Isaiah 32
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Spirit will bring renewal to the land (verse 15); the Spirit will establish justice and righteousness (verse 16), and this in turn will lead to peace, which is the fruit of righteousness (verse 17).
Isaiah’s prophecy here teaches us several things. First, it is God’s Spirit who makes things new, who revives, who recreates (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Second, the work of God’s Spirit is not confined to the Messiah alone; the Spirit works through the Messiah’s servants (verses 1–2)—indeed, the Spirit indwells His servants. It was the Messiah, Jesus Himself, who opened the way for the Holy Spirit to come and empower His servants (John 16:7); this happened on the day of Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 2:14). Here in verse 15, Isaiah prophesies about the coming of the Spirit on that day; the prophet Joel also prophesied about that day (see Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:17–21).
Third, in order for the Spirit to establish righteousness and peace, the old, the sinful, the corrupt must first be swept away; one cannot put on the new self without first putting off the old self (Ephesians 4:2224). The old earthly Jerusalem has to be destroyed before the new heavenly Jerusalem can take its place (Revelation 21:2). God’s people need to become free of the earthly Jerusalem so that they can dwell in the spiritual Jerusalem, the city of the Messiah.
How are we to understand this prophecy of Isaiah about the Messianic kingdom and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? We know that the Spirit has come and that Christ’s church has been established. But when we look at our world today, we do not see the righteousness and peace that is supposed to accompany the reign of the Messiah. The fact is, we are living in an “in-between time”—the “Church age”—a time when the Messianic kingdom has begun in the hearts of be lievers, but has not yet fully overcome God’s enemies on earth. That time will come when Jesus returns to earth and establishes His kingdom.144
19–20 These final two verses summarize what has gone before: judgment is coming (verse 19), but it will be followed by blessing (verse 20). First death, then resurrection. First a cross, then a crown.