The King of Hope

Isaiah 32:1-20

Introduction

I try not to be too controversial on Mother’s Day

Don’t want to send everyone off to lunch angry

Start fights over your nice meal appreciating your mum

Today’s passage may get me in some hot water :)

READ Isaiah 32:1-20

NB: Isaiah isn’t putting women down here

Most of his harsh commentary is directed toward men & leaders

Like Isa. 5 he uses particular women as an illustration of a greater problem

Yes, Isa. 32:9-14 is correction, warning, judgment passage but...

It’s part of a bigger message intended to give hope

It’s a message in context of earthly kingdoms but is predominantly about a future, ideal government

In the midst of earthly governments that fail, governments that are selfish, arrogant & ungodly, God gives us hope in the promise of a perfect government to come

He told us to trust God & know He’s giving us a reason to do so

e.g. We just had 2 elections (State & Federal) & no matter who won we would have been disappointed

For God’s people, no matter what human government we are under, we can live in true hope of a better day, a better King & better Kingdom

Behold! The King!

Isaiah 32:1-8

The Hope of the King

Isaiah 32:1

The Identity of this King

Text doesn’t clearly identify who this king is

From our vantage point His identity seems clear

Looking back through NT we can see the cohesian of OT prophecy

Although Isaiah doesn’t spell it out here, he’s given us enough through prophecies to clearly understand

Isaiah 9:6–7 “6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Isaiah 11:4–5 “4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.”

Both speak of a ruler with the same character as described in Isaiah 20 - both taught us about the Messiah, Christ Jesus

As this particular section comes to it’s pinnacle we’re told more about this King

Isaiah 33:22 “22 (Yahweh is our Judge, Yahweh is our Lawgiver, Yahweh is our King; He will save us);”

This King is God, particularly Jesus Christ the Messiah

The Hope this King Gives

Just finished a message calling out the wickedness of Judah’s rulers

God has openly mocked the government of Egypt as being useless - because they were

He has promised judgment on Assyria & told how their princes will be afraid of God

Judah’s leaders were weak & faithless

Tried to trust in Egyptian government & that failed

Return & try to submit to Assyria & that will be rejected

In the midst of all of this wickedness & failure Isaiah speaks hope

A King is coming who is righteous & powerful

Hezekiah was a great, godly king

He was surrounded by weak & ungodly leaders & advisors

King to come, Jesus, will be surrounded by princes that rule with justice

This coming Kingdom isn’t just about 1 perfect ruler

It is the perfect government, completely pure

The Hope of His Kingdom

Isaiah 32:2-8

A Place of Rest

Isaiah 32:2

In these verses that follow we see the result of this perfect government

4 statements which communicate nature of this kingdom

First 2 are statements of protection

Describes safety from storm

This kingdom & King will be a place of protection & safety from all threat

Wind & tempest (flood/water) probably meant to represent all that threatens in a storm

This Kingdom is a place of complete protection & safety

Next 2 statements are statements of care

Not just a drink of water in a dry place but rivers

A place that shelters from harsh heat of sun, provides cool respite

Again, it seems meant to portray a completeness of care

A place not just to sustain your life but to flourish it

God’s Kingdom isn’t just a better, more efficient version of what we have now

God’s Kingdom is perfect place of joy and rest

Complete absence of fear from threat

Imagine the weight that comes off of your shoulders when there is no threat

No unrealistic expectations, no hidden expectations or agendas

Complete freedom to thrive in life

To know only good from those in charge

A Place of Renewal

Isaiah 32:3-8

Followed by 4 statements of transformation - reversal of what has taken place

Where there was spiritual blindness there will be clarity of sight

Even those of us who love & pursue God now see through a foggy window

In that day we will see clearly

We will hear truth clearly too

No longer hearing what we want to hear

Hearing all God’s teaching & loving it

Hearts/minds of understanding

Rather than rushing to conclusions we will have true understanding

This is to know the heart of the matter, not just shallow understanding

To be able to see truth and it’s far reaching implications

Ready tongue

Clear, fluent speech

No longer stammering trying to know what or how to say something

No longer using words to hide things

Having seen, heard & understood clearly we will be able to speak clearly about the truth of God

There is a last comparison in Isa. 32:5-8

Isa. 32:5 - statement

Isa. 32:6-7 - explanation

Isa. 32:8 - comparison

In earthly kingdoms there are fools & scoundrels

People without understanding who act & speak sinfully

Scoundrels who actively seek wrong

Both use & abuse & cover it up as if doing good for others (32:5)

In God’s Kingdom this hypocrisy doesn’t exist (32:8)

