Isaiah 33: 17-22 The Lord’s Government CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Text: Is 33:22 – In our government we have three branches: the judicial, the legislative, and the executive. And these are separate in order to maintain a balance of power. In God’s there are three branches, as well, and yet these are perfectly balanced in one man, Jesus Christ, the judge, the lawgiver and the king. In addition, his government is theocratic. We can apply the titles given to the Lord Jesus Christ in this passage to our New Testament relationship with him.
The Lord is:
Our Judge – meaning that you are not the judge – In 1 Cor 4:3, Paul said, “I judge not mine own self” – we are to be judged by “the Lord, the righteous judge” – If you want to know his judgments they are found in the Bible and in the Holy Spirit – Paul reasoned with Felix of “righteousness, temperance and judgment to come,” [Acts 24:25] – the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment [Jn 16:8-11] – and when you finish your life as a Christian, you will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ – that’s why Paul said, “judge nothing before the time,” [1 Cor 4:5].
Our Lawgiver – this world operates by some universal laws like the laws of thermodynamics, the law of gravity and the law of biogenesis – it also operates by practical laws like the law of sowing and reaping – and it operates by some spiritual laws like the ten commandments against which all are guilty before God – and these spiritual laws are still in effect, 1 Tim 1:9-10 – but we know that Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth [Rom 10:4] – however, don’t get the idea that now that you are saved you can break the Lord’s commandments without consequence – he doesn’t want you to steal now [Eph 4:28] anymore than he wanted people in the Old Testament to steal – as a matter of fact, he toughened up the laws in the New Testament [Matt 5:28 for instance] – and he added a new commandment, as well [Jn 13:34].
Our King – the Lord rules the universe, though the devil is the god of this world – as in the case of Job, God actually used the devil to accomplish something in Job’s life that made him better in the end – everything is his [Ps 50:9-12] – He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords – Pilate said to Israel, “Behold your king” and wrote above his head, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews” – after his resurrection he told his disciples, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” – therefore, we are to love him, honor him, fear him, humble ourselves before him, submit to his authority, etc. – he’s on the throne and he needs to be on the throne of our lives.
Our Savior – the text says, “he will save us” – when you come before a judge, lawgiver, and king like this, you need mercy and grace – and these two are extended to you by Jesus Christ our Savior [Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5] – we met George at the parade Saturday and had an excellent witness with him – he was alert and his questions and comments were perfectly responsive to our preaching – but when it came time for George to receive Jesus Christ, he hesitated and said, “I drink beer and smoke when I’m drinking, but I’m not bad; I only do those things once in a while – I am a leader in my company and I have 6 kids and 7 grandkids” – do you know what he revealed with that comment – he revealed that while he understood and agreed with the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit still had more work to do to reprove him [Jn 16:8-11] – if he had really understood that Jesus is the Judge, Lawgiver and King, he would have humbled himself rather that justify himself – I believe he’ll get saved but he will surely see himself in light of our Savior with a completely different perspective when he does [Job 40:4-5; 42:1-6].