seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 32:1 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.
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.
Bible-studys.org has some commentary.
The “king” who “shall reign in righteousness” is Christ Himself. The prophet foresees a time when government will exist that is totally characterized by “righteousness” and “judgment”. Such a description does not fit even Hezekiah, the best of Judah’s kings.
Rather, Isaiah sees a much greater day coming when the godly character of Judah will be “as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” This will be a time when the ignorant will “understand knowledge” (da’at, a moral discernment). He also sees a time of complete national conversion when the “spirit” will be “poured upon us” (Joel 2:28).
An unwillingness to care for the needy reflects the character of a fool, but the noble person in dependence on God provides for the poor. These qualities will be evident to all in the age to come.
The prophet warns the women of Judah against complacency (3:16 – 4:1). God’s eventual blessing on their nation gave no excuse for business as usual, i.e. the dependence on Egypt instead of God.
(In verses 15-20), the promised kingdom was to eventually come to Israel with its accompanying fruitfulness, peace and security.
This is from the easy English site.The rule of this king is more wonderful than the best human government could achieve. So this ‘new king’ means God’s Messiah.
- The ‘new king’ will be a true leader. His actions will affect the attitude of all his officials.
In the Bible a ‘fool’ is not merely someone who acts stupidly (as in 1 Samuel 26:21). A fool is more often someone who leaves God out of his life (see Psalm 14:1 and Luke 12:20).
The fool only thinks about himself and about his own affairs. He does not even notice other people’s problems.
The loss of clothing showed that the person was a slave or a prisoner of an enemy (see Isaiah 20:2-3).
- The women’s self-confident attitude is terribly wrong. In less than one year, all will change. Then many people will be prisoners in the country called Assyria.
‘Thorn-bushes’ actually translates a pair of words that also appear in Isaiah 5:6 and 27:4. In all three places the words are describing the weakness of the people’s relationship with God. That relationship is as poor as the dry land where only a few thorn-bushes grow. The people’s worship of God has little or no life in it.
The terrible changes that verses 13-14 describe are not final. An even greater change will follow. That also will be the work of God’s spirit.
- There will be a new earth (verse 15). There will be new standards in a new society (verses 16-17). And there will be a new security for all to enjoy (verse 18).
A regular supply of water is essential in a dry and hot country.
I googled around and couldn't find a clearer commentary. There is some conversation about verse 10 but it's vague at best. No one can agree on what "in a year" means. Is it one of God's years? Or is it an earthly year? I also googled the verse about complacent women and didn't get much. I gotta say... Martha keeps coming to mind.Martha and Mary were sisters who lived in Bethany. Jesus visited them and an argument broke out. Martha was busy getting food and cleaning for a dinner party and Mary was just sitting around listening to Jesus. When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help.... Jesus told Martha she had her priorities wrong..... Martha should be sitting and listening too.... according to Jesus..... [Luke 10:38-42]. I know I know.... I'm in the Old Testament and the New Testament stuff hasn't happened yet..... but maybe, just maybe, as a woman I should consider this.
Women seem to be doing a lot of complaining these days. That "me too" stuff has almost got women doing a sit in..... It seems that women all over the world are telling their deep secrets...... concerning men who hurt them. Back in the day when Isaiah was writing this though.... the women could complain all they wanted too.... because the men weren't listening to them. A woman had to be extremely clever to make a difference back then because they were supposed to be totally subservient. Women were there to have children.... male children.
The point here.... I think.... is it doesn't matter where I fall in the hierarchy of man..... I could be a rich woman or a beggar whore on the street.... there's going to come a time when I will be whole..... there won't be a rich or poor.... men won't be better than women..... skin color won't matter..... everyone will be on equal footing. The "me too" won't mean "it happened to me too"...... instead.... I think it'll mean "I love you too, Lord".
IMHO.....The point here is God is going to clean up the politics and nature will become important again. People will be more important than policy or propaganda.
