Isaiah 32-35: The Glorious Future: Chapter 9: Messiah’s Reign

In spite of the rule of flesh, in spite of the present state of unrepentance, and in spite of impending judgment and destruction, the word of God stands firm. What He speaks comes immediately into existence, and that which exists in heaven becomes a promise that will be fulfilled in the earth. It was so from the beginning when He spoke “Light!” And His word has lost none of its power even today.

For this reason, when God speaks, it is the sure word of prophecy and the word of inevitability. His prophecies are not based merely upon foreknowledge but upon His power to call things into existence. He knows all things because He is the First Cause. He is not merely the first to be informed of things and events evolving spontaneously of their own accord. He is a sovereign God, the Creator of all, and His will, expressed by His word, always manifests in the end.

The Messiah’s Reign

Isaiah 32:1, 2 says,

³² Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly. ² Each will be like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm. Like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.

The world has seldom encountered a king that reigns righteously or princes who rule justly. Few earthly kings have truly understood the law of God or how to administer it by the standard of God’s love-nature. But the earth will have its day, for a Messiah has been proclaimed from the beginning of creation. God has decreed that righteous “princes” will be in full agreement with Him. Those who are oppressed by carnally-minded men will find refuge in them. They will be like a welcome shade under a hot sun.

The people of all nations have longed to see such a time, and for this reason, the Messiah is “the desire of all nations” (Hag. 2:7, KJV). Most people lost hope of such righteous rule thousands of years ago. The reality of fleshly life in the real world has made men accept injustice as a way of life. Kings have thus ruled by self-interest, thinking they are privileged to be served rather than to serve. They seek to be enriched rather than to enrich.

The good times that the word of God called into being from the beginning have certainly been delayed but not annulled. Though it may take thousands of years to see, and though men’s sin and blindness may seem impossible to overcome, the Spirit of Truth will prevail in the end. All has been planned accordingly. Isaiah 32:3, 4 continues,

³ Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, and the ears of those who hear will listen. ⁴ The mind of the hasty [mahar, “quick minded”] will discern the truth, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.

This is a reference to the revelation Isaiah received at his commissioning in Isaiah 6:9, 10,

⁹ He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand.’ ¹⁰ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim…”

The same God who created the light of truth also created the darkness of the blind and the silence of the deaf (Exodus 4:11). While it appears on the surface that one word contradicts the other, in reality it is only a matter of timing. Both words come from God, but each has its day to manifest.

The prophet assures us that truth will prevail in the end. The spiritual blindness will end, and the deaf will be able to hear. They will not only obey the word but also respond in agreement. Those who stammer are the ones referenced in Isaiah 28:11, those who hear the word of God in a foreign tongue. These will hear the word of prophecy clearly in their own language, for as the Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 13:8, “if there are tongues, they will cease.”

Overturning the Rogues

Isaiah 32:5 says,

⁵ No longer will the fool be called noble [nadev, “generous, noble”], or the rogue be spoken of as generous [showa, “liberal, one who generously and freely gives”].

Today we have many fake philanthropists, whose generosity is designed to enslave men, rather than to help them. Such philanthropists buy their own praise from the media, a practice advocated by Machiavelli in his book, The Prince. The average person is not well versed in such literature or in political science and so he does not understand how he is manipulated by such “rogues.” Instead, these rogues are called “liberals,” as if to present themselves as being generous men who care for the poor.

Isaiah prophesied of such people thousands of years ago. We have to wonder if the prophet had envisioned the foundations of the Rockefellers, Rothschilds, Clintons, and George Soros.

Isaiah 32:6-8 continues,

⁶ For a fool speaks nonsense, and his heart inclines toward wickedness; to practice ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord, to keep the hungry person unsatisfied and to withhold drink from the thirsty. ⁷ As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; he devises wicked schemes to destroy the afflicted with slander, even though the needy one speaks what is right. ⁸ But the noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands.

There are fools and there are rogues. The prophet says that “a fool speaks nonsense.” The words of a fool spout ignorance, rather than intentional evil. So today there are people who ignorantly promote the “rogue” philosophy of Karl Marx. But there are also rogues who knowingly promote such nonsense, such as Congressman Jerry Nadler, who call rioters “peaceful protesters” when they destroy the property of others and even bestow upon looters the right to steal.

But those who are truly noble are the godly ones, those who stand in agreement with the Messiah, the King who is called to reign righteously. These overcomers are not of the political parties and religious factions of men but are of the Kingdom Party. Their loyalty is to Christ alone, and they do not betray Him by setting forth the agendas of men or by promoting their own will.