A King in Righteousness

A short study in the Millennial Visions of Isaiah

Part 2

"By me kings reign, and princes decree justice" declares Wisdom, speaking as a person in Prov.8:15‑16. "By me princes’ rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth." That is the ideal but it does not appear in practice as yet, and will not until the king that shall reign in righteousness has commenced his beneficent rule. In the day to come Wisdom will be enthroned on high and there will no longer be the spectacle of earth’s rulers hesitating and vacillating about their policies, sacrificing principle to expediency or quite openly and frankly using their positions to oppress their subjects and serve their own indulgence. Righteousness includes every right and uplifting quality, and a king who reigns in righteousness is a king who is guided in all his ways by unerring wisdom. So the King of the Millennial Age will be characterised by that wisdom from above which James says is pure, peaceable, full of mercy and good fruits: without partiality and hypocrisy.

"Princes shall rule in judgment." (Isa.32:1). This must without doubt refer to the "princes in all the earth" of Psa.45:16, the "judges" and "counsellors" of Isa.1:26. The writer to the Hebrews tells, in his eleventh chapter, of men who maintained their loyalty and faithfulness to God at different times in past history and were laid aside in death having "received not the promise" (v.39) but yet were persuaded that God had "prepared for them a city." (v.16) And so He has. In the day that Christ reigns as spiritual King from his exalted place in the heavens, these men of Old Testament days, these "Ancient Worthies" as they have been called, will be raised from the dead to assume the positions of administration upon earth for which their past lives’ experiences have qualified them. Sterling characters such as Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Daniel, Nehemiah—certainly, Isaiah himself—besides others whose names have not been recorded and whose deeds are not known, will certainly be found in the forefront of affairs in that day. They will be men who can be trusted with the oversight of affairs upon earth because they, like the Lord Jesus Christ himself, have esteemed the service of God and of their fellowmen of greater worth than anything else that life can offer. Already well versed in the plans and purposes of God, and firm in their stand for the principles of Divine government, they will indeed be "princes" that "rule in judgment."

The manner in which these "princes" will take control of earth’s affairs and begin to lead mankind into the ways of peace is somewhat problematical. It is evident that their raising from the dead must be some appreciable time before the revelation of their identity to the world at large; they all will quite obviously require some time to become adjusted to life as it is lived today and to acquire the necessary knowledge of the course of history between their original lives on earth—two, three or more millenniums ago—and the time of their awakening. It may well be that their obviously exceptional intellectual powers and their quick perception of humanity’s troubles will speedily bring them to the forefront so that men are half ready to accept them as leaders when the tremendous manifestation of Divine intervention that is to mark the establishment of the Kingdom occurs. Suffice it then to realise that when they are revealed they will be men who can be trusted, princes who "rule in judgment."

"And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." (Isa.32:2).

Who is this "man"? Are we to understand a third factor in the ruling administration of the new Kingdom here introduced to notice, or in the alternative another aspect of the rulers already mentioned? There seems to be little doubt that the "king" of v.1 is here referred to. He is a king, but he is not like earth’s usual kings, remote, untouchable, surrounded by a panoply of royalty which separates him from the touch or gaze of the common multitude. He is, as it were, one of them, one who knows their condition and their needs, and can claim to have walked with them, borne their griefs and shared their sorrows besides carrying those same sorrows. He is a merciful and faithful king because he knows what his subjects must have for their true welfare and happiness and he intends them to have it. And the first thing they need, he knows full well, is defence and protection. They have been so buffeted and tormented, persecuted and driven, by enemies of all kinds in life before, that now they need more than anything else a time of respite from trouble, a freedom from fear and apprehension, that they may begin to take fresh heart, and look up to the heavens, and listen to the voice that is to speak to them in words of wise guidance and vital instruction. So the first aspect of this kingly work of the Millennial Age is couched in terms indicative of covering and of protection. "A man shall be as an hiding‑place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." The simile is taken from Palestinian scenery. The hot winds from the midbar, the southern desert lying between Judea and the Red Sea, laden with sand and dust, beat fiercely upon the unprotected traveller, so that, like Jonah at Nineveh in similar plight, he might well wish to die and not live. This king will be a protection from the incessant winds of adversity and give the traveller time to recover. He will defend from the rains and tempests of disaster. He will provide refreshment and sustenance, "rivers of water in a dry place," and He will be as the shadow of a great rock on a sun‑baked plain, tempering the heat of midday with his presence.

