Day 357: Isaiah 60- Light Dawns

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
 
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. 8 Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows, 9 For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.
 
10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. 11 Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. 12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. 13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 14 The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
 
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. 16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. 18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
 
19 The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. 21 Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. 22 The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it.
 
Meditation
Picture the most beautiful sunrise you have ever watched- over a valley, sea, or city. That image is a tiny foretaste of the fullness of God’s promises, a picture of the promised New Heavens and New Earth we see in today’s reading.

In the New Heavens and New Earth the Lord Himself will be the Light, His glory rising upon His people (1, 19). The darkness (2) echoes both the backdrop of creation (Genesis 1-2) and salvation from judgment (Exodus 10:22-23). The Lord is the Light of life and hope of salvation. His glory will rise as the sun at dawn.

Nations will come to the Light of the Lord (3), from far away (4) and with abundant gifts (5, 11), just as the Magi came from the East to worship Jesus, the Light of the world (Matthew 2:1-2).

Peoples from North, South, East, and West will bring treasure into the New Heavens and the New Earth (Ezekiel 40-48; Revelation 21-22). Peoples from Midian, Sheba (6), Kadar (7), and Tarshish (9) will enter the city through ever-open gates (11).

Worship is the heartbeat (7, 14b) and suffering will cease: everlasting peace (17), violence terminates (18), no more solar light (19), and no more night (20). The people will be righteous and God glorified (20).

New creation will rise, overcoming the darkness and suffering of our fallen world. In God’s time, full redemption will hasten (22).  In faith let us look to this horizon with hope, fixing our gaze upon the foretaste of these eternal realities, Jesus Christ.

Richly Dwelling
-Do you look to the horizon of the New Heavens and New Earth with hope, knowing Light will dawn? Or are you overcome by darkness?

-The Lord is the Light. Jesus is the Lord and the foretaste of God’s eternal promises. How can you trust Him with your hope?

-Nations will come to the light from all over the globe. With whom and from where can you share the hope of nations, the Light of the world? Pray for a people from a specific nation.

Key Verse
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.