Exposition of Isaiah 9, Part 11 – Part 13
His Gouernment shall be increased, and of the Peace there shall be no end: he shall sitte vponupon the throne of Dauid, and vppon his Kingdome.
Esay himselfe in thys place declareth that the names doe pertaine, not to the person of Christe, but to hys office. For if thou demaunde and saye: Wherefore is hee called by these names? Hee aunswereth, for this cause, that hys kingdome maye encrease, he sayth not, therefore, that he may sit in his high Throne for himselfe in his magnificence. For herevnto he néedeth no name, whereby he should be called. For he possesseth this without all name, without all denomination, without vsus. Howbeit hee hathe not vsus without such denomination. For by the word we muste be broughte vntounto hym, and translated into hys Kyngdom. Wherfore he hath néede of such names in respecte of vsus. Moreouer, hys kyngdome is hereby increased,Hovve the Kingdome of Christe is increased. for that Christians dayly increase and are multiplyed, from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospell, euen to the ende of the worlde.
For the qualitie and nature of thys kingdome is suche, that it alwaies consisteth in encreasing and multiplying. Forasmuche as the Gospell is not idle, neyther resteth, but hath his course, and is spred ouer the whole world, vntill the laste daye shall come. Of suche nature and condition, there was neuer anye Kyngdome in the Earthe, whyche dydde alwayes encrease, for worldlye Kyngdomes are at the laste diminished and broughte vntounto nothing: so that by good ryghte thys name is proper to thys Kyngdome onelyonly, that it alwaies is encreased, augmented and made greater.
Howbeit thys commeth to passe meruellouslye,The Kingdome of Christ is increased after a maruellous sor… and contrarye to all reason. For all Kyngdomes doe oppose themse…ues against thys Kyngdome, euen the whole worlde is againste it, so that it appeareth as thoughe it didde decay, and were a diminished Kyngdom, for that the outwarde forme thereof is nothing else but to dye, and to suffer of euerye one, so that reason is enforced to say that the nature thereof consisteth in diminishing and drawing to destruction. But this hath sufficiently appeared to be otherwise. Hierusalem was a most mighty Citie, which togither with all Iudea did striue againste the Christians with might and maine. The part of the Christians was then very small, but the parte of the Iewes was verye excéeding greate, so the Empire of the Iewes myghte bee well called an encreasing Empyre. But what came to passe? After the space of .30. yeares, there was not left one stone vppon another at Ierusalem. The state of the Iews was vtterly ouerthrowen, and they dispersed ouer the whole world: then the Christians were multiplied among al nations. Rome also then being chiefest empire in the worlde, did oppose it selfe against the miserable and small kingdom of Christ, but it was not long before Rome togyther with hir kingdome laye in the dust, and the Christians were spred ouer the whole worlde. And so the kingdome of Christe is maruellouslye multiplyed by the wonderfull works of the six names. Howbeit al thinges muste be looked for, and receyued by Faith, euen as they were al spoken and prophesied of in spiryte.
Moreouer, there shall bee no ende of Peace as long as thys kyngdome standeth,In the kingdome of Christe Peace shall hauehave no ende. but it shall stande for euer, as it is sayde. Such Peace no other kingdomes euer had, for it is not carnall Peace but spirituall, as we hauehave saied: And albeit this kingdom cease to be encreased and multiplyed in the day of iudgement, whē the number of the electe is fulfilled, yet Peace shall not ceasse, but shall continue for euer without end. That is, there shal be onelyonly eternall ioy, and perpetuall gladnesse in this kingdome, whiche beginneth here by Faith, and continueth vntounto the life to come.
And of these wordes is gathered a strong reason, that the laste daye &c. the resurrectiō of the dead must néedes come. For it is manifest, and wee playnely sée,A most certain proofe of the resurrection of the dead that all the diuine Prophets are dead, euen Esay hymselfe, yea al Christians also dye. And yet notwithstanding it is said of al, that vntounto them this Childe is borne, and vntounto them this son is gyuen, that he may be their king, & they liuing in his kingdome, may enioy perpetual & eternall Peace. Nowe he is not a king of the dead, but of the liuing: neither can the dead enioy eternall Peace, it foloweth therefore, that they muste all lyue, that is, they must arise from the deade, yea they do euen nowe lyue vntounto Christ theyr Kyng as he sayeth, Math. 22. God is not the God of the dead, but of the liuing. All the sentences of the Scripture whyche speake of the Kyngdome of Christe, if they be duely and throughly considered, do conclude, that Christe muste be God and man, and that not onelye hee muste rise from the dead, but that all men also muste rise. For if hee muste be an eternall king, it is necessary that he be Lord and Conquerour of Death and Synne: which necessarylye proueth that hee is God, for yt this is proper to God alone. And forasmuch as he is borne man, it necessarily followeth that he muste dye, and yet rise againe, that hee maye bee a king for euer, for he that is dead can not be a king. If so be that the Saincts must be in his kingdome, and enioye eternall Peace, they also must rise frō the deade, for yt Christ cannot be a king of ye dead. So the damned also must rise, that they may receiue theyr reward, & be subdued vnderunder his féete as enimies, yt so he maye be iudge and Lord both of the liuing, & also of the dead.
