Isaiah 32 – The King, the Spirit, and the Coming Transformation
Isaiah 32 follows up on the previous chapters when Judah was looking to Egypt and other nations for their security. Isaiah gives a vision of the holy and righteous reign of the coming King and the transformation of God’s people and creation through His Spirit. Following the repeated pattern Isaiah has moved from warning, to awakening to restoration, and peace. In v. 1-8 we learn about the coming King and His kingdom.
V 1-2 “Behold, a king will reign righteously…” This is not Hezekiah but the promised Messiah, the greater Son of David. Isaiah expands on the promise given to David known as the Davidic Covenant from 2 Samuel 7:12–13: When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
In this covenant God promised David that from his line of sons one would come whose kingdom will be established and his throne (rule) will be eternal. He will build a house that will endure forever.
The meaning of “house” is diverse. It speaks of a dwelling place of God’s presence. In David’s day that pointed to the Tabernacle and later the Temple that Solomon built. It also spoke of a dynasty A lasting royal lineage kings descending from David. A throne passed from generation to generation pointing to David’s greater son, the Messiah.
Isaiah brought clarity to this promise in 9:6–7: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders …
Isaiah 11:1–5: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD… with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked…
This points to both the first and second comings of the Messiah and His future Millennial Kingdom. Where “righteousness” and “justice” define His kingdom in contrast to corrupt leaders of Isaiah’s day.
In v 2 The King and His princes who serve him, will be a shelter for His people. Shelter from the wind, refuge from storms, streams in a dry land, and shade from the sun. Pictures of the millennial kingdom to come. When the earth itself will be transformed and renewed. We have the first fruits of the kingdom through the elders servant leadership in the Body of Messiah (1 Pet. 5:1-4). This is why it is so important for us to be part of a Body of Believers.
V 3–4 Earlier Isaiah spoke of God’s discipline of blindness in 6:9–10 Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim. With the coming of the Son of David, God will reverse that judgment. Then eyes will see, ears will hear, hearts will understand, tongues will speak clearly. These are all manifestations of the rule and reign of the Messiah. We have the first fruits of that kingdom now as we abide in Messiah. This is why we must be filled and walk in the Spirit of God. Gal 5:13ff informed by the Word of God.
V 5–8 Fools will no longer be called noble. This was true in Isaiah’s day speaking of the nobles who ruled. The upside-down world will be transformed. Rogues who devise evil will no longer be respected or tolerated. Those in need will be cared for, this was one of the marks of Body of Messiah. As opposed to self-centered rulers. The nobles will devise noble plans which will bless God’s people.
V 9-10 Following the indictment of the nobles in Isa. 31, the women also are called to repentance considering the coming judgment. These women represent indifference false security. They were cited earlier by Isaiah in 3:16ff. We find a similar warning to the church at Corinth 1 Cor. 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
This promised judgment will arrive “within a year and a few days” (v. 10). This likely refers to the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BC as the beginning of Jerusalem that was completed by Nebuchadnezzar 115 years later in 586 BC. This reflects the curses of Deut. 28:15-68 for their failure to keep covenant with God. Their protection from their enemies will be removed and judgment was certain.
V 11-12 Isaiah calls the women to humble themselves and repent by wearing sackcloth and mourn for the righteous judgment coming upon the land. Sackcloth was made of goat or camel hair and worn as a symbol of grief and humility before God and man. This is how David mourned at the death of one of his key generals: 2 Sam 29:31. Such behavior are the elements that bring renewal and revival.
V 13–14 The blessed and fruitful promised land will soon turn to thorns and briers. The joyful city will be deserted. The fortifications will crumble and become a delight for wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks. All of this was fulfilled in the Assyrian and Babylonian attacks on Judah leading to their captivity.
V 15-17 The Turning Point comes with the outpouring of the Spirit. The prophets link the millennial kingdom with the coming of the Spirit on God’s people (Joel 2:28-32). The Land will be transformed (Ezk 36:1-9).
God’s Spirit will transform the city and the people and all that has been destroyed. This was partially fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2) and will be fulfilled completely when The Lord returns to rule and reign in Jerusalem. And the nation of Israel will be restored.
The land will be restored from being barren to abundant as it was when the Land was first occupied under Joshua. Justice and righteousness and peace will be established at the start of this one-thousand-year reign. There will be unprecedented security. Contrasted with the false security of the previous chapter. Judgment still comes, yet blessings remain for God’s people.
In the Ezekiel 36:24-27 Israel is brought back first in unbelief and then God’s Spirit will come upon them. History is not random but moving toward a righteous King and kingdom. No transformation will happen without The Spirit changing hearts. True peace comes not through politics, alliances, or religion, but a relationship with God. Are we relying on the Spirit or striving in the flesh? Are we living in anticipation of the anytime return of the King? Our values and our walk should reflect the righteousness of God by abiding in Messiah. When Messiah reigns and the Spirit is poured out, righteousness will replace fear, confusion and peace.
V18-20 The curse will be partially removed during the millennium. The curse from Genesis 3 is significantly lifted but not fully eliminated until the eternal state. Isaiah 11:6–9 speaks of peace in creation (wolf and lamb). Isaiah 35:1 teaches that the wilderness will becomes fruitful. Isaiah 65:20 describes that length of life will increase but death will still exist: “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.
People will still be able to sin since not everyone in the Kingdom will be in a glorified state. Many will be born who are the descendants of those who enter the kingdom. Glorified believers consist of the resurrected saints from both Old and New Covenant who cannot sin and reign with Messiah. It includes the redeemed of the church age (1 Thess. 4:13–18), the OT (Dan. 12:2), and the tribulation (Rev. 20:4-6). They will enter the kingdom in resurrection bodies, along with believers who survived the tribulation.
Rev. 20:1-3 describes the binding and imprisonment of Satan and the demons. Their destructive influence in human thought and life will be removed. At the end of the millennium Satan will be released Revelation 20:7–9. He will deceive the nations again and a final rebellion will occur.
Survivors of the tribulation both from Israel and the nations are believers but not with glorified immortal bodies. They and their children are born with a sin nature, so rebellion is still possible. The evidence is that people still will die during that era Isa. 65:20.
The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and sacrifices will once again be offered in remembrance of the sacrifice of Yeshua. Ezek. 40-48 describes the millennial Temple which is unlike any Temple in history. The nations of the world will come there to offer sacrifices Zech. 14:16-19. Nations that do not come to worship will experience God’s discipline in the form of no rain upon their lands.
The curse will fully be removed after the final judgment Revelation 21–22. There we see a new heaven and new earth, with no death, no sin and no curse (Rev 22:3).
