uphold

This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 9:6–7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon

his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of

peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to

establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time

forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

What is zeal (qin'â)?  Is it power and might?  No.  Is it holiness and purity?  No.  Zeal is passion.  Sent in the wrong direction it is envious and jealous.  Sent in the right direction it can motivate a young person, build a family, or unify a nation.

What is God zealous for?  The translators highlight the answers by the little word “to”.  God wants to establish and to uphold the kingdom through which He will rule with justice and righteousness, under this child, our Lord Jesus Christ.

To “establish” (kûn) sets the foundation, but to “uphold” (sāʿaḏ) includes the comfort and assurance of regularly sitting down to a well set meal.  The best example in scripture of this was Nehemiah who daily fed 150 at his table (Nehemiah 5:16-18) while he was rebuilding Jerusalem.  But God wants to do even better:

Revelation 19:6-9

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

    and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

 Pass the plate!