Isaiah 32:1-8

Right smack in the middle of Isaiah’s series of ‘woes’, he gives a shining prophecy of hope concerning the Messianic Kingdom to come. In it, not only will the Messiah rule with righteousness (9:7, 16:5; and see also 25:4), but also the ‘’rulers will rule with justice’’ (1). Each subordinate of the Messiah, in his serving role, will share in the work of ruling, protecting and blessing God’s people (2; see Matthew 19:28). This is a beautiful picture, and something for every leader to aspire to: ‘’Each one will stand as a shelter from high winds, provide safe cover in stormy weather. Each will be cool running water in parched land, a huge granite outcrop giving shade in the desert.’’ The Message. Let us pray that all those who are called to serve with and for the Messiah will fulfil their destiny. Here is a portrait of true leadership. (See also 26:4).˙

 

Godly leaders protect people, care for them and give to them. They are ‘channels of blessing’ to others. They don’t use them for their own purposes. The only hope we have for true leadership is to be found in the rule of Jesus, and in Him shaping His leaders into the design He has for them. Let Jesus Christ reign over all your heart and He will make you more and more like Himself. Leaders in the Kingdom of God ‘’…should be both rocks and rivers, providing security and sufficiency. Rocks do not move or change, while rivers are ever moving and changing. Leaders must be both consistent and adaptable, combining the faithfulness of the rock with the fruitfulness of the river.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.470.

This section is headed ‘’A kingdom of true men’’ by Derek Kidner in the ‘New Bible Commentary’. He writes: ‘’This fourth oracle on the coming king (cf.7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5) shows his greatest triumph, in the flowering of his own qualities (given by the Spirit of the Lord, 11:2; cf. 32:15) in the character of his subjects, from his office- bearers downwards.’’ p.652. Where Jesus reigns as King, He changes people into His image. He supplies the power to live differently and swim against the current.

In the Kingdom of the Messiah, people’s spiritual eyes and ears will no longer be shut as they were in Isaiah’s day. It will be a time of bright revelation (3, 4). For those of us who have got to know Jesus, ‘’the light of the world’ ‘(John 8:12), we can verify by experience how true this is. He has given to us truth to know and to speak (4), and He gives us the ability to proclaim it as well as understand it.

It is also true to say that in the fullness of that Kingdom, still to come, all bad leadership will be overthrown (5-8): ‘’No more will fools become celebrities, nor crooks be rewarded with fame. For fools are fools and that’s that, thinking up new ways to do mischief. They leave a wake of wrecked lives and lies about GOD, Turning their backs on the homeless hungry, ignoring those dying of thirst in the streets. And the crooks? Underhanded sneaks they are, inventive in sin and scandal, Exploiting the poor with scams and lies, unmoved by the victimized poor. But those who are noble make noble plans, and stand for what is noble.’’ The Message. Isaiah saw the demise of those who used their position for personal profit and not for the common good. In Isaiah’s day, as in our own, the ordinary people were dazzled by the lives of the ‘rich and famous’, even though the character and conduct of these ‘celebrities’ were not deserving of respect. They had money, fame and influence, and in the eyes of many that made them important. But God saw through the glossy magazine myth, and He still does.

Prayer: Reign in me, Sovereign Lord, reign in me. Captivate my heart; make me more like you.