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That is the Lord we have been waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation. That was a brief explanation of my previous message. This time, we will learn chapter 32. Jesus will come back, bring judgement on Israel, and bring a new creation. Such promises are written in this chapter. Let us awaits for the day with faith. Now, please read Chapter 32.
Isaiah 32:1 says,「See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.」It is understood that a king here is referred to the Savior, Jesus. Isaiah repeatedly prophesied about the coming of Messiah. Please refer to Isaiah 7:14, 9: 6-7, 11: 1-5. The one called Immanuel, the prince of peace, rules over the kingdom of David’s throne. As we read these prophecies, we are able to deepen our understanding of the Messiah. At the end time, this Messiah will come back again and rule the world with justice. Not only that, it continues that rulers will rule with justice. Let’s open 1 Peter 2: 9 from in the New Testament. It says,「But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.」(1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
Jesus chose us to be the ruler of the world with Him. Jesus called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. Moreover, we have been justified by faith and made holy nations. As a royal priesthood, we are able to pray for our friends and family. As it is said, “and rulers will rule with justice,” rulers are the ones who rule the kingdom of God with the Messiah.
In Isaiah 32: 2, it is described that with Jesus, each believer will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge for the storm to many. In verse 3, with the expression of “the eyes of those who see,” and “the ears of those who hear”, it is described that many people will open their hearts to the word of God. Verse 4 shows that, despite our limited abilities, we believers will be able to speak clearly about the spiritual knowledge of the Lord. In verses 5-8, it is said that fools and nobles will be revealed. The fool in verse 5 is the one who doesn’t fear the Lord, and it is called Nabal in Hebrew. From 1 Samuel 25:25, the man called Nabal, the fool is written. Please read it if you are interested.
In verses 9-14, Isaiah encourage the readers to be aware of the destruction of Jerusalem and to mourn for that. This message is about repentance, and it is written toward women and daughters of Jerusalem. Verse 9 says,「You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!」(Isaiah 32:9 NIV) Psalm 123: 4 mentions about “ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud”, and these two words “arrogant” and “proud” are the same word in Hebrew.
The Hebrew word means playing around without doing anything. Such people may not understand that Jerusalem is about to face God’s judgment. These people and leaders sinned against God and forgot to return to Him. Unfortunately, leaders and people in Israel had a temporary thoughts and ideas like “If we are attacked by Assyria, we can ask Egypt for help.” (Reference; Isaiah 31: 1-3) Isaiah clearly prophesies in verse 14, it says, 「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,」(Isaiah 32:14 NIV) Surely, the time of destruction was approaching for Jerusalem. Looking back on history, Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon at 586 BC and by Rome at 70AD.
Now, in verses 15-20, the prophecy of recovery that comes after judgment is written. Today’s message title is written in verse 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.」(Isaiah 32:15 NIV) The prophecy of restoration comes from the spirit of God (Ruaha) as a new work of creation. Although Jerusalem was once destroyed, God is going to create a new Jerusalem by His spirit. Psalm 33: 6 says,「By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.」The words “the breath” and “the spirit” are the same words. As the spirit of God is poured on us, there will be new creations. The same things happened to the disciples of Jesus in the New Testament. As they received the Holy Spirit, their lives were changed, and the work of God were accomplished through them. Isaiah prophesies that the spirit of God are poured on us and the wilderness will become the fertile field. Let us imagine this picture. As we receive the Holy Spirit, we begin a fruitful life with Jesus. A fruitful life is like a fertile field, full of harvest. A life with Jesus comes with a blessing. The fruit of righteousness will be peace, and that righteousness is given to us by Jesus.(Verse 17) God will give you a place of peace, security, and rest. It will come true at the end, when Jesus returns.
Now let us have faith that as the Holy Spirit is poured on us, we will turn the wilderness into a fertile field. With the help of Jesus, the wilderness can be transformed into a fertile land. Let us become such believers.
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