By Kathryn Wright

A MEAN MAN

Over the Christmas holiday I heard an interesting story about the ill-tempered character Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s novella A Christmas Carol. According to some historians, Dickens was visiting Edinburgh, Scotland, in the early 1840s when he stumbled across a tombstone in Canongate Kirkyard. The stone read “Ebenezer Lennox Scroggie, a meal man,” since he was a grain merchant. However, Dickens misread it as “a mean man.” Dickens assumed this must have been a particularly terrible man because of the engraved inscription. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge was born.

What an unfortunate legacy for poor Mr. Scroggie!

Research suggests that this story is likely apocryphal. There is no record of anyone by that name living in Edinburgh at that time. Dickens himself implied two other possible sources for Mr. Scrooge, John Elwes and Daniel Dancer.

Whether this story is true or not, the fact is that good men can be defamed. The inverse is also true: Bad men are sometimes praised and go down in history with respected reputations.

A FOOLISH MAN

When I heard the story about Mr. Scroggie, I was reminded of the prophet’s words in Isa 32:5:

The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

In this passage, Isaiah is describing what the coming age will be like when the Lord returns and establishes the millennial kingdom. In v 1, Isaiah says that there is a coming King who will rule righteously—an obvious reference to the Lord. Isaiah then describes three groups of people in this coming age. First, alongside the King, there will be princes who rule with Him. It is said that these princes will rule with justice (v 1). This reflects the language of the NT (2 Tim 2:12; Luke 19:17-19) and the doctrine of rewards: Faithful believers will rule with the Lord, serving alongside Him during His reign (Rev 20:4) and then into eternity.

This description of the co-rulers stands in sharp contrast to the princes and rulers described earlier in the book of Isaiah (1:23; 3:12-14; 5:8) who were greedy, self-seeking, and cowardly. While they might have had the reputation of being good rulers, they reflected the character of Dickens’ Ebenezer. Due to their religious and political neglect of the people, those leaders ushered in Israel’s ruin and ultimately brought about Jerusalem’s fall at the hands of the Babylonians.

In contrast, Isaiah sees a future for Israel when Christ’s co-rulers will mirror the caring character of the Good Shepherd. Unlike the rulers of Isaiah’s day, these co-rulers will act as a cover from the wind and storms (v 2). They will cultivate a government that provides for its people. The people, the second group in this passage, will be cared for by these princes. These co-rulers will be like rivers in the desert and shade in a weary land. Under the leadership of the King and His cohorts, the people of this coming kingdom will no longer suffer from spiritual blindness (29:9; 31:1), for they will have eyes to see and ears to listen, guided by righteous spiritual leaders.

However, a third group of people is described in this passage: the foolish, who practice ungodliness. During the millennial kingdom, an ever-growing population eventually numbering in the tens of billions will still be in the flesh and capable of sinning. While church-age believers will be in glorified bodies and incapable of sinning, there will be people born (Isa 11:6; 65:20-25) in natural bodies who will continue to sin and die until all things are made new after the thousand-year reign of Christ (Rev 21:1-4). During those thousand years, those who practice evil will suffer the consequences of their actions, which could include earning a bad reputation.

It is in this context that Isaiah says the foolish will no longer be called generous or bountiful (v 5). In other words, during the reign of Christ, a person’s reputation will be a true reflection of his life and character. Fruchtenbaum comments:

It will be a proper evaluation of mankind. According to verse 5, there is going to be a cessation of all social cover-up…There will be certainty as to what is right and what is wrong. No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected (The Book of Isaiah: Ariel’s Bible Commentary, p. 338).

This is not always true today. Often, people who live immoral and evil lives are praised by the world. Good men are slandered, and bad men are exalted. The promise that Isaiah proclaims is an encouraging one. In the coming age, evil people will no longer be called generous.

The passage concludes with another encouragement. In the coming age, not only will wicked men be known for their deeds, but the generous man will be known for his as well (v 9). The Mr. Scroggies of Christ’s kingdom will not be defamed.

WHAT WILL YOU BE CALLED?

While Isaiah 32 is directed to the nation of Israel, there is an application for the church-age believer. Paul said that when the Lord returns, all Christians will give an account of their deeds done in the body, both good and bad (2 Cor 5:10). This judgment will determine our rewards and reputation in the coming age. On that day, there will be many surprises. Motives will be revealed, and things done in darkness will come to light. Those who have godly reputations according to men may receive a different review from the Lord, while many who have poor reputations according to the world (Heb 11:35-38) will be praised by their King. Social pariahs who faithfully served the Lord, such as sinful women (Luke 7:36-47; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25) and tax collectors (Matt 21:31; Lk 5:27; 18:9-14), will be heralded as righteous by the coming King, while many self-righteous believers will be rebuked. On that day, the true character of each person will be tested and revealed.

People, both believers and unbelievers, call us many things during this life. Everyone has an opinion, and these are often aired. Sometimes, these opinions get the facts wrong. In some cases, a popular book paints a false picture.

Like poor Mr. Scroggie, many believers gain poor reputations and legacies. However, the opinions of men are irrelevant. In a future day, the Lord will give His review of our lives, and our eternal reputations will be accurately revealed.

As one poet wrote: “What will they say when you enter your grave? The opinions of men to praise or defame…Ah, but answer me this! The prize of the wise? What will HE say on the day you arise?”

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Kathryn Wright and her husband, Dewey, live in Columbia, SC. She is the GES missions coordinator, women’s conference speaker, writer, and Zoom teacher.