Today's Scripture Reading (May 26, 2026): Isaiah 32
In 2026,
it is hard to listen to the news without worrying about the various conflicts
on the world stage. As I write this post, one of the conflicts that worries me
is in Iran. I don't think it is a good idea for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,
although if I am brutally honest, I don't think it is healthy for anyone to
possess a nuclear weapon. The possession of weapons that any unstable, or maybe
even a stable, genius could use to destroy a civilization seems like a bad
idea. But part of my struggle as the American-Iranian conflict continues is
that one of its outcomes has been the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a
waterway on which several nations in the neighborhood depend. It seems that it was
through this conflict that Iran discovered the power it has to close the Strait
and the ways it can economically benefit from controlling the international
waterway, something it wasn't sure of before the conflict began. That knowledge
won't disappear after the war is over, and there is no telling how Iran might
use its newfound knowledge. It is an unintended effect of the conflict that has
changed the world in which we live.
Russia's
war against Ukraine continues. Russia seems to want to act as a bully in the
area, which is nothing new; history has had its share of bullies. And we still
don't know how this conflict will end, except that we must not allow Russia to reunite
the Soviet Union, especially by forcing smaller nations to follow a path they
don't want to take.
We have
mentioned several times that the bully on the world stage in this era of
biblical writings remains Assyria. And there is no doubt that Isaiah is very
aware of the danger presented by the Assyrians. But he also sees a future after
Assyria. Part of that future involves the rise of a "Righteous King."
Maybe it is too easy for us to see this passage as Messianic in nature, pointing
to the coming of the righteous King Jesus and the justice that will emerge as a
result of his rule. I would love to be able to assert that the church has
fulfilled the prophecy of rulers who have come to spread justice, but the truth
is that that hasn't happened, at least, not yet.
I do
think that King Jesus is part of this prophecy, but there is a more immediate
fulfillment: the reign of King Hezekiah. King Ahaz was not a good King, but his
son, Hezekiah, would grow up to be one of the best Kings ever to rule the
Kingdom of Judah. He would be a King worthy of the throne of his forefather,
David. And Hezekiah would be the godly king that Judah would need to deal with
Assyria, and the one who would show the nation a way back to God after the
years of apostasy during the reign of his father, Ahaz.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 33
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