III. A KING LIKE A REFUGE, A COVERING,
STREAMS OF WATER, AND THE SHADOW
OF A MASSIVE ROCK
Christ is not only a crown and a stone, but also a King (Isa. 32:1-2; 33:22). Isaiah reveals Him as a King for supplying us, caring for us, and covering us. Christ as the King is Jehovah, God, and He is also a man. Our King is very human and even lowly. The presidents of the United States may try their best to lower themselves down to be among the people, but no one can compare with the Lord Jesus. He is a King, yet He is very human and lowly.
Isaiah 32:1 says, "Behold, a King will reign according to righteousness, / And the rulers will rule according to justice." He does not rule directly by Himself but indirectly through the rulers according to justice. We need to consider the difference between righteousness and justice. Righteousness is to be right, whereas justice is righteousness with a judgment. Without judgment, there is no possibility of justice. Justice comes from the judgment according to a person’s righteousness, and it declares his righteousness. When judgment is exercised on someone according to what he is and has done, that verdict, that judgment, is justice. This is why justice is carried out by the rulers who judge. Christ will reign according to righteousness, and He will rule through His helpers, the rulers, to judge the people according to justice. The entire earth is lacking in righteousness, and nearly all the governments are short of justice.
This One who reigns and rules through the rulers according to righteousness and justice is not only God but also a lowly man. In Isaiah 32:1 this King is a man, and this Man-king is a refuge to us from the wind (v. 2). "Wind" always comes to us in the course of our human life. The husbands have to admit that their wives are the source of much wind. The wives "blow upon" their husbands much of the time. To be a proper husband is not easy because the wind from the wife always comes. The husbands need to take Jesus as their refuge from the wind. Whenever the wind blows, we need to run to this man, taking Him as our refuge. Then we are protected.
As a man, He is also a covering from the tempest (v. 2). We have seen the difference between a crown and a diadem and between righteousness and justice. Now we need to see the difference between the wind and the tempest. Regardless of how strong the wind is, in itself it is not a tempest. A tempest is a turmoil, a tumult. It is much stronger and more troublesome than just wind. A tempest is much harder to face than wind. The man Jesus is not only a refuge from the wind but also a covering from the tempest. Because He is our covering, the tempest, the turmoil, cannot bother us or damage us. We should learn to experience the Lord in these aspects. Especially in the past three years, the tempest came to me. I took the Lord as a covering from this tempest.
This man is also streams of water in a dry place (v. 2). These streams of water are our supply, comfort, and satisfaction. Today whose situation is not a dry place? Whose marriage is not a dry place? Married life always dries people up. Some husbands are so capable in drying up their wives. Some wives are the same. Our businesses and jobs are also very dry places. In these dry places, we need to take a drink. Instead of taking a cup of coffee, we should "take a cup of Jesus." Then we will be watered in a dry place. He is not merely a small amount of water, but He is streams of water. We Christians should be able to testify of this.
(Life-Study of Isaiah, Chapter 43, by Witness Lee)
