Isaiah 11:5
5 And righteousness [tsedeq] shall be the girdle ['ezowr]
of his loins, [mothen] and faithfulness ['emuwnah] the girdle ['ezowr] of his
reins. [chalats] KJV-Interlinear
5 Also
righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about
His waist. NASB
This verse brings to an
end, the descriptions of the personal qualities of the Messiah.
He is bound up with
righteousness and faithfulness just as his clothing is bound up and wrapped
around Him, as to become an intimate and integral part of His essence.
The loins represent the
vigor of activity of the person.
The reins, represent the
strength of resolve and emotional self-control and the enduring stamina of the
individual.
Faithfulness, ‘emuwnah,’
is the literal firmness, security, moral resolve and stability, establishment
of truth from within.
And as we have already
seen, righteousness, ‘tsedeq,’ is the moral or legal equity, justice, untainted
fairness and accuracy.
Therefore there is no
flaw, no taint, nothing that is compromised or diminished in the character or
essence of Christ.
Throughout the
scriptures, clothing is often used to describe the attributes of preparedness
or character of the person. And as God,
as the Messiah, as man, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ
possesses the absolute moral and legal character of one who is perfect in every
way.
And His essence and these
characteristics are ingrained throughout and within Him so as to become one
with and a part of Him.
He is righteousness. He is incapable of unrighteousness. He is faithful. He is incapable of unfaithfulness.
The next verses will
demonstrate some of the results of this policy of Christ.
