The Ruler

Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE." (Romans 15:12)

I want to go back to this verse and examine something that stirs a little discomfort inside of me. Whenever I feel some dissonance inside it alerts me that something is needing to be exposed and resolved and that I should not simply stuff it out of sight as I have most of my life. Getting things out into the light is the best way to heal and to grow.

The word that triggers me a little bit is this word rule. Of course, the discomfort comes from the typical associations that I have had with this word and my own experiences with people who are perceived as rulers. The very word conjures up for me ideas of abuse of power, exploitation and selfishness. Of course not all rulers have to be this way but it seems to be the trend among rulers. So when I see this word applied to a prophecy of Jesus it seems to be a contradiction with the very nature of what I have been learning about Him over the past few years.

Now I realize that there are many better definitions of this word rule than what I have just mentioned and many would point that out. I agree. But what I am referring to here is the feelings and gut-level definitions that are inside of me, not my knowledge-based definitions that I try to believe from the head. And our gut-level beliefs are the ones that are much closer to what we really believe when the pressure is on. So every chance I get I need to bring those deeper beliefs to the light and have God address the truth or falseness of them so that I can move closer to what is really true.

So as I always like to do when I read something disturbing, I went back to the original language to look for clues as to what else it might be saying. In this case I found that very rewarding. Both the words translated rule and Gentiles have very interesting and different connotations than what they seem to convey in the English.

What I get from this sequence of words is quite interesting. It conveys the idea of someone standing up, raising up (from the word for arises) or even lifted up (think John 12:32) with the result that they will become the first in importance, in political rank or power, the most significant, to rule or reign over a race of foreigners (translated Gentiles).

With the background of what I have learned about the three false foundations that make up what we know today as civilization, I see something interesting in this passage that shows me how God is working to undo those counterfeits while at the same time addressing them within our context. One of the counterfeits is the whole idea of distinctions between people and the artificial values we assign to them. This includes the whole notion of hierarchy in politics and every other means of discrimination. It also creates the context for viewing races differently as more or less important than others. And it is inherent in the typical concepts of what it means to rule.

But this is all antagonistic to the real kingdom of heaven (which is not really like any kingdom we think of because of the connotations we have about what the word king means). But since we can generally only think in terms of earthly models and assumptions, God has to use our language and our logic to communicate with us until we grow enough in maturity to begin to think more along the lines of His logic and His assumptions. And that is what I detect a little bit in this verse.

If I read these verses from the context of what I have been learning about the true character of Jesus, I see something very different than a person who is seeking to rule or dominate others like we usually see in a ruler. God's system of governing relationships to our perception is almost always up-side-down and therefore makes very little sense. I believe the reason so much of the gospel sounds confusing to us is because we unconsciously intermingle our models with God's logic and come up with amalgamations that only corrupt the truth of the Word of God. We must be constantly seeking to have our assumptions challenged and updated so that as our whole library of internal definitions becomes more closely aligned with the thinking and attitudes of heaven that God's ways and thoughts will become more clear and more rooted in our hearts.

So instead of Jesus looking for power and influence to control others like we think of in the word ruler, Jesus is destined to become the most important person in the hearts of all those who choose to accept heaven's ways of thinking, which is living selflessly from the heart to bless others. In God's system of government, the ruler is there not to dictate to others as to what they should do, but to inspire by example and empowerment everyone who wants to imitate their spirit and life. What I see in this verse is that this Root of Jesse will arise to become the most important person in the hearts of all who once were foreigners. And foreigners is the description that includes every one of us including Jews, because every human being has become foreign to the ways that heaven operates and interacts.

I notice one more phrase that I don't know if it is intentional or just coincidence. But the words in Him remind me of the discourse that Jesus had with His disciples in the upper room just before He died. He spent considerable time instructing them about the extreme importance of abiding in Him. (see John 15) Whether or not this verse is alluding to that, I believe it is vitally important to understand for anyone who wants to be part of those who live under the reign of Jesus Christ in their hearts. Each person must have a much better understanding of what it really means to abide in Him and for Him to abide in us.

And as I look one last time at this verse I see that as I learn to abide in Him that the result will be hope growing in my heart and mind. This is the relationship that links me to this God of hope that wants to fill me with all joy and peace in believing. That is the kind of experience that I want for myself. That is the choice that I want to continue making every single day.

Father, fill me with hope, with all joy and peace, and place within me a believing heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit today and make me a more effective channel of Your selfless love and kindness to attract others to Your reign through my example and spirit. Thank-you for these words for my heart this morning. Thank-you for the power that comes through Your Word. Remind me of Your thoughts for me today.

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