Four Splendid Typologies of Christ - King - Part II

The kingdom of Christ will be a righteous one: “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” (Psalm 45:6). The Hebrew term used here for scepter is shebet (shay’-bet), which means “to branch off.” However, shebet is also indicative of a scion, a descendent or heir. While shebet is literally understood to be a stick used for a myriad of things, such as fighting, punishing, walking, and writing, it could be asserted that the scepter of justice pertains more to the branch from which true justice will be derived, namely Christ Jesus. Isaiah wrote: “See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.” (Isaiah 32:1). The prophet was writing about Christ. The Hebrew word used here for righteousness is interesting. It is tsedeq (tseh’-dek), which means “right,” i.e., natural, moral, or legal. Abstractly, tsedeq means “equity”; figuratively, it relates to prosperity. The reign of Christ will feel natural to us. We will come to see that this is the way God always intended it to be. As our King, Christ demonstrates the Father’s moral character, which is forever good and virtuous. King Jesus rules with a just, impartial, and fair disposition. Through His rule, we will experience a life of prosperity—a life filled with an abundance of love, joy, and peace. Listen to the words of our Father, spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5).

We need not wait for the Second Advent; Jesus can rule as King in our life today. We can break with our fears and anxiety that stem from unresolved issues and present troubles, and follow His lead. Because Christ is just in His kingly duties, we can entrust ourselves to His leadership. If He calls us to break through our denials and accept truth, then we can trust He does so for good reason. We can trust in our King; no longer must we maintain our repressive ways and avoid reality. Our attempts to rationalize dysfunctional behavior break down at the throne of Christ. In the end, we will come to see that He has come to set us free.

With this entry, we conclude this series on four splendid typologies of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. To go even deeper, I invite you to purchase a copy of my book, The Conditioned Mind. May you be filled with the power, love, and sound-mind afforded us through the Spirit of God!