The Son as Humanity’s King – Chapter 8, Part 5

​This week we’ll continue our review of chapter 8 in Isaiah Decoded – The God of Israel, King of Zion. In this week’s review, we’ll consider how Yehovah-Yeshua, the Son, is Humanity’s King.

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​The Son as King over Humanity
Even believers who merely take-on the Name of Yeshua/Yehovah (Jesus) to be redeemed from eternal death (saved) have to live some basic law to maintain civil order. Essentially, that basic law is manifested in following our conscience. Furthermore, we see evidence of a basic law in chapter 15 of the Book of Acts.  Rabbinic scholars have synthesized seven basic laws from the Torah that are consistent with Acts chapter 15 known as the Noahide Laws, which forms God’s basic law for all Humanity.
 
The positive injunction to set up courts that justly enforce social laws
The prohibition of blasphemy, i.e. intolerance of worshipping the one God of the universe
The prohibition of idolatry
The prohibitions of grave sexual immorality, such as incest and adultery
The prohibition of murder
The prohibition of theft
The prohibition of eating the limb of a live animal, which is a paradigm for cruelty
 
It seems apparent from Acts 15 that certain believers didn’t want the greater responsibility under the Abrahamic Covenant to be God’s covenant people – Zion/Jerusalem.

The Son as King of Zion/Jerusalem
When we look at the law that God gave to Israel, we see that responsibilities for a Zion society are administered under the roles of kings and priests.
 
Kingship in the Torah includes the overall establishment and maintenance of civil order. Civil order can be further defined as establishing civil law and the administration of justice. Civil order also includes a military aspect as well.  Priesthood on the other hand is assigned the responsibly of keeping believers reconciled with the deity that they acknowledge as god. Priests in the Bible bear the responsibilities to meet a standard of conduct, teaches the law, is answerable/accountable for the transgressions of the people, and to administer ordinances.

The Law

​Kingship Establish/Maintain Civil Order	​Priesthood Being Reconciled with God
​Establish Civil Law Establish a Court System Executes Judgment – Restitution Provides for Military Defense	​Maintain a Standard of Personal Conduct Teaches the Civil and Religious Law Answerable/Accountable for Peoples Sins Administers Ordinances – Baptism, Receiving God’s Name, Sacrificial Ordinances.

The Melchizedek Priesthood
When we get to the Melchizedek Priesthood, the roles of kings and priests become consolidated under one head. There are two divisions in the Melchizedek Priesthood - fathers over their families and community leaders over groups. 

The Melchizedek Priesthood

​Father of Families	Leaders over a Community of Families
​Kings Priests (Mother as Queen)	​Davidic Kings High Priests (Wives as Davidic Queens)

​In this section, we'll review the Son’s – Yehovah-Yeshua - role as a Davidic king over His covenant people - Zion/Jerusalem.


The Son as Lawgiver
We can see in the scriptures that the Son – Yehovah-Yeshua – had established the Law when Adam and Eve receive a knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Linking this with Moses parting discourse on a restoration of law in Deu 30, we see the same sort of language – this knowing good and evil is connected with the Law.

​Genesis 2:9		​Deu 30:15,16
And out of the ground made the Lord [Yehovah] God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.	<  >	​See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Yehovah’s declaration through Moses that the Law gives life in mortality, then also becomes an integral aspect of life in eternity.
 
“Jehovah’s role of Lawgiver, in “laying down the law” of his covenant, doesn’t resemble the often abusive enforcement of human law in the world at large. God simply says to his creatures, “These are the terms under which you will find eternal happiness and everlasting joy.” He leaves it to us whether we observe them or not. As Maker of the universe, God reveals its unchangeable laws, including his relationship to us. While he shows us the way to heaven, himself guiding us, lighting our path, and helping us follow, still, he doesn’t stop us from going after the evil one, the Lawbreaker, who is quite happy to mislead us down a tortuous road to hell, robbing us of the most precious gift of all—eternal life.” – P. 308
 
 
The Son as Judge
We also see this same scheme play-out with the Son as Judge.  He gave the Law that established His standards of justice and a system of courts placing civil leaders as judges. Each judge in Israel was assigned two Levites, who were experts in the Law. Great matters were taken to Moses. Matters too difficult for Moses were taken to Yehovah assisted by the High Priest. Judges in Israel were to conduct diligent investigations and obtain witnesses for capital crimes.

Judges and Judgment under the Law

​Yehovah – the Son – establishes justice through the Law

​Moses/High Priest

​Civil Leaders as Judges assisted by two Levites

Again, the righteous judgment of the law God gave to Israel will also impact our eternal destinations.
  