One cannot help noticing the care with which these symbols are selected, as if Isaiah meant very definitely to indicate the protection that would be given, in that day, from the great plagues that do at this present time afflict humanity. His four symbols are wind, waters (the tempest), drought, and noon‑day heat. Those four are symbolic in the Scriptures of great curses that afflict mankind—war (wind and tempest), famine (drought) and pestilence (heat). The fear of all these things will disappear completely when Christ is king and is in control; violence and want shall be no more. This man will be as an hiding place and men will realise as never before the meaning of the old saying "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Prov.18:10)

Zechariah, much later on, saw this king in the glory of his symbolic manhood, this Son of David who is also David’s Lord, and said of him (6:12‑13) "Behold the Man whose name is the BRANCH" (his very descent from David in the days of his flesh becomes a title of honour forevermore) "and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD…and shall sit and rule upon his throne: and he shall be a priest upon his throne." There is some clear indication here that, in the Millennial Day, men will be constantly reminded that the glorious One Who is now their King was once of themselves, walking the earth with them, talking to them about their troubles and triumphs, their joys and sorrows, sympathising, counselling and helping...

"And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly." (Isa.32:3&4). Here the work of the Millennium commences in earnest. The first necessity of the sin‑blinded and sin‑weakened human race is education, instruction, and it must be given without any opposing influence being allowed to retard its work. The archenemy of humanity, Satan, will have been bound for the entire period, the "thousand years" of Rev.20:1‑2, and there will no longer be blindness and deafness imposed from without. No more will it be said as it is said of this present day "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor.4:4). Leeser seems to appreciate this fact when in his translation he renders this passage "the eyes of those that see shall not be blinded again." They were blinded once, in the past, but now they shall see, and see more and more plainly as they make progress in the knowledge of the things of God that are manifest in that Day. "The heart also of the rash" says Leeser again "shall be attentive in order to know." (Isa.32:4) There will be a thirst for knowledge and men will eagerly come to the fountain of wisdom that they might learn the way of life.

Now the prophet turns himself and surveys another class of men who will be in evidence in that day. Not all will come to the proffered way of life for not all will want to embrace the ways of righteousness. Some there will be who, at first at any rate, will want none and will have none of this new order of love and unselfishness, and who will endeavour to go back to the old ways of self and sin. They will be quite unable to harm their fellows, for nothing will be permitted to cause any kind of hindrance to those seeking the way of righteousness—"they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (Isa.11:9)—but those whose hearts are fully set in them to do evil will succeed in doing a lot of damage to themselves and unless they do eventually repent and come to the fountain of life they must inevitably reap sin’s penalty—death. But Isaiah is not seeing as far as that in this particular vision; in fact he seems to be viewing only the commencement of the Age, its first early years, and his words must be understood in that light. What he does say is illuminating enough. He says that there will still be vile (Heb. nabbal, brutish, worthless, senseless) persons and that they will still speak and work their villainy with the object of oppressing their fellow‑creatures. But the "liberal"—noble, bountiful, is the meaning of the word—will have devised effectual countermeasures and in consequence the machinations of the vile will be of no effect.

The Septuagint gives what is perhaps the clearest rendering of this particular passage—at least the sense is more easily understandable in relation to the context—and when applied to the operations of those who in the early days of the Kingdom attempt to oppose its work is very eloquent. "For the fool shall speak foolish words, and his heart shall meditate vanities, and to perform lawless deeds, and to speak error against the Lord, to scatter hungry souls, and he will cause the thirsty souls to be empty. For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquity, to destroy the poor with unjust words, and ruin the cause of the poor in judgment. But the godly have devised wise measures, and this counsel shall stand. " (Isa.32:6‑8).

These are they who in another place are said to "yield feigned obedience." Outwardly obedient to the laws of the Kingdom, conforming to the general regulations which will be made for the conduct of daily life in general harmony with the principles of righteousness, they will nevertheless be seeking opportunity to work their schemes to the detriment of others and most certainly will refrain from that service of helping others that is to be so characteristic a feature of Kingdom conditions. The parable of the sheep and goats makes mention of these same. These are they who, standing before the great white throne, are accused that, having the opportunity to do good to their fellows for whom Christ died, refused so to do, and the Christ the King tells them that in that failure they offend, not only against their fellows, but against him also. Refusing to accept in their own lives those principles by which alone human life on earth&#acknlglife on any plane of being—can be conducted harmoniously and to give glory to God, they are but as the wastage of God’s creation and can have no part or lot in that edifice which He is building to stand for all eternity.

(To be concluded)
AOH