May 25, 2019 -- Isaiah 33:22 -- LORD, Judge, Lawgiver, King, Savior
/For the LORD is our judge;
the LORD is our lawgiver;
the LORD is our king;
He will save us.
Isaiah 33:22 ESV
The Names of God are piled high in this short passage. First of all notice that it is the Covenant Name of God, the LORD, which precedes the further descriptions in Isaiah. James echoes much of this verse:
There is only one lawgiver and judge,
he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:12 ESV
Notably James does not echo the description of “king” however, the context of James shows the right of the King of heaven and earth to make His Law and His judgment known to all nations. What is evident here, in both our passages, is that the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth does not rule by polls or the opinions of men. The LORD rules with justice and His Law was suitable in the beginning of time and at the time of Jesus and His Law is suitable, and it governs the nations today. This same Law will be the standard by which nations and people will one day be judged. No matter how various governments seek to enact laws which are contrary to the Law of our True King—the reign of Jesus is for the believer real and authoritative, fully active now. Jesus’ reign and Law this is our sure guide in every situation.
Why is it that Christians gather Sunday after Sunday? Why do Christians join together for prayer meetings? Why do we delight in our morning and evening bible reading and prayer? It is our joy to worship our Savior! The world seems so chaotic, governments rise and fall, politicians of this kind and that stripe come and go—even the various ones we’d hoped would make a real change. So it is easy to fall into despair. Christians see beyond the politics and the veneer of this world and know that Jesus is our Saviour, He is our Ruler, He is bringing history to its rightful conclusion. Glory and majesty are His alone and the brilliance of the Father radiates outward through the splendour of the Son.
In Isaiah we read the three-fold repetition of LORD. In view of James echoing that passage, here is how I understand this repetition in Isaiah:
God the LORD enforces His law and will judge through the One He sent to save us.
The Son the LORD bore the punishment for our law-breaking and sin and He is our Saviour and rightful Judge of the nations.
The Spirit the LORD guards us by the Word and His in-dwelling in us so that we cannot be shaken from our confidence in the Father and the Son and so this same Spirit empowers us to walk in obedience to the Law no matter the rebelliousness of the world around us.
We worship You, O King, Triune God, glorious in power. Unless You strengthen us, O LORD the Spirit, our courage for obedience would wane and we would focus on the tumult of the world and the vagaries of human tyranny. Therefore, O LORD the Spirit, lift our eyes in faith to our Father in heaven and to the Son, our Saviour where we see the Lawgiver and Judge and know, yes thereby truly, know our hope is sure and rightly placed anchored in the throne room of our God. Amen.
