A FUTURE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE

Isaiah 32:1-20 / Keywords 32:1

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.

 

32:1 See, a king will reign in righteousness

    and rulers will rule with justice.

2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind

    and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert

    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

    and the ears of those who hear will listen.

4 The fearful heart will know and understand,

    and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

5 No longer will the fool be called noble

    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

6 For fools speak folly,

    their hearts are bent on evil:

They practice ungodliness

    and spread error concerning the Lord;

the hungry they leave empty

    and from the thirsty they withhold water.

7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,

    they make up evil schemes

to destroy the poor with lies,

    even when the plea of the needy is just.

8 But the noble make noble plans,

    and by noble deeds they stand.

The Women of Jerusalem

9 You women who are so complacent,

    rise up and listen to me;

you daughters who feel secure,

    hear what I have to say!

10 In little more than a year

    you who feel secure will tremble;

the grape harvest will fail,

    and the harvest of fruit will not come.

11 Tremble, you complacent women;

    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!

Strip off your fine clothes

    and wrap yourselves in rags.

12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,

    for the fruitful vines

13 and for the land of my people,

    a land overgrown with thorns and briers—

yes, mourn for all houses of merriment

    and for this city of revelry.

14 The fortress will be abandoned,

    the noisy city deserted;

citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,

    the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,

    and the desert becomes a fertile field,

    and the fertile field seems like a forest.

16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,

    his righteousness live in the fertile field.

17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;

    its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,

    in secure homes,

    in undisturbed places of rest.

19 Though hail flattens the forest

    and the city is leveled completely,

20 how blessed you will be,

    sowing your seed by every stream,

    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

 

1. We should have confidence about the future but what should be the source of that confidence? Isaiah sees a king who will reign in righteousness. Leaders will rule with justice. They will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, and streams of water in the desert. Eyes will see, ears will hear, and the fearful will understand the word of God. Fools and scoundrels will be no more. What is noble and right will stand. This king is the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, rose from the dead and now reigns from heaven. Even now the Spirit transforms wasteland-like lives into fruitful lives (15,16). God’s people have peace, quietness, and security (17,18). Because Jesus will come again to fully establish his kingdom, we can have eternal confidence in him.

 

2. Isaiah contrasts this vision with the complacent woman in Jerusalem. They thought their lives were secure because they wore fine clothes and their fields had been fruitful. Their confidence was not in God but in what they could see. In a year, the Assyrians would come and devastate them.

 

3. Is your confidence rooted in things that can be taken away in a moment? Or is it in Christ who will return to rule with righteousness and justice?

 

Prayer Lord, thank you for a bright future because Jesus reigns in righteousness. Help us to depend on you only instead of visible things.

One Word Put your confidence in God alone