soft-spoken. That is blatant domination of the evil which spoke against the Kingdom of God.
“There are also those who say you are Jeremiah.” This man, Jeremiah, was referred to as The Weeping Prophet, because of the heavy heart he carried for God’s people, Israel. Clearly there were some examples of this behavior shown by Jesus. Perhaps when He said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I long to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Matthew 23:37
You see now how this Messiah spoken of by the prophets would come to earth to represent God in human form. He would epitomize the phrase God used with Moses when asked, “Who should I tell them sent me?” God responded with, “I AM!” This phrase in Hebrew means, “I will be what I will be.” The interpretation of this tells us that God will be whatever is needed in the moment. So, when Jesus presented such varied behavior to evoke the responses shared by the disciples, He was simply being “I AM”.
It's good to know that wherever you find yourself at any moment in your life, you have a God Who is well able to meet you where you are and take you to where you need to be. Allow Him to be El Gibbor, Mighty God, to bring you back into fellowship with the Father and live life as the king or queen you were created to be.