The same the text folowing also doth confirme, whyche affyrmeth that thys peace shall hauehave no end, and that thys King shal sit vponupon the throne of Dauid, and vppon his Kyngdome. Now thys is sufficiētly manifeste, that the throne and kingdome of Dauid did not flourishe among Angels, but in earth ouer menne, namely ouer the people of Israell, & the nations inhabiting about them. Neyther was Dauid an eternall King, nor could hauehave an eternall kingdome. This text therfore doth necessarily proue, that ye kingdom, which Dauid gouerned, being carnall and for a tyme, must be, and continue vnderunder this king spirituall and eternall. Moreouer, they are dead which pertayned to the Kingdome of Dauid, they muste certainly therefore be raised frō ye dead, that vnderunder this eternal king, they may liue for euer. and inioy euerlasting peace. Sée how mystically, with how effectual reasons ye Scriptur confirmeth, yt al mē must be raised frō ye dead: & yt Christ ye king must bee raised before al, and aboute all, beyng the firste fruits of them that slepte, as Paule doth excellently well admonishe Timothe,…. Timothe. 2. that he remember that Christe dyed, and is risen againe according to the Scriptures: As if he saide, thys séemeth so incredible and is so wonderfull, that vnlesse one sticke firmelye to the Scripture, reason cannot abide it, neither will anye man euer beléeue it.
Some maye here obiecte and saye: But what shall become of vsus Gentiles,…n obiectiō whiche appertayned not to the Kyngdome of Dauid? Shall wee also come to the Kyngdome of Chryste, when as the promise was made onelye to the Iewes? I aunswere that Esay in this his Prophesie,The aun…vveare. folowing the maner of al suche places of Scripture, doth promise Christe and his Kingdome to the Iews only. For Christ was promised only to the Iews, as to the séed of Abrahā, howbeit he was not exhibited to the Iewes only, as Paule witnesseth Rō. 15. saying Now I say that Iesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirme the promises made vntounto the fathers. And that the Gentiles might prayse God for his mer i: Hovv Christ pertayneth to the Ievves only and hovv to the Gentiles.according to ye promise therfore Christ appertayneth to the Iews only, but in respect of the exhibiting of him, & of the end therof, he appertaineth to the whole world. For it behoued that there should be a certaine peculiare people, to whom he should be promised, for that he could not be borne of al people, nor of ye séede of al, howbeit he was to be exhibited not to that people onelyonly, but euen to the whole world. Wherefore there are other sentences of Scripture, which declare howe Christ was to be communicated to the gentiles also, albeit he was not promised to them, wherof Esay speketh nothing here, but in the words going before he doth, where he sayth, Thou hast multiplied the people, and not increased their ioy. But here he speaketh of the promised king, yea he promiseth a king to the people of Israel, which shal sitte on the throne and kingdome of Dauid.
To order it, & to stablish it with iudgemēt & with righteousnesse, from henceforth euen for euer.
This king doth not dye, leauing heirs behind him, as did Dauid, but he shal be a king for euer,Christ shall raigne for euer. and shal eternally raign in his kingdome. Wherby again the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life is proued as it were by certain witnesses. Now he shall not gouerne and stablishe his kingdome with weapons, and with troupes of armed men, after the maner of ye kings of this world, but with iudgement and iustice, and he shal then begin, when he is placed in his throne, & shall neuer after make an end. What iudgemente and iustice is, I hauehave else-where oftentimes declared, as where I hauehave entreated of the Psalmes, &c. Now briefly the sum of both is this:Hovv Christ shal order and stablish his kingdome vvith iudgement and rigteousnes Christ shal so first order and gouerne his kingdome, ye pure and sincere righteousnesse shal florishe therin, so that men in it shal auoyd both sinne, and vnrighteousnesse, & shall be frée from them. That is called iudgement, which condemneth and punisheth al vnrighteousnesse and iniquity. Moreouer, to make that the mē in this kyngdome be good, righteous, holy, & blamles, this is to order and stablish it with righteousnesse. All whiche he wil doe by hys holy spirite, which shal renue & change men. For séeing that al men be sinners and defiled with wickednesse, they pertayne nothing to his kingdome, wherin they onelyonly muste be that are righteous, good and holy. Whych the prophet meaneth, when in effect he sayth: This king shal bring to passe yt in his kingdom shal flourish righteousnesse & goodnesse, and yt his people shall be righteous and holye, not by their owne workes, but he by his workes and spirite will order and stablish thē Which is then done whē they beléeue in him, and suffer him to worke in them by his word and spirit.
The zeale of the Lord of hostes wil performe this.
Why doth not the Prophet say thus: The grace & mercy of God wil do this, for as muche as it is méere grace and not zeale. I answere that the Prophete sayde not so, for that he had regarde to false teachers and Prophetes, which go aboute to iustifye themselues and the people with lawes and works, by which meanes faith and the promise of God, togither with Christ are wholy reiected and nothing accounted of. Which is so displeasing vntounto God, that he doth as it were of a zeale suffer his worde and the kingdome of Christe to come, whereby faith & his promise may be established, and the people neyther moste foulye deceyued, neyther meanes found to beguyle and deceyue them.
FINIS.
End of the text · Martin Luther, Exposition of Isaiah 9 (1578)