Onomaticon: Prince of Peace, Man of Sorrows
Prince of Peace
The name “Prince of Peace” is only used once in the entire Bible. The reference is Isiah 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”.
Let’s break this name down a little bit: “prince” in Hebrew is “sar,” which means “a head person (a captain, chief, or governor)” and “peace,” is “shalom,” meaning “safe, well, happy, or friendly”. So we can say He is the head person of safety, happiness, and well being. He is the one who looks out for our welfare, our safety, and our happiness, therefore we can put our trust in Him.
He is the one that is in control of our life. As long as we will follow him our lives can be fulfilled, we will be happy and safe in his arms. Peace comes from trusting Him to take care of our lives.
Man of Sorrows
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” — Isaiah 53:3
Sorrows in this verse is “mak’ob,” which means anguish. Jesus was a man of anguish. He suffered for our sake. Why was he well acquainted with Grief? Isaiah says that it was for our sake: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:4-5
He became the sacrifice for us, taking the affliction, the beatings, and scorn, and finally being hung on a cross to die like an average criminal — all for you and me! This name is meant to remind us that He suffered on the cross for us. He took the anguish of death so that we could know him.
In our everyday lives, knowing that the savior is a man of suffering should reminding us that no matter what we are going through, we have a friend who suffered alongside us. There is one who has endured much more than we ever could. Imagine the pain that He felt as He carried the cross up a hill called Golgotha, agonizing over it for our sake. Before that He had taken severe beatings and mockery. The immutable God became vulnerable so that He could be our friend! The next time you face a trial of life, remember the power of knowing the Man of Sorrows, one acquainted with grief: the one who knows better than anyone else what you are facing.
What a friend we have in Jesus!
I’m thankful for the peace Jesus gives. It guards our hearts and minds, both can be so vulnerable to destructive invasions from the enemy of our souls. God’s peace passes our understanding and though our situation may not change immediately. It may even worsen. His peace and grace will see us through.
You turned an English lesson into an encouraging word. I like thinking about God as being in charge of my happiness.
You guys are all doing a great job of being scholarly and practical – and all within a few paragraphs.