Everyone will be seen for exactly who they are

Living Without Hope

Isaiah 32:9-14

Misplaced Confidence

Complacent Attitudes

There could be a couple of reasons why he uses the women as examples in case

They are illustrative of an attitude that we’ve seen pervades the rulers of Judah

It could be that he has in mind the wealthy, aristocratic women of society connected to the leading men

What’s the issue? Complacency, indifference to the times

Either don’t recognise the seriousness of the situation they’re in or deliberately ignoring it

They appear to be living as if Judah isn’t under threat

Complacency like this is a universal problem

Jesus pointed it out for the people of Noah’s day

Matthew 24:38–39 “38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

It’s no different in our own culture either

Complacency isn’t just the problem of the ungodly, many believers live like this even though Bible tells us to live with urgency

Confidence in the wrong people

It seems from the context of these woes, their complacent attitude comes from alliances being made

At first with Egypt

Judah did end up paying tribute to Assyria & perhaps they thought that would end the issue

Their sense of ease is misplaced, Egypt couldn’t help & Assyria would refuse the tribute

Had they listened to God their sense of safety would be true & not imagined

A Wake Up Call

A Call to Action

Isaiah 32:9

There is grace in this passage that seems judgmental

God is calling them out of their complacency, another call to listen to Him

It’s like shaking & shouting at a person ‘wake up, look around you!”

There is still time to correct your path

God is making a similar call today - judgment is coming

Proclamation of the Gospel is a wake up call to look up and hear God

2 Corinthians 6:2 “2 For He says: “...Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Stop trusting in yourself and your made up gods, believe Jesus He is your salvation

A Call to Repent

Isaiah 32:11

Perhaps another reason Isaiah uses the women as illustrative is his call to mourn

Custom was to call the women out to weep & mourn when their was a death

This isn’t mourning a husband or son but a land

What is God’s call to action? Repentance

Tremble, be troubled = see the dire circumstances you are in

See the reality of your sin, see the consequences & judgment that must come because of it

Fear God who has the power to destroy body & soul in hell

Humble yourselves and mourn before God over your sin & rebellion

Seek His forgiveness, rise up and follow His way to freedom, life & safet

Gift of Hope

Isaiah 32:15-20

The Spirit of Hope

Isaiah 32:15

The Saving Grace of God

Isa. 32:14 - ...palaces forsaken...forever.

It’s as if the hope God offered in the King & Kingdom is ripped away

There is no hope for you

If they continue on their path their is no hope, destruction will come

They will only know loss

Isa. 32:15 - seems contradictory

“forever” - “until”

Is it forever or not?

You are without hope in this world until the Spirit of God comes to you

This is a show of God’s grace

This is a gospel statement

You are lost in your sins & without hope of eternal life, destined for eternal judgment

Your work, plotting, etc. won’t change your destiny

Only thing that changes “forever” is an act of God’s grace

By believing in the work of Jesus to save you from sin, the Spirit of God is given to You to seal You as a child of God, to protect & secure You for eternity, to bless & transform you

Hope is given

Romans 15:13 “13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Work of God

It’s made clear to Judah here, as it us to us today, that this hope, salvation is a work of God

No rescue, no blessing, no joy, no hope is attainable until the Spirit of God brings it to you

Titus 3:5 “5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”

Today, that hope can be yours as it is for me & many others here today

Recognise the precarious position your life is in right now, hear the call of God and believe

Then He will pour the Spirit upon you from heaven giving you hope, life, peace, security

The Kingdom of Hope

Isaiah 32:15-20

The Hope of a New Age

The last section acts as a summary of the message

Reminder of the hope that we can have

We don’t have to fall in complacency

We don’t have to live in dismay of governments & rulers that rule in arrogance, selfishness & wickedness

We can live in hope of a perfect age that is to come

The Blessing of a New Age

Again, we’re reminded of the nature of this new & glorious age to come

God will bring prosperity & fruitfulness (32:15)

It will be a time of justice & righteousness (32:16)

It will be a time of peace & security (32:17-18)

Even if a hail storm came (illustration, not saying it will) & flattened it all, it couldn’t destroy the vast blessing of God & prosperity of His people

Conclusion

The message is clear: have hope in God

Believer, a day is coming when God will make everything right again

A time of perfect, beauty, peace & righteousness

Be patient, trust God & wait (hope) for the coming of the King

Unbeliever, a King is coming

He is a king of righteousness & justice

A King you haven’t obeyed & therefore under judgment

Call to you is a call to escape that & find the hope, joy & security of the Great King, Jesus

Recognise the dire circumstance & consequence of your sin against God

Humble yourself before Him and seek forgiveness

He will forgive & pour His Spirit & blessing upon you forever