Reading for April 14th

 Read Isaiah 32.1-20. In 32.1-20: A king will reign in righteousness. In verses 1-8: The deliverance of the city in 701 BCE was a dangerous precedent: It implied that God's protection could always be relied upon unconditionally. The warning to Hezekiah in ch. 39 on the occasion of the visit of Babylonian emissaries was aimed at countering such false expectations. The Davidic kingship could not survive unless it was founded on just government and compassionate administration. This oracle may be a portrait of the great reforming king Josiah, during whose long reign (639-609BCE). Assyrian rule over Judah ended and the royal administration was reformed (see 2 Kings 22.1-23.25). During this period a substantial part of Isaiah's prophecies was probably complied. In verses 9-14: The brief respite of hope and renewal during Josiah's reign ended suddenly and disastrously. Babylonian rule swiftly replaced Assyrian oppression. Israel would suffer devastation once again, as Isaiah  had declared (see 6.11-12) and the rampant growth of thorns and briers (see 5.6) would return. In verses 15-20: The outpouring of God's spirit (v. 15) and the transformation of the ruined land into farmland once again anticipated the hope of the later chapters, especially 60-62. The forest (v.19) indicates oppressing foreign powers (Assyria and Babylon; see 10.18-19), which will disappear completely. Comments or Questions..