1 Isaiah 31-32 The Rule of God the King One of the things I notice over and over again in my life is the fact that I like to be in charge. I like to be the one making the calls. I like to do what I want to do, even when others may not agree with me or like what I say. And, getting my own way has been and will be the cause of much strife in my own heart and in my relationships. Now, I am not saying that godly fathers shouldn t be the spiritual leaders over their households; they should. Or, that the pastors/elders shouldn t exercise God-given spiritual authority or their flocks. I am referring to selfish-ungodly desires in my heart to get my own way. Can anyone here identify with me? Well, our passage today is about the rule of another king, the king who sits on the throne of the universe! (which is really the theme of Isaiah: God is the sovereign king). This morning, I have 3 truths about the rule of God. 1. Unperturbed Sovereignty. Though man devises his plans and does his own thing, God s plan continues unhindered. In this context, Assyria is preparing to invade Jerusalem. Judah does not turn to God, but instead forms an alliance with Egypt (last week). Nevertheless, God will protect Jerusalem from the Assyrians. Look at vv. 1-5. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! 2 And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 3 The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. 4 For thus the LORD said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 5 Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it. God is saying, You may do your own thing. And though it is sinful and idolatrous to trust in someone or something other than Me for your salvation, my sovereign plan is unperturbed. It will stand! When we lived in Kenya we were invited to spend the night in a Masai Boma, way out in the countryside, under the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was one of the most memorable two days of my life. We were dropped off by truck at the chief s home ( Boma ). He had 3 wives and was getting ready to marry a fourth. He was a wealthy man, with hundreds of goats and cattle and land. The main property was surrounded by Acacia tree thorns (very huge) to give protection from lions. Each wife had their own home, made of cow dung, straw, and mud. But, right in the middle was a concrete structure (the chief s home). And nobody was allowed in his house but the men, or those ladies who served the meals. But since we were foreigners, they allowed the 4 of us to come in and sit. All night we had goat meat (ate with our hands) and listened to stories from Masai warriors. They told us that from time to time, lions will jump over the fence and attack their livestock. And if the people are afraid and do not rush the lion with great force (which puts the first person especially in danger), the lion will sit unperturbed from the threat and eat at will until he is finished. This is the picture we have in v. 4.
2 God does not waver. He is not moved. He is not affected by our plans that run contrary to his will. In reference to Israel looking to Egypt, look at v. 3. The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. If there is one thing we cannot deny, it is this. God is moving history to his end, in his way, in his time, using his means. And though we think we can affect it we cannot! God is unperturbed in his sovereignty. Num. 23:19: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Rom. 11:29: For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable... Now, this is a huge truth, for it includes ALL the of his predetermined plan, ALL his decretive will, from creation, to the fall, to the decision to save a people on this sinful earth, and then to re-create the heavens and the earth. And our experience as humans is full of SIN and DEATH and SICKNESS and HEARTACHE, and TROUBLE, etc. And God s plan includes great judgment as we see with Egypt and Assyria. And most of the people in this world have a great problem with what they see. They say, If God is good, and He is all powerful, why does He not stop the evil (theodicy)? Well, I know God is not happy about evil. For He does not delight in the death of the wicked... (Ezek. 18:23). And we know God is not the author of sin. The wages of sin are death (Rom. 6:23). And we know the evil in this world stems from sinful hearts, whether that be from fallen angels or men. And because of these things, the justice of God is being poured out in wrath and judgment upon all unrighteousness. In all these things God s sovereignty is unperturbed. But, do you know what I am most thankful about when I think about God s unperturbed sovereignty? Mal. 3:6 says, For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. If God were to change his mind concerning my sin, where would I be? Where would you be? How many times this week have you sinned? Have you lost your patience with your spouse? Have you had a little road rage in your heart against the driver in front of you? Have you blamed God for your circumstance, or been upset with God for what is happening in your life? Have you been faithful in your quiet times? Have you looked to the Word for comfort and help this week? Yet, YOU ARE NOT CONSUMED! We will see in a moment, WHY? For a king will reign in righteousness... (32:1). This is the Lord Jesus, upon whom God judged in our place. Upon him God righteous anger and wrath were poured out in his death on the cross. My point is: God does not change. And his plan is not hindered. And it is because of this truth his people (US) are saved. We see this over and over. God will not forsake those upon whom He has set his love. Application: God is both terrible and gentle in his sovereign plan. First we see the Lion. Then, we see the mother bird, hovering gently over her young. Application: Get with the plan. His ways are best. We are man. He is God. We are flesh. He is Spirit. We change. He does not. He is not a tame lion. Application: Your will be done! That must be the cry of our heart. And what is God s will? It is our sanctification (and everything that means).
