Shame That Is Covered In His Naked Glory

*Honor is for *the man *enthroned over a *controversy, but he *exposes himself with the *foolishness of the court. (MAST)

*[Honor is for] literally, a glory. But it is best left translated, honor, lest it is confused with what belongs to Christ alone. This glory, though, carries with it a responsibility of heaviness. Therefore this honor separates this man, this man for whom this honor is reserved, apart from the rest of the courtroom. Because this particular man is given a throne, this honor clothes him with splendor, but with it, he alone carries the responsibility to live up to what the court expects or requires of him. The court requires him to bear with the weak (Rom.15:1-3) and beyond this shadow in the Light of the cross the Father requires the Son to carry the sin of the world (Isa.9:6;63:9;Jn.1:29;1Pet.2:20-25;Ps.103:12). As the honor departed from Eli because his sons disregarded God’s glory, so it is with the weight of this throne’s honor and splendor if the man for whom honor is reserved does not rest in her honor upon the throne (Ex.40:33-38;1Sam.4:21-22). A particular weight rests upon the shoulders of the judgment seat (Lev.16:13-15; Num.7:89). Therefore it is required that the man who rests upon this throne receives the reverence or “honor” that chains him like a slave to her foolishness (Ps.22:1;Matt.27:46;Mk.15:34). This honor chains him to this seat because of the love that works through the court and in the heart of the throne (2Cor.5:9-15). Therefore, in a practical sense, Solomon’s throne is overshadowed by the greater glory of Christ’s crucifixion to judge the living and the dead, but in a real sense, applicable to the sphere of civil government and not only the holy sphere of the church.

*[the man] literally, the man. It is not just any ordinary man, but a particular man who is chosen to carry the weight of this honor. It is the man who is able to carry the weight of this honor (1Tim.3:2-7). It is the man qualified to carry the weight of this honor (Tit.1:5-9). It is the man on whom the fire is not quenched and who is able to exercise the will of the glory of this court (Matt.3:11). It is the man clothed with wisdom to display the skill of this court (Rev.19:13), to draw out a good and clean confession of its foolishness and to render just judgment for the court (Rev.19:16). It is the man trained for the operation of the court, and the man who enjoys and loves to serve at the pleasure of the court (1Cor.10:31-33;1Thess.2:4). And in the context of the holy law of the court, the man who is made holy and sanctified for the purpose of the court (Ps.89:20;Isa.61:1;Acts 13:2). While most translations, if not all the translations, have left out the direct article, there is a particularity to this man because of the definite article. It is God’s man who is empowered to oversee this court. Because of the history of Israel’s covenants with God, this throne begins with David, and to culminate in Jesus of Nazareth called Christ, but because of Saul’s weakness and David’s stumble, God does not share the particularity of this throne with anyone created. The Hebrews Saul and David were chosen to be examples by God as object lessons for our need of an inerrant, infallible, and all-sufficient Mediator to sit upon this throne. That particular and elect man is the God-man Jesus Christ. Taking His seat upon this throne secures to us the wisdom of this court forever and ever. Amen (Heb.1:1-4;10:11-18).

*[enthroned over] literally, a seat of rest. While this is a feminine noun, it shouldn’t be confused with inactivity like a sabbath rest. It is feminine because the noun is describing the throne being subservient to the court. While the man who rests within this office is over the direction of the court, his office is subjected to the purpose of the court (Isa.53:12;Php.2:5-11;1Sam.2:25;Heb.4:14-5:11). The court doesn’t serve him, but he serves the court; however, the honor of the court is towards him because he sits in her seat to be responsible for her (Jn.3:29;13:12-20;15:13-17;So.2:16;7:10:Rev.21:2,9;Jn.21:15-17). It is in this manner that he literally “sits” over the court, to literally be her glory and honor (Rom.2:5-11;1Tim.1:17;Heb.2:7,9;Rev.4:11). The court is clothed with and built up by this man’s wisdom (Eph.4:8-16;1Tim.6:11-12;2Tim.3:14-17). The preposition is best translated “over” rather than “out of” the controversy. This is why the honor is towards the man enthroned, for he is not the controversy but is enthroned for her (1Cor.6:1-11). Again, therefore, the noun, “seat of rest,” is feminine to the controversy. The man of the throne has ceased from the acts of the controversy himself and now presides over her as her wisdom (Matt.11:19;Lk.7:35;Heb.4:10).

*[a controversy] literally, case at law. But, as it is properly applied for this proverbial context, it is the cause or “purpose” of the court to do justice for contending parties in breach of a contract or for violators of some civil law. It might as well be translated, “Honor is toward the man enthroned over her controversy.” Again, while the noun is not genitive but absolute, it is feminine under the construct of this controversy. But the man is granted this office by the power of the controversy. So the throne, in this case, is subservient to the controversy. However, the controversy herself is foolishness and dishonorable; therefore, while the throne serves the foolishness of the court, the court is to lay up honor towards the man enthroned upon her. So it is her controversy, but the man’s honor. In the same way, Christ makes Himself a slave to do righteousness for the court in all her nakedness. As Christ’s throne overshadows this court, it is spiritually applied also to the foolishness but wisdom of the cross (1Cor.1:19-25). The case at law in any controversy is the law of foolishness written upon the heart of man (Pr.22:15;Rom.2:12-16;5:12;8:2;1Cor.15:56); however, only by the law of faith (Rom.3:27-28;4:13-16;9:30-33;Gal.2:16;3:1-14) will any man find himself expunged from what is written upon the heart and imputed by the Divine decree (Rom.5:19;9:20).

