Sunday
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man 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. . . .
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, till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness will live in the fertile field.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
(Isaiah 32:1-2, 14-18, NIV)
The prophet Isaiah, in his book of judgment which covers chapters 1 through 39, harshly rebukes Israel and her neighbors for their idolatry and injustice. Following the judgment against the nations surrounding Israel, Isaiah then describes five “woes” on the unfaithful in Israel.
But before continuing his judgment and predicting exile to Babylon, Isaiah vividly describes the future Kingdom of Justice, where Jesus rules and each citizen reflects the King’s attributes. Although destruction is coming, Isaiah predicts that the Spirit of the Lord will follow and will turn the desert into a fertile field.
The desire of the Lord is once again evident in Isaiah’s “peace picture.” God wants justice to be the normal condition of our environment. Note that the “fruit of righteousness will be peace” (v. 17) and the overall effect on a society that lives in righteousness will be “quietness and confidence.”
For Isaiah, living in shalom means that people are secure in their homes and can rest without fear. The vision of the Kingdom of Justice is one that can excite our hearts. We will experience this Kingdom in its fullness when Christ returns, but we are called to be agents of this Kingdom right now.
Prayer
Lord God, we are thankful for your Son, our King, who rules in justice. Help us to reflect his justice in our lives so we can be like “a shelter from the wind.” Teach us that working for justice will lead to peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.