Having suffered a great deal of injustice at the hands of evil rulers, the people of Judah longed for a strong king who would rule with justice and fairness. We still seek after the same desire, and this desire will ultimately be fulfilled when Christ returns and reigns. At that time all evil will be banished forever, and Christ, who will rule unlike any other king, will reign in righteousness and rule with justice. When he comes then people's motives will become transparent. Fools will no longer be regarded as noble, and all who have opposed and rejected God's standards of living will be unable to maintain their deception. There is no way in which sin can disguise itself as acceptable when faced with the glorious light of Jesus Christ. Because His light will reach into every dark corner of the earth and every dark place in people's hearts, sin will be exposed for what it is. No heart that is truly ruled by Christ can harbour sin, no matter how well people might try to hide it.
Verses 9-13 contain a warning to the people who are guilty of turning their backs on God and concentrating on their own pleasure rather than serving God and living according to His Word. In our modern-day hedonistic and materialistic society this warning is very applicable. People worship wealth and seek fame, believing that these things bring security, but it is a false belief. We are surrounded by disaster of massive proportion, both nationally and on a more personal level. Insecurity is endemic. Yet people seek after the wrong solutions, and turn further away from God as a result. By abandoning God's purpose for our lives, we also abandon His help.
People seek after happiness, yet happiness is found in holiness, and perfect holiness, which we find through Christ, is the path to perfect happiness. Only when God's Spirit is amongst us can we find true peace and fulfilment, and we shall see this happening in the end time. We can have God's Spirit with us now, because when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and choose to acknowledge Him as our Lord, then He grants us the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The outpouring which Isaiah prophesies towards the close of the chapter will happen when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth for ever.
1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
The Women of Jerusalem
9 You women who are so complacent,rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble, you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
and wrap yourselves in rags.
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.
14 The fortress will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,
and the fertile field seems like a forest.
16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
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