A King Will Reign in Righteousness!

Isa 32:1 - 8

A King will rule in righteousness.
Ah, now that sounds wonderful, doesn't it? It sounds like the promise of heaven, the promise of a new world and a new order--a world redeemed from the Fall and the corruption of sin. Some would even say that it is a little "pie-in-the-sky" too. Too far off to have much practical good for right now.

I don't think that the prophet Isaiah believed that. This is why he wrote in verse 9, "You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!"
No, the prophet thought that this King who will rule in righteousness should have a present effect on how we think and live our lives.

Who is this King?

Ps 24: 8 asks it this way? "Who is this King of Glory?"
That is, this King who will rule in righteousness is the King of Glory. It is God Himself. But here some would protest and say... "Hey! That's old testament. We're a new testament church. We don't have to worry about the old testament. Right?"

I would say that this King of Glory is none other than Jesus Himself. Jesus taught His disciples that all of scripture points to Him. (See Luke 24:27.) So I posit that this King who will rule in righteousness is Jesus Christ.

Any proof?

Yes. Isaiah gives us signs that would point to this King and His rule:
Isa 32:3 ... blind eye see; deaf ears hear;
Isa 32:4 ... the insane and rash now in their right mind; stammering, halt tongues talk clearly

That sounds like the miracles that Jesus did. He healed the blind and the deaf. He made the mute to talk. He made the demoniac with a legion of demons to be healed and "in his right mind."

But am I reading too much into this? What did Jesus Himself say? Matt 4:17, "From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." He said that the Kingdom of heaven is near. And this is not a picture of some sweet day in the bye-and-bye. No, Jesus in Matt 21:32 said to the Pharisees that "tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." Are entering. That is, the Kingdom is so near that some are already going into it. This Kingdom is promised to have no end and to increase! (Isa 9:7)

So.... This King is Jesus. This Kingdom is near. This Kingdom keeps increasing--keeps expanding. That is: It wins!

But what of this for me?

If there is a Kingdom, there must be a King.
If there is a King and a Kingdom, there must be rules!
That is why it says "A King will rule in righteousness." He rules.

Let me repeat that. He will rule and because He has come and established His Kingdom, He is ruling now.

Of course, we don't see the full extent of His rule. There are still areas of rebellion. We only have to read the Book of Revelation to see that He will come again as a Conqueror to subdue all rebellion. (Read Rev 19, 20, 21, 22.)

But this Jesus is King. That is why the New Testament calls Him the Lord Jesus. A "LORD" is a King. That is what Caesar was called in the Greek. He was King and had absolute sway in his realm. How much more should the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign God and Creator of the whole universe have in His realm!

So what are we to do?

Live under His righteous rule.
That is, live righteously.
In other words, live by doing what is right.

What is right? Whatever will please the Lord. He established the Law not as a punishment, but because it is a reflection of His moral nature and character. That is, the Law is good because it reflects who God is.

Isa 32:8 say "But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands."

Are we being noble? Noble means "Of exalted rank; of or pertaining to the nobility." And if we are Christians, we are adopted into His family! That is a very, very high position indeed. We are to act worthy of that calling. He is our Father now. Children imitate their daddy. Are we imitating our Heavenly Father who said, "Be holy as I am holy!" It should be our desire, our hearts' cry, our longing and our daily yearning to be more like Him. To be more and more holy.

If so, we will have noble plans (that is, our thoughts and our goals). These will lead to noble deeds (our actions). And by these we will stand. That is, it will prove that we have had a radical change in our hearts. It will prove that God is our Father, that Jesus is our King and that the Kingdom of Heaven is among us--because we obey His law.

If this is not true of you, please ask this gracious King Jesus for repentance and a new heart. One that loves what He loves. Then you will be noble of thought and action. And in that Day of Judgment, you will be able to stand by His grace!

-Amen
Soli Deo Gloria