“Israel’s God earns the respect of his people by the things he performs on their behalf and by imposing on them the consequences of their actions. Because he suffers the depths of divine justice to pay for their transgressions, Jehovah is the highest qualified to act as his people’s Judge.” – P. 307
 
“In the Day of Judgment, no one will be able to say, “You have no idea what I had to deal with,” or “You put me through this while you sat, aloof, on your heavenly throne,” or “I had to sin to survive,” and so forth. Israel’s God paid the ultimate price to save his people, suffering the pains of all persons, everywhere, so that they might not suffer under the law of justice if they would repent. He knows firsthand about enduring sorrows and afflictions. Being a just Judge, Jehovah cannot judge under the law of mercy anyone who refuses to repent. His sacrifice on their behalf is in vain if they still cling to their sins. Their road of return commences with letting go of evil and acknowledging that Jehovah is their Savior.” – P. 308
 
 
The Son as Executor
Another responsibility kings bear is to enforce judgment of the law, which again is defined in the law that Yehovah-Yeshua, the Son, has given to man. Under the Law, Yehovah established a system of civil leader/judges who administered the Law and enforced judgment. The remedy under the Law is restitution. The goal of restitution is to restored the victim to a pre-offense condition. Moreover, those who repent, could obtain mercy from the victim who could bear some of the loss of the offense.
 
By and large, how we respond to God’s truth in mortality in righting wrongs determines our eternal destination and then, ultimately, not wronging one another at all.  Sometimes the damage we cause in our personal sins can’t be fully repaired after all we can do – that’s when God’s mercy fills the void - perhaps not in this life but in the next.
 
“God has to enforce “punishment” on those who transgress, no less than he grants “deliverance” to those who don’t. Where strict justice is the rule—because mercy can’t apply— persons who persist in wrongdoing must themselves pay the price of their transgressions, incurring “suffering” for all their sins. But even then, after a full consciousness of guilt sears their souls, they still can’t obtain “salvation” unless they choose, at some point, to repent. That is the only way out of their predicament. No escape from their plight can occur until they accept Jehovah as their Savior. With this initial act of “loyalty” and “compliance,” their return journey commences, including the prospect of ascent to heaven.” – P. 309
 
 
Summary
So then as King of Zion/Jerusalem, the Son functions as  Lawgiver, Judge, and Executor.
 
“In the day of their deliverance, when their adversaries suffer strict justice, people of Zion/Jerusalem proclaim Jehovah as their “Judge,” “Lawgiver,” and “King.” (Isaiah 33:22.)” – P. 306
 
“In Jehovah’s millennial reign, judicial, legislative, and executive functions of government merge into one. As Judge, Lawgiver, and King of his people, however, he doesn’t ask that they accept him point blank. Israel’s God earns the respect of his people by the things he performs on their behalf and by imposing on them the consequences of their actions. Because he suffers the depths of divine justice to pay for their transgressions, Jehovah is the highest qualified to act as his people’s Judge. Because he keeps the terms of the covenant to the limit in order to redeem them, he is competent to be their Lawgiver. And because he serves as their Savior and Exemplar, it is his right to reign as King (see Figure 130).”

Figure 130 Jehovah’s Attributes as His People’s Ruler
 
Judge—Suffers the Depths of Divine Justice  -----------------|
Lawgiver—Observes the Terms of the Covenant ----------------|    Jehovah
King—Serves as his People’s    Savior and Exemplar ----- ------|
-P. 307, 308

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Former and New Things – Isaiah 42 and 48
 
Students of Isaiah may be puzzled about statements Isaiah makes about “new things” at Isaiah chapters 42 and 48. These statements can be directly correlated with Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36.
 
Essentially, Jeremiah is stating that the Torah/Covenant under the Levitical Priesthood will pass away to the Torah/Covenant in the fullness of Messiah under the Melchizedek Priesthood – Matt. 5:17.

Former Things		New Things
​Torah/Covenant under the Levitical Priesthood	>>>>	​Torah/Covenant in the fullness of Messiah under the Melchizedek Priesthood

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:31-33
 
Moreover, what makes this transition possible is that believers will receive a new heart and a new spirit or in other words they have been transformed or recreated on a higher level. Yeshua refers to this process as being Born Again where God's people become a new creation of God's Spirit, which we covered in chapter 5 - Zion/Jerusalem.

Former Things		New Things
​Torah/Covenant under the Levitical Priesthood	>>>>	​Torah/Covenant in the fullness of Messiah under the Melchizedek Priesthood -- Born Again (new heart/new spirit) -- ​A New Creation of the Spirit

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” – Ezekiel 36:26,27