In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness. (Isaiah 16:5, NIV)
Bible prophecies are tricky things. Because some of them have yet to be fulfilled, they can seem murky or mysterious.
Don’t let that keep you on the couch. There are plenty of other prophecies that have been fulfilled or that reside in the certain person of Jesus. When we encounter these, as we do in today’s verse from Isaiah, we can learn what God’s unfolding purpose has been and continues to be.
The five lines in Isaiah 16 not only identify Jesus in a typical prophetic way—a king from the house of David—but they give us insight into his nature, linking three characteristics of our eternally reigning Savior: love, justice, and righteousness.
It may be that in these present days the middle of those three traits jumps out at you. Justice is on the minds of many, as the dialogue surrounding what that word means and how it should be achieved has become an international conversation on the back of current events in the United States. You likely have your own opinions. To which I might say, “That’s not why we’re here today.” Rather, we’re here because you cannot escape justice in the three persons of God, and you cannot overlook justice as a key calling on his people.
But let’s be reminded that the nature of God is not a collection of discrete characteristics, each separate from another, standing opposed at times, like the dualistic poles of some non-biblical philosophies. Rather, God’s characteristics are inextricably intermingled, constantly influencing each other.
Golfers may have a way of understanding this that “mere men” do not. We all have strengths and weaknesses in our game. You may not be the best iron player, but if your short game is honed, your game can find an acceptable balance. A long hitter can gain yards to help overcome a poor mid-iron game, and a great putter undoes other errors. It’s not that our characteristics work against each other but instead with each other to produce the fullness of who we are as golfers.
When God’s traits work together, they produce excellence our minds can only faintly grasp.
Of course, with God, none of his traits are weak. Each is flawless. So when they work together, they produce excellence our minds can only faintly grasp.
And in our lines from Isaiah today, we notice this: God’s love blends with his justice and righteousness. Justice is never an easy thing. Parents know this. I remember that when two of my boys would jump into a set-to, the response was often worse than the initiation. It can be hard to mete out justice in such cases. But God gave me this: the love I had for my sons. While I would have to discipline one or both (and sometimes all three), God helped me temper that sentence, as it were, with love.
Keep that in mind these days. Let love be part of any thoughts you have about justice. Without love, remember, we are nothing. Without love, we should not even enter the conversation about how justice should be rendered.
—
Jeff Hopper
September 3, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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