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. Isaiah 9:7
There are so many ways in which David points us wonderfully to our Lord Jesus Christ. But there are also times when David points to our need of a Savior—that we need a greater king than David.
David has been reaching out with grace to bring people together. But will there be justice in his kingdom? More for some than for others! No wonder Isaiah longed for the One who would sit on David’s throne and establish it with justice (Isa. 9:7; see also Jer. 23:5).
How do you hold grace and justice together in the same kingdom? Is that even possible? You would not want to live in a kingdom where there is grace without justice. And you would not want to live in a kingdom where there is justice without grace.
Where can we find grace and justice in the same kingdom? We find them bound together as one in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Here’s why: At the heart of Christ’s kingdom stands the cross. And the cross is the place where grace and justice meet. Grace comes to us because justice was executed on Jesus.
It is not simply that God comes to those who believe and says, “I’ll just sweep your sins under the carpet.” No, God acts with justice when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, because justice is on Christ, so that in him grace and mercy, which reconciles you to God, may be released to you. Justice fell on him so that, in him, the gift of grace may come to us.
What has been your experience of the grace and justice of God through Jesus?