3 Application: Our greatest comfort lies in the fact that God does not change. And to the extent we understand this truth, is the extent of our peace, and our ability to navigate this life. 2. Righteous Rule. Look at 32:1: Behold, a king will reign in righteousness. Let me ask, Which king is he talking about? Let s think for a moment. Isaiah lived a long life. He lived and prophesied through the tenure of 4 kings, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Uzziah was a good king, though he allowed idolatry and sacrifices to other gods. Jotham was also considered to be a good king, but like his father, he didn t do away false sacrifices (2 Kings 15). Ahaz was a very bad king. He himself sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering (2 Kings 16:3). During his reign, the norther kingdom (Israel) was conquered by the Assyrians and carried into captivity. Then comes Hezekiah, for the most part a good king. But, it is one of the hardest times in Judah and Jerusalem s history. As we look forward there will be a few more kings, mostly bad (one really good one in Josiah). But eventually, what happens? Jerusalem will be destroyed, and Judah will be carried away into Babylonian captivity. And to this day, from one perspective there hasn t been one. So, which king is Isaiah speaking of? Where is the great king that will come to establish the throne of David once again? The Jews are still looking for this king. They are looking for an earthly king. And so they should! But, there is a problem. No son of Adam, no child born from the loins of a sinful man will ever reign in the kind of righteousness to which Isaiah looks! The Jews miss it because they only look to the flesh. They don t see the Son of Man, who is God. They miss the deity veiled behind the humanity. And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father... (John 1:14). Please don t miss this as we go through Isaiah. It is true that Isaiah looks to godly, earthly, righteous kings. And just like David and Solomon, he desired a king who would reign in righteousness. And Josiah was the last of the kings who reigned with godliness and righteousness. But, all of them were STILL sinners. And they died. And so will it be for any son of Adam who reigns from Jerusalem or any other city. This is why Isaiah holds out the true hope of Israel. We must not forget his calling, many years before, in the year King Uzziah died. And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! No one has seen God. For He is spirit. But, we see him in the Face of Jesus Christ... the King. And Isaiah saw him (John 12:41). And like the other prophets who also looked forward to this king, he says, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Is. 7:14). 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, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore (Is. 9:6-7). Now move forward to Paul s letter to the Romans. He begins by saying, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised
4 beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 1:1-4). What does this mean for us? It is so much more than simply looking to a king who reigns in righteousness. We must know why? Brothers and sisters, the righteousness of God was displayed in every bit of Christ s person and work. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life in his actions and in his heart. He loved with a perfect love. And then, he laid down his life on the cross. And all the righteous wrath and punishment we deserve came crashing down upon Him with all the force of death and hell. And he rose again, conquering death and hell. And how I don t know! But, this sacrificial death was vicarious. It was as a substitute for sinners. And, by the great mysterious wisdom of God, he creates faith. And those who believe in him are united to him. And his death becomes ours. And our sin was laid upon him! And now, for those who have believed in Christ, God mysteriously imputes (gives) his righteousness to us! And this is now! Though sin and unrighteousness reigns in this world, and an unrighteous being is the ruler of this world, there is a remnant where righteousness reigns. This is the rule of the righteous king. And we don t have time this morning to continue this theme. For Isaiah looks to a time when ALL unrighteousness will be conquered, which will happen in the new heavens and the new earth. So for now, I must urge you look unto King Jesus. 3. Loyal Subjects. Also, in this chapter, we see the subjects of this righteous king. Here we see a heavenly king ruling a new people through the power of the Spirit. As Isaiah looks around Judah and Jerusalem, what does he see? He sees the king and his politicians looking to Egypt to help. Instead of the living God, they look to the things of the earth. They trust in chariots. They trust in horses (31:1-3). They have idols of silver and gold, made from their own hands (vv. 6-7). Their eyes are blind, their ears are deaf (32:3). Their hearts are hasty, their tongues speak folly (vv. 4-5). Hearts are full of iniquity, and they ignore the poor (v. 6). They plan wicked schemes (v. 7). And while the men are off planning and scheming in the political world, the women are complacent (v. 10). They are at ease in their day to day tasks. The care for their houses and tend their gardens. And though these things are necessary, their hearts are far from the mind of God. Here, I must give a warning! This sounds like us! These are the places my sinful nature wants to take me! And if you are like me, you are prone to wander. You are given to complacency. I often give lip service when my heart is far away...... Oh, the mercy and grace of God! Look at vv. 15-17: until the Spirit if poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Brothers and sisters, the reason we are loyal subjects is because God has poured out his Spirit! Here, Isaiah sees the New Covenant in Christ the King. Jer. 31:31-34: Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
5 the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Brothers and sisters, God s sovereign rule through King Jesus will not fail because He gives his subjects the Holy Spirit (God). I don t care what your experience is or what you say about someone who confesses Christ, yet consistently over a period of years, does not love Christ from the heart, and bear fruits accordingly, their heart has yet to be changed and come under the control of Christ. For the love of Christ compels us! I am not saying we can t backslide. We can, and we do, and sometimes in God s sovereignty, he lets us be, but ALWAYS to bring us back. But, God s children are loyal subjects. For their king keeps them. Let me finish with the words of our Lord. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:14-15). And then, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one (27-30). Today, God is the King. His sovereignty is unperturbed. His rule is one of righteousness. And the subjects of his kingdom are loyal! What a beautiful message for us this morning! To God be the glory!