*[ but he exposes himself with] literally, to lay bare. In the Hithpael stem and imperfective mood, it may well be translated, to lay oneself bare, or to disclose oneself, or to open oneself, even to bare all of oneself. In some contexts, the verb is associated with contention, and there is the possibility for that here in our context, but the action of the verb is not born out of the court but from the man enthroned (Jude 3). It is this man enthroned who exposes his nakedness to the foolishness of the court through his contentions (1Cor.1:21;Ecc.1:2;7:27;12:8). He demonstrates his weakness in his naked actions before the court to apply his judgments. But because the honor of the court is towards his throne, his apparent folly is covered by the court’s honor to act accordingly (1Pet.4:8;Heb.13:23;Eph.4:1-6;Col.3:12-17;Ezk.16:8). And so this man, though laying himself open and exposed in weakness to fall with the court, demonstrates his contention against the necessary folly of the court to raise her up in his justifying wisdom (2Cor.11:1). And so it has an appearance that he falls with this court but rises far above her in the honor set apart for him (Php.3:12;1Jn.2:12-14). The proverbial context, again, is that Solomon’s son would learn how to contend with wisdom against the folly that drags itself before the throne to defile it (Lk.7:44;1Tim.5:10;So.7:1;Isa.52:7;Rom.10:15;Jn.13:10). His son must be cleansed from any inactivity that would make this throne ineffective (Rom.3:3;2Tim.4:5). This throne is an instrument to plow, and the man who sits upon it must be actively working to draw out confessions and be prepared to make sound judgments (Jn.7:24). This throne is also a shadow of the wisdom of the naked cross of Christ (Heb.12:2). Solomon’s throne prefigures Christ’s judgment seat, but as a shadow of the naked beauty of the cross (Heb.8:1-6). It is Christ’s honor alone to clothe the foolishness of this court. It is His sovereign right to “meddle” in the business of this court, because the court is the Father’s field, and the Father has the sovereign right to sow the naked beauty of His wisdom into her (Lk.2:49). But we must remember that this proverbial context is only culturally applied in the shadow of the cross and under the covenant God made with the Hebrew nation as the example to all nations (Isa.56:7;Matt.21:13). It is because of the hardness of hearts that foolishness is permitted to enter the honor of this “civil” court and defile it (Mk.10:5;Matt.19:8;Rom.2:5;James 2:6;1Cor.6:6-11), for this court is merely His footstool (Mk.12:36;Acts 7:49;Heb.1:13). This court is for mercy in Christ’s shadow toward the hard-hearted, but in the fulfillment of Christ’s incarnation, His court is for saving grace, as all things are made to Him, made for Him and made by Him (Col.1:9-20).

*[the foolishness of the court] literally, together with the whole, is foolishness. But acting in unison as a conjunction, it is referring to the purpose of the throne that is honored above this controversy. And so the throne is open and exposed together with the foolishness of the court. It could equally be translated, “Honor is toward the man enthroned above a controversy, but with her foolishness, he lays himself naked.” Now both the Hebrew noun, “the whole,” and the adjective, “foolishness,” are absolute, meaning they are not a genitive construct but are, however, in conjunction with the controversy as “the feminine purpose” to the throne’s honor. In other words, the honor of the throne serves the foolishness of the court because of her controversy (2Cor.6:11-14). So God chose the foolishness of preaching to make wise the simple (1Cor.1:18-31). And so while the popular translations rebuke a contentious man, and there may be a context for such a truth (Pr.26:21;Tit.3:9-11), but this was not Solomon’s intention for this proverb. The “proverbial” context really isn’t calling for it, as Solomon is training his son how to seat himself upon the throne of his legacy of wisdom in order “to preach” with contentions out of the honor of the liberty of this throne. Solomon is teaching his son how to judge in righteousness with a clear conscience. It is the king’s honor to use this throne as an instrument of justice and mercy. But his contentions must be justified by the wisdom of the office (Acts 14:23;15:6;Tit.1:5). The king must be willing to plow for conviction from this throne and also be at liberty to grant grace towards those unjustly accused by the contributors of the court (James 5:1-6). The king must continually be at work with a peripheral vision to see the false doctrine and false applications that cunningly creep into the practice of the court that creates a false precedent for the following generations (1Cor.4:14-21;11:1-16). The king sits upon this throne as a man who has ceased from not only practicing the foolishness that enters the court (sin) but from pleasing the foolishness of the court (i.e., to sin against the purpose of the court) (Heb.1:3;4:7-10;10:12;12:1-2;Rev.3:21). This court glorifies the works of God in His mercy towards the lost sheep of Israel (Matt.15:24). Foolishness only enters this court because the courts of the Temple are empty of priests willing to teach the law and empty of seekers willing to hear the law (2Tim.4:3). Solomon’s house, in this context, is full because the Temple is desolate (Matt.23:37-39). So Solomon’s purpose is to educate them where they can be found and to send them back to the priesthood for observation (Mk.1:44).

[Honor is toward the man enthroned over her controversy, but together with her foolishness, he lays himself out naked]