Lets start with the book of Isaiah. This book can read like a tragedy if you just pick it up with out context. But this book is apart of a greater story. This book is one full of promises: promises of judgement, promises of restoration. This book holds so many prophecies about Jesus's coming. About the savior coming to save His people. There is so much to unpack here. I want to point out one comparison that is going on. Jesus will save his people and he will do it in a way that no king of Israel could do. Israel wanted a king just like the other nations. God said it was a bad idea because it was idoltry. He was their Lord and they needed no other. But they insisted. So God gave them what they wanted, gave them over to their desires (as Romans 1 says). They nation put their trust in this king. And they started to act like the nations around them. This was a bad thing. You will always imitate who you worship. And if that someone is a Mannesah, then you are in serious trouble. Israel had found a savior. And they where very happy to mimic the other nations. The nations around them had gods. But these gods where wrapped up in their monarch. Now Israel is just like these pagan nations. The thing that the book of Isaiah makes very clear, the thing that God had been saying all along to them is, you still need a savior. I gave you a king and it did not work. I am your God. You are my people. And it is clear that God is telling them that the kings are not the way. The kings are not the deliver. For these kings ended in exile. These kings failed and pointed to the one, the only one, that could save Israel and deliver her. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Uzziah, Jotham, Manessah, and Hezekiah where the kings of Judah during Isaiah's ministry. Uzziah was a great warrior and made Judah strong, yet he needed Jesus and failed the people as a true deliver. Jotham continued to be a mighty man like his father but did not take down the high places, he was not the true King but he needed the true King to save him. Manessah was a rascal that led Israel into unthinkable sin, in a crisis (being captured by the enemy) he humbled himself and called on the Lord to deliver him, and God did deliver him! Hezekiah was a man of faith and walked before the Lord in strength. Yet he sinned in a way that led Judah into captivity, but he called on the One that doesn't mess up, that always saves and God came and extended his life and postponed judgement on Judah. What do make of this? Kings need the King. Mighty ones need the Mighty one to deliver them. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the kings. God did give Israel a King. They wanted a king, and God gave them Jesus. It is almost as if the theme of the garden is back in this story. You see that tree, don't eat it of it.....yet. You see those other nations with their kings, that is not for you......yet. God wants us to see that He is our all in all. God is the one who gives victory in battle. When we forget this, we act like Hezekiah in his pride and show off how awesome we are. We can see the irony in Hezekiah's story. Hezekiah has a great battle with Sennacherib of Assyria. God utterly defeats the mighty men of Assyria using His angel to cut them down. Other nations hear the stories from this great battle and want to come and meet the famous Hezekiah who's God is mightier then the mighty Assyrians. Hezekiah is pleased that Babylon has come to see him in his splendor. He shows them all of the things he has acquired failing to give the glory to God. Babylon is greatly impressed with Judah and its treasures. And it is this nation, the nation that comes to admire and praise Judah that later comes to take her into exile, no doubt knowing where Judah keeps her most precious treasures. This story is a good reminder to us to give glory to God in all things. When we have a good day at work, we thank God for it. When we achieve academic success, we thank God for it. If our children are obedient and pleasant, we thank God for it. If our marriage is the stuff that dreams are made of, we thank God for it. The kings continually point to Christ. They point to him because in their victory, there is God delivering victory to them. They point to Christ because in their failings, there is God lifting them back and restoring them to fellowship with Him. And we are to take these lessons and remember them in our victories. We are to remember them in our failings. God be praised when life is good. Sing to Him in these times, praise him, thank him, bless others. God be praised when we fail. Repent and thank him. Manessah was restored after sacrificing his sons to his gods. But when he humbled himself before the Lord, God lifted him up. When we fail and fall before God, He lifts us up. This is a little side note but one worthy of study. When we lift ourselves up, God brings us down. Manessah lifted himself up. He wanted to be worshiped. God took him and thew him into exile. Manesseh then gets on his knees and repents and begs God to forgive him and show him mercy. God bends down and picks manessah up and restores him to the thrown. The way up is down, the way down is up. I think Doug Wilson said it that way. And the story of the kings in the book of Isaiah constantly testify to this. As soon as these kings get puffed up, God brings them down. As soon as these kings repent and humble themselves, God lifts them up.
We need to copy the good that we find in these 4 kings. We need to know that we will have blessing and victory if we follow God. We need to know that when we forget God, he gives us over to our sin so that we can call out for him and enjoy restoration. In all of this we see that God is at the center, even when we forget him. He does not forget like we do. He does not forsake, as we do. He wants us to want Him. He wants us to glorify Him. He wants us to relay on Him and acknowledge Him in all things.
The King that we live under has no spot nor blemish. He is the King that we are to mimic. He is the King that is our King. We are his people and we are to walk worthy of such an awesome King!!
Blessings to you on your journey!
Great post Erin!!
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