THE KING’S COUNTENANCE IS LIFE … HIS FAVOUR … AS A CLOUD OF THE LATTER RAIN

If we wanted a verse to summarise the substance of today’s pas­sage we might well suggest 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 14 where the apostle, speaking of rulers, says they are sent by God ‘for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well’ for these verses in Proverbs chapter 16 describe what kings ought to be according to divine purpose.

In verses 12 and 13the focus is upon the righteousness of the king, what he abhors and what he appreciates. There is always the danger for any in a position of authority to demand of others what they fail to do themselves, but not with this king. He first takes heed to his own conduct, lest he should personally be guilty of sin, and then secondly surrounds himself with counsel­lors that speak righteousness and truth. In verses 14 and 15the focus is upon the rule of the king, his anger and his approval. His wrath is to be feared, ‘he bears not the sword in vain’, Rom. 13. 4, as wicked Haman found, Esther 7. 7-10, but his favour is life, as Mordecai discovered, Esther 6. 11. Two metaphors are employed to illustrate the outcome of royal approval and favour, v. 15. In the work of creation just as light preceded life, Gen. 1. 3-5, so the king’s approval manifest in ‘the light of his countenance’, a joy­ful and radiant face, brings peace, and a sense of well-being to those around him. His favour is as a cloud of ‘the latter rain’, which falls just before harvest, bringing the crop to maturity. So, the favour of the king brings promise of refreshment and oppor­tunity for growth.

It is not difficult to identify this description of God’s ideal king with the Lord Jesus and His millennial reign, He ‘loved righteousness, and hated iniquity’, Heb. 1. 9; His throne will be established ‘with judgment and with justice’, Isa. 9. 7; in His days the righteous will ‘flourish’, Ps. 72. 7; His wrath is to be feared, Rev. 19. 15, 16, and, as to His blessing, ‘He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass’, Ps. 72. 6. While that lies in the future, the believer today has life through the light of His countenance, 2 Cor. 4. 6, and finds unlimited resources and refreshment in His ‘favour’, 2 Cor. 12. 9.