The text of Isaiah 32 promises better times for Judah through the agency of a righteous leader that will rule the people. The text actually expresses the enthronement of righteousness in the land and the results of such state of affairs. The passage can be structured as follows: 32:1-2 – the coming of the righteous ruler; 32:3-8 – the effects of righteousness in the land; 32:9-15 – the intervention of the Divine Spirit; 32:16-20 – justice and peace in the land as fruit of righteousness.
1. The Coming of the Righteous Ruler (32:1-2): The righteous ruler promised in the text is to be understood as a reference to a historical individual in nation of Judah. But who is this individual? There are three main opinions regarding the individual meant. The first is King Hezekiah, whose reign witnessed much positive reforms in Judah. Some argue that Isaiah pronounced the oracle during the reign of Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, thus pointing to the coming of a righteous successor in the person of Hezekiah. Others argue that the oracle was proclaimed during the early part of the reign of Hezekiah pointing to his later years. ii. A second opinion holds that the oracle points to the great reformer King Josiah, who was the grandson of Hezekiah. This opinion holds that the oracle was proclaimed during the time of Hezekiah but with a futuristic fulfilment in the person of Josiah. iii. The third opinion holds that the oracle points to the coming of future Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ. However, most interpreters argue that while the oracle originally points to an immediate fulfilment in the person of Hezekiah or another king in Judah, it could still point to an ultimate fulfilment in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This last position commands considerable respect and acceptance.
The reign of the righteous ruler is to be accompanied with the governance of righteous princes. With this state of good leadership, people will see each of their leaders as a shelter from the wind and a retreat from the rain. The leaders will be like streams of water flowing in a dry land and like the shade of a great rock serving as a place of refreshing refuge for the people in parched land. One notes that a parched land is a land experiencing great heat because of lack of water. All these mean that the land which has suffered deprivation for a long time will experience a new lease of life with the emergence of a transformative leadership.
2. Effects of Righteousness in the Land (32:3-8): The effects of the transformative leadership in the land will be seen in the human faculties represented by the eyes, ears, minds and tongues. These represent the faculties of seeing, hearing, knowing and speaking, respectively. The eyes will be wide open to look; the ears will be more attentive than ever; the minds will become wiser and more discerning, and those with speech difficulty will speak more fluently and distinctly. With this state of affairs the fools in the society will no longer assume the position of nobility and the tricksters will no longer pretend to be honourable people. Each will be seen for what he or she is. The land will experience a total reversal on the part of righteousness and all forms of falsehood and wickedness will be unmasked.
3. The Intervention of the Divine Spirit (32:9-15): This section describes how a disaster will come and wipe out a class of people who lead a despicable way of life. The prophet qualifies them as complacent ladies and overconfident women. These women will soon beat their breasts, as all the good things they see and enjoy now will vanish. The pleasant fields, the fruitful vine, and the farmlands will be overgrown with thorns and briers, and the joyful houses and castles together with the wanton and noisy city will be deserted. All these are expressions of punitive divine intervention. They will happen until the spirit from on high is poured out on the people. Then the desert will be transformed into a fruitful field and the existing fruitful field will turn into a forest, which is a sign of abundant fertility. So the divine intervention will be of two kinds: the punitive or purgative and the transformative.
4. Justice and Peace in the Land as Fruit of Righteousness (32:16-20): This section opens with a significant statement: “Then justice will dwell in the desert, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field” (32:16). If this is read together with v. 15, it means that what will make the desert to turn to a fruitful land is justice while righteousness will transform the existing fruitful land into a rich forest. It is this righteousness, which expresses just ways of acting and relating, that will bring about peace. Then the people will have nothing more to fear, as all will dwell in quiet places.This beautiful passage explains what will happen to the city when a righteous ruler assumes the office of leadership. The text originally applies to the Judah of Isaiah’s time, but it can be universalized for every society that is ruled with justice and righteousness. Peace and genuine development are always linked to righteous ways of living. As the great sage says in Prov 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to a people.”
Very Rev. Fr. Prof Luke Emehiele Ijezie is a scripture scholar and lectures at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port-harcourt, Rivers.
emehiele@yahoo.com
