Cool, Flowing Water in a Dry Land

Good morning!

When I was young, I remember precious few devotional books for the purpose of having daily devotions.  The advent of wi-fi, internet and related tools have put at our fingertips many more resources...this blog being one.
But, I do remember a book called, Streams in the Desert, by Cowman and Reimann.  Originally published in 1973, it was updated in the mid-90's.  The book is a series of 366 daily devotional readings, one for each day.  And, it has been a best-seller, like the more current Jesus Calling, which is another wonderful daily devotional book.  I always thought that both titles were very catchy.
The title of the former is taken from Isaiah 32:1-2 - -

See, a king(A) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.(B)
2 Each one will be like a shelter(C) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,(D)
like streams of water(E) in the desert(F)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

The analogies given in verse 2 speak of a time of refreshing.  The reading of the Word of God and meditation upon it are intended to refresh our souls.  I know that writing this blog refreshes mine, and I hope that the reading of it refreshes yours as well, even when we read about the people of God stiffening their necks and chasing rebellion.

I don't have many memories of my father's father, but I do remember that he would get up early in the morning, as soon as it was light outside, and read.  In the warm weather, he would sit outside in a lawn chair and read, in the morning quiet.  He was also a journaling man.  His journal entries, which I have read, were not elaborate or eloquent.  Mostly, they were little notations in pocket notebooks, which he carried on his person.  But, to look back over them is a fascinating peek into his world.  He died when I was barely 12; so, to have those memories of him is precious.  I like to think that I inherited my literary proclivities from him, if not much else.

At any rate, I digress.  The first couple of verses  of Isaiah 32 are often applied to the refreshing that comes from spending time in God's presence, meditating over His Word, or communing with Him in prayer.  But, that is not their application in this context.  God, through Isaiah, is using these analogies to describe a time when His people are ruled by a righteous king.

In America, we have had, over our history, presidents and "princes" whom we revered.  In other cases, we have had some who really "stank it up".  (Yes, "stank" is a legitimate English word; I looked it up.)  This passage speaks of the prosperity and peace that come from having righteous rulers.  Some commentators believe that it refers to King Hezekiah, who came to rule the Israelites during the early part of Isaiah's life.  Others believe it refers to Hezekiah's descendant, King Josiah.  Regardless, the point is that people long to have righteous rulers.

Of course, depending on your definition of "righteous" - - - the Code Pink people, have you heard of them?  Their definition of a righteous ruler would be quite different from mine, because their definition of justice is quite opposed to mine.  But, when the Bible speaks of a righteous ruler, it is defining this as a person who "rules in the reverence of God Almighty".  This is elaborated upon in the last words of David from 2 Samuel 23:3-4 - - 

The God of Israel spoke,

    the Rock(A) of Israel said to me:

‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(B)

    when he rules in the fear(C) of God,(D)

4 

he is like the light(E) of morning(F) at sunrise(G)

    on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain(H)

    that brings grass from the earth.’

I had to go at this point to YouTube and listen to Randall Thompson's rendition of this Scripture passage, which I sang as a teenager at GA Baptist Youth Music Camp, many decades ago...gorgeous!  It's appropriately called, "The Last Words of David".  Go give it a listen; you won't regret it.

What beautiful analogies!  Don't we long for righteous rulers? This passage speaks of the king, but also of princes who rule under him.  So, it applies not only to our presidents and governors, but also to our legislative and judicial bodies as well.   But, if all we do is long for righteous rulers, we will not have them.  We must pray and beg God for them,  and then, when righteous candidates run, help them get elected. That is our responsibility before God to cherish the blessings of freedom He has given.  So, with very important elections on the horizon in November, what are you doing to help righteous folk get elected?  

You may wonder "where I get that" from Scripture.  Well, it is a logical extension of Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself".  As the Good Samaritan did not pass on by the beaten man, but instead stopped to bind up his wounds, so should we bear the burdens of our fellow men, locally, in our state, in our nation and in the world.  As Jesus said (Acts 1:8) - - 

"and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This admonition is to spread the gospel, of course; but, spreading the gospel means telling the story of Jesus, binding up the broken-hearted, healing the wounds of the sick, feeding the hungry, and establishing laws based on the Word of God.  The Bible makes it clear over and over that where there is righteous rule, the people flourish.  And, the converse is also vividly illustrated throughout Scripture.

So, my "take-away" this morning is to look for opportunities to minister to my fellow man and to do my part to help righteous rulers get elected.

Good morning, Lord!  Thank you for righteous men and women who sacrifice so that they can serve in public office.  Even though they are financially compensated well, their service still takes a mighty toll on their family lives.  Please give us in America rulers who are righteous according to the standards set forth in the Word of God, upon which our founding documents are based.  Show us opportunities to extend our civic involvement, to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's", as Jesus exhorted us.  In His name I pray, amen.