#1038 Isaiah 60 Made Majestic

 

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. Isaiah 60 ESV

Isaiah 60 Future glory of Israel

While in principle this chapter has application to all God’s people, it is specifically directed to Israel, and will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom. Not all have seen this. Adam Clarke writes, “The subject of this chapter is the great increase and flourishing state of the Church of God by the conversion and accession of the heathen nations to it.” But the fact that the LORD speaks of the Gentiles here in opposition to the subjects of the prophecy shows He speaks to Israel as Israel. Replacement theology just doesn’t work here, or anywhere. Enduring Word

1-3. Arise, shine, for your light has come - It's a new morning, the crowing of the rooster, time to get up. In the last chapter we found the people in darkness, as many of the Jews in Jesus time. Light had come into the world but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Once we have the light then we have a duty to it, and that is to carry it not under a bushel, but to the very hill tops. 

…5For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.… 2 Corinthians 4: 5-7

…17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me. 19So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.… Acts 26: 17-19

This looks forward to Messiah's second coming, and the darkness here is lifted from Israel, replaced by the light of His presence. This becomes a beacon to the nations.

1After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.… Matthew 17: 1-3

4-7. They shall bring gold and frankincense - This happened by way of the wise men at Jesus first advent, yet the religious elite in Israel did not recognize the time. Israel will become the clear center of the world during the 1000 year reign, and it speaks of the peoples of Midian (name of Abraham's son by Keturah) and Sheba (wealthy district of Arabia), coming to praise the Lord. 

…30For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. 31The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.… Luke 11: 30-32

The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you - Kedar and Nebaioth were listed as sons of Ishmael in Genesis 25:13. Kedar lived between Syria and Mesopotamia, and it is believed by some that Nebaioth was father to the Nabateans who settled the Arabian city of Petra. This is a striking verse, for it says in the next line that these flocks and rams will come up with acceptance on my altar. We will take a much deeper look at this in Ezekiel, but this is not a sacrifice for atonement, but more like the remembrance of the Lord's supper - "this do in remembrance of Me". The full light of Messiah, Who atoned for their sins on the cross, will be there to remove all the fog of their former understanding. It will make the temple even more beautiful, for the word was always intended to go out and be taught to all nations. Israel will truly become a light and a teacher in this time. 

8-18. To bring your children from afar - They will bring back the faithful remnant to Jerusalem, because they see that Jesus is with them and He has made them beautiful.

Those nations shall be utterly laid waste - In the millennial kingdom there will be no more antisemitism. Those nations that will not tolerate Israel will come to desolation. Instead of being ruled by other nations their rule would be by overseers of peace, taskmasters of righteousness, and no more violence in their land. This land has known much turmoil over it's history, but Christ's reign shall put an end to all unrighteousness there.  

1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.” 2“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.3Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.… Malachi 4:1-3

19-22. The sun shall be no more - Isaiah looks even further forward to the New Jerusalem.

…22But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.… Revelation 21: 22-24