KJV Isaiah 32:1-2 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (2) And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
NASB Isaiah 32:1-2 Behold, a king will reign righteously, And princes will rule justly. (2) Each will be like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.
Isaiah provides more pictures of Christ in his prophecy than any other Old Testament writer. His prophecies in chapters 7, 9, 42, 49, 50, 53, etc., provide a full picture of His birth, His servant character, the cross, and His ultimate reign and glory.
One of his many revelations of Christ is contained in the words above. Four blessings are seen that the nation will enjoy in a coming day:
- A hiding place from the wind – a retreat
- Covert from the tempest – a refuge
- Rivers of water in a dry place – refreshment
- The Shadow of a great rock in a weary land – rest
Even now, as I prepare this meditation, Israel as a nation faces Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the opprobrium of the nations of the world. It is fighting for its survival and would long for the blessings of which Isaiah speaks. Yet, having rejected their Messiah, they must wait for a future day of revelation and rescue. For now, it knows only war, suffering, struggles, and danger.
Consider though the great contrast contained in these words. The very things that the Lord will provide for the nation were the very things He did not find at Calvary.
There was no hiding place from the winds of adversity that buffeted Him then. He knew affliction in all of its dimensions. Though the sentiments were Jeremiah’s at the fall of Jerusalem, they can, without apology, be the words of the Lord Jesus, “Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall” (Lamentations 3:19).
Was there a covert from the storm when it broke over His head? No place of refuge was afforded Him, no relief from the waves and billows, as He sank in the deep mire. The waters came in to His soul — they overwhelmed Him and engulfed Him. Above, below, and all around, He was baptized in the waters of suffering at Golgotha.
Historians tell us that part of the agony of crucifixion was the intense thirst that being suspended under the hot, eastern sun would cause. His cry, “I thirst,” is an indication of the intensity of that experience. Yet this One Who promised and provided rivers of “Living water,” Who will one day provide to the nation these “rivers” of refreshment, had sour vinegar offered to quench His thirst.
Finally, there was no “great rock” upon which He could stand or under which He could find relief. He sank and could find “no place of standing” (Ps 69:2). He found no place, no “rock” under which He could shelter. He was exposed to the judgment of God without relief or rest. Only when the work was done, when the “It is finished” rang out across the universe and resounded in heaven, could He “rest” His head at Calvary.
He knew the opposite of what He will provide the nation in the future. But what of you and me? He endured the very same for each of us. What a nation will enjoy in a coming day, we enjoy individually and spiritually now.
Consider:
Look at how Isaiah 32 ends (vv 15-20) and link them with our current blessings, as well.