Isaiah 60:1-6, 9-12, 15, 17-19, 21-22

Isaiah 60:1-6, 9-12, 15, 17-19, 21-22 NIV

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession. For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. “Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler. No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.

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Isaiah 60 is an ode of love to the city of Jerusalem and its people. Isaiah continues sending messages of good news that God is ending the exile and bringing the Jews home from wherever they have scattered. God will restore Jerusalem to glory with the wealth of the nations, as they pay tribute to the God of Israel.

"Arise, shine! For your light has come!" What a beautiful greeting! Though the exiles live in the darkness of political captivity and oppression, the glory of the Lord is shining upon them with majesty and power. Great hope shines brightly in the prophet's words. Out of the darkness the peoples of the earth are drawn to the light of the Lord. His glory will rest upon Jerusalem and kings will bring their wealth to honor God.

The Israelites will not believe their eyes when they see the exiles returning. Jerusalem will be filled with joy as her children are gathered once again within her walls. The exiles will return from Babylon, Egypt, Syria, the Mediterranean islands (Greece, Cyprus, Crete, Malta), Asia Minor (Turkey) and Europe. They will be brought on ships bearing gold and silver. Flocks will be herded to the new temple for sacrifice. Happy days are here again. All this is the work of the Lord who took the remnant of survivors and refined them through the exile experience. He plants them in Jerusalem and Judea, like a orchard worker plants a shoot from an olive tree. There they flourish under the Lord's nurture and care.

Things of note in Isaiah 60 appear later in the New Testament.

First the Lord promises the wealth of nations to come to Jerusalem to pay homage to the God of Israel.

Isaiah 60:6 NIV

Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Notice the name Sheba. You may remember the Queen of Sheba came to witness the glory of Solomon. She was awestruck by his wealth and kingly majesty. His wisdom was unparalleled. Isaiah, by pointing back to Solomon, is pointing ahead to the future. He is saying that the days ahead will be like the days under Solomon, the high water mark in Israel's history.

Matthew's gospel tells of magi from the east bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Are Matthew's magi a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy here in verse 6? They came to pay homage to the child born king of the Jews whom God had chosen and the stars had proclaimed. They followed a new light that led them to Jerusalem. Herod pointed them to Bethlehem where Jesus lived. Matthew's magi are pointing to messianic hopes in Isaiah 60. Through Jesus Christ many pagan nations have come to honor the God of Israel.

Secondly, the promise of the Lord's presence becoming the only light needed for Jerusalem is repeated in John's vision of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation.

Isaiah 60:19-20 NIV

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.

Compare that to Revelation.

Revelation 21:23-26 NIV

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 60 is renewed by the apostle John in his apocalypse. John is taking his notes right out of Isaiah 60. Anyone familiar with Isaiah would have picked up on the allusions to the prophet in John's revelation.

Darkness covers the earth, Isaiah says. That darkness was there at the beginning of time when the Lord created the heavens and the earth. God hovered near and commanded light to shine and it did. The darkness departed from the light. God made a safe place for life to flourish protected from the darkness. Under the persecution of Babylon, God had unleashed the darkness for a time. Now in an act of new creation the Lord once again brings His light to the world and the darkness flees.

Will we trust this good news? Will we rise and walk out of the darkness? Or will we remain hopeless and deny that these glad tidings have any merit? Live like the light is shining. God is with us through the Spirit of Christ. The future is bright because God is here, there and everywhere. Come out of the darkness and into His marvelous light.