The Bible makes this remarkable statement about Hezekiah, king of Judah. It says, “He did right in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 18:3).” How wonderful it would be to have a reputation of being someone who did things that were right in God’s eyes.
In Isaiah 32:1-2, Isaiah prophesied of a righteous king, who many scholars agree to be Hezekiah:
Behold, a king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
Each will be like a refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like streams of water in a dry country,
Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.
We can find a good measure of encouragement as we look at Hezekiah’s righteous reign. Yet, let’s not stop there. Why not look to an even more impressive ruler?
“A greater than Hezekiah is here,” wrote a 19th century pastor named Albert Barnes. Hezekiah was a type or a shadow of another king—the one true King.
British pastor Charles Spurgeon noted,
“If a king who rules in righteousness brings so much blessing on his people, then Jesus, who is peculiarly the King of righteousness, ‘the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,’ must bring these blessings in the highest conceivable degree.”
Let’s explore these four simple, yet extraordinary pictures of Christ that the prophet Isaiah mentioned.
- A hiding place from the wind
One evening the disciples were in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee; Jesus was with them.
And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm (Mark 4:37-39).
A lesson learned by these disciples of Christ: “Even the wind and the sea obey Him.” (Mark 4:41)
We can take comfort in the glorious truth that our Sovereign is powerful enough to calm the strongest winds—the winds of discouragement, the winds of fear, the winds of disappointment, not to mention a Sea of Galilee windstorm. There’s no wind that can resist the rebuke of our King.
If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)
I’m guessing that you’ve discovered Christ to be a hiding place. Your daughter is a prodigal far from the Lord. What do you do? You run to your hiding place. It’s not a place of passivity, but a place of solace and hope. The doctor’s report was not what you expected. What can you do? You hide yourself in Christ, clinging to the truths of His Word. You thought your job was secure. If you’re honest, it had become your “hiding place,” yet the company sold, and you were let go. What do you do? There’s a trustworthy “hiding place,” a place to find renewed hope.
- A shelter from the storm
Storms come; windows rattle; our hearts pound. But thankfully, you and I have a shelter from the most violent storms.
Because we sin against a holy God, we deserve His nonstop wrath, yet—mercy of mercies—God’s only Son is our shelter from that awful storm. Satan seeks to destroy us, yet we can run to an impenetrable shelter. Temptation is at every turn, but Christ is our shelter.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).
- Streams of water in a dry place
These word pictures of Christ are so easy to understand. God truly wants us to know the character of His Son. In this final description, we’re told our righteous King is “like streams of water in a dry place.”
Let your imagination take you back to July 10, 1913. You’re in Death Valley, California, where the temperature is 134.1 degrees. You’re hiking across Death Valley on that torturously hot day … and suddenly, you come to a stream. What’s your reaction? Of course, you quickly immerse your sun-scorched body into the refreshing water. To our souls, Christ can be like that, “like streams of water in a dry place.”
- The shade of a great rock in a weary land
If you’re a child of this benevolent King, then there's a spot reserved for you in the shade of this Rock of Ages. “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee,” Augustus Toplady wrote. What a kindness of God to allow us into such a place of security, peace, and renewal.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).
This only One—a shade, stream, shelter, and hiding place—this King of righteousness, deserves our attention, our admiration, and our unending praise.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness (Psalm 150:2).
