Nobility through Generosity.

"Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice."
Isa. 32:1

There is an eschatological sense to this verse and the ones following it.  There is a beauty to this promise and an inherent crying out of the soul, "O Lord Jesus, come quickly!"  All around we see sin on display and those in power doing things that make our heads shake with disbelief.  We look at most areas of government and can identify with Marc Anthony's exclamation, "O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason."  (The Life and Death of Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 2)

See also the joys and blessings that will follow from this King reigning in righteousness:

• There will be shelter from the wind,
• There will be water in place of desert,
• Eyes will see,
• Ears will hear,
• There will be knowledge and understanding
• And stammering tongues will become fluent and clear.

In that day!

But I don't think that this verse is purely eschatological only.  I think it can apply now.  Does this king reign?  Yes.  He is called Lord.  Who are His subjects? All creation!  Especially the holy angels and His people—His blood-bought chosen ones.  If we call Him Lord, and do what He commands, then He is reigning in our hearts.  Wherever Jesus reigns, there will be all these blessings: shelter, no longer dry and barren, no longer blind nor deaf, but filled with knowledge and understanding, readily able to speak truth clearly.

We see this wherever Jesus went while here on earth.  He healed the demon-possessed man and suddenly he was no longer wild, uncontrolled and naked.  Instead he is seated, fully clothed and in his right mind.  (Mark 5:15)  The kingship of Jesus brings peace and blessing.

There is yet another outcome of this King reigning in righteousness.  You will become noble.

       "But the noble make noble plans,
           and by noble deeds they stand."  Isa. 32:8

This is in contrast with the vile or the scoundrel of verses 6 and 7.  But it is very interesting to see that the word noble as found in the NIV translation is rendered liberal in the KJV.  It has nothing to do with politics of today but means a sense of generousness and being able to give freely.  It is only when Christ is reigning in our hearts that we are most free to give unto others without ulterior motives.  Jesus told His disciples, "Freely you have received, freely give."  (Matt. 10:8)

The Christian, living under the Lordship of Christ, see that he has nothing of his own and that all that he has ultimately comes from God (1 Cor. 4:7; James 1:17) and is thus able to think of others instead of himself.  It is pride that causes us to be inward-focused to the exclusion of others.  To the extent that Christ reigns in our hearts, pride is driven out and we become more other-focused.

Truly that is very noble!  Nobility comes through generosity.  It is better to give than to receive.  Put what you have to work for the King.  That is fit tribute you then will bring!

A King Shall Reign!

Isaiah 32:1 --- See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.

Isaiah 52:7 --- How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

We have all seen things go wrong. When we were little kids we would say, “That’s not fair!” As we grew up we saw many things that seemed wrong; evil happening and sometimes nothing being done about it. How many times have we heard of some political or judicial decision that seemed oh so wrong? Too often.

Or how many times have we felt slighted, or cheated, or wronged personally? Too often, yes?

So to hear that there is a King that will reign in righteousness sounds pretty exciting. A King! This King will reign in righteousness, doing what is right, and ruling with justice! There is coming a time when all things will be right.

But what does that mean for us right now? Is this just a little glimmer of a distance hope? Far away in the sweet by-and-by?

No. This has important meaning for us right now! A King will reign in righteousness.

We first of all have to define who is this King and what is righteousness. Then we can see what it means for each of us.

First this King. Not just any King. This scripture introduces this King as someone new—an unheard of someone. One who will reign in righteousness. That is, no one else does. This is something entirely new!

Who is this? This is Jesus. Elsewhere in Isaiah we read that “to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” (Isa 9:6, 7)

Jesus is King. His government is ever increasing. He upholds His kingdom with justice and righteousness. He was born a King when He came to earth on that first Christmas. He was raised up as a King on that first Easter morning. And we see in the last book of the Bible that He is still a King and will ever more be a King. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True…. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

That’s like no King that we have on earth. This King is God Himself!

Second is Righteousness. What is righteousness? It can be described as doing what is right. Righteousness is one of the chief attributes of God. It implies integrity, equity, justice, straightness—measuring up to God’s standard.

We see that this King is God Himself, so we shouldn’t be surprised that this King would reign in righteousness. Of course God will do it correctly!

Third, what does this mean for us? It means that we are to live in righteousness. We must walk in righteousness. We must practice righteousness. If the King is holy and perfectly righteous in all that He does, there must be not even a trace of unholiness or unrighteousness in all of His kingdom.

Well, there’s a problem, isn’t there? I’m not perfect. None of us are perfect. Yet God’s standard is “Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)

This is a big problem! He is a perfect King, reigning in perfect righteousness and promising perfect justice. Oh, don’t you see? That means that each person who did something wrong will have to be punished!

And what is the punishment for breaking this King’s commands? Remember that this King is God. This King is then infinite. So a punishment for breaking His commands is BIG and will last a long time! It is Hell. Hell is serious punishment. We must remember that sin is serious. We can’t lightly brush it aside.

Why? Because a King will reign in righteousness. That means that no sin will go unpunished. He will deal with every single sin and rebellion against His laws.

Okay. That sounds scary! And it is. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But Isaiah writes that it is good news to hear that this King reigns! It is almost as if Isaiah starts singing a song because he is so happy that this King reigns! How can that be? If sins are to be punished and is all have sinned, then how can any human ever be happy and joyful knowing that this King reigns?

It is because of this King. This Jesus came to earth to take our punishment and to suffer our Hell in our place! We deserve God’s wrath, but Jesus endured it so that all who believe on Him might not perish but have everlasting life!

And what’s more, He lived a perfect life so that I can be clothed in His righteousness. I can then stand in God’s presence and not be condemned.

So finally, He is my King! If He is King then there is a Kingdom. If He is King, then there are rules. We then live new lives, walking more and more in righteousness because He made us new and different. We are not saved because we start doing good things. That will never work! We couldn’t ever do enough good to even begin to undo that sins that we have already done. No, Jesus is King and that means that I love His laws and I love His ways.

This also means that I can trust Him. He will reign in righteousness. I can trust Him. I must do what I know is right. How do I know what is right? I read the Bible. In the Bible I see this King. I see His righteousness. I see His beauty. I see that He is trustworthy. I see His commands and then I love to do what He wants me to do. He is King. I am not king! He makes the rules—I follow His rules. I can trust Him to make all things right in the end, because He will reign in righteousness. I needn’t worry about the future because my King holds today as well as the future in His hands.

But this can only be the trust and security of those who have trusted in this Jesus. If you haven’t trusted in Jesus, He still is King. But He will be King over you in an entirely different way. We read in Revelation that “out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” (Rev 19:15).

This is not the sweet, baby Jesus that we see in Christmas cards. No, this is a King reigning in righteousness, making sure that there is no more rebellion; making sure that all sin is dealt with and punished; making sure that every knee bows and proclaims that He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is King alone. There is no room in His universe for another. He reigns now and He will continue to reign. And He reigns in righteousness. Of the increase of His government there shall be no end. You know what that means? It means that He wins. Anyone who tries to fight Him will lose!

But for those who do trust Him and call Him their Lord and King, this is great comfort. This is great news of good tidings. It is news of peace because you are not at war with Him anymore. It is joyous news because it is your salvation.

Oh great and glorious Love of God! He is King! He reigns in righteousness! And He has made a way that we can come to Him and approach His throne as His own people. Let us ‘Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus’!

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