Isaiah 60
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: The image before the mind of the Prophet is a sunrise scene. Far and wide night still reigns, but grandly above all other heights of the earth towers mount Zion. The mount is illuminated as the new day begins! The prophet recognizes that the day of salvation for Jerusalem has arrived. What a beautiful picture as we behold the top of the mountain irradiated by the rising sun. The glory of Jehovah is appearing for Israel and the prosperity of the nation is predicted.
For the believer of the New Testament this salvation is apparent as we behold the Son that has risen as well. The resurrection is the light that shines from the darkness of death and despair. The women went to the tomb while it was still dark and found it to open and empty. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead is important because it provides an inheritance for believers – a living hope – eternal life with God. (Matthew 28:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
CHALLENGE: The light of the world is Jesus and we need to worship Him on this Lord’s Day! May we rejoice in the light of the resurrection of our Savior! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. (1347 “excellency” [ga’own] means pride, majesty, pomp, excellence, exaltation, or glory.)
DEVOTION: At present, in Isaiah’s day the children of Israel were not treated well. They were sinning against the LORD and HE was sending judgment. The land was going into captivity. The state of Israel we negative. They were without the blessing of God.
The state of Israel at present today is about the same. They have enemies on every side. There are rumors of wars and wars going on. There is the threat of nuclear war always over their heads.
The city of Jerusalem is occupied with a false religion. The spot where the temple is to be built is occupied with a temple to a false god. The people of Israel are not worshiping the LORD in a proper manner according to the instructions of the Old Testament. Many are Jews by birth but not by practice. There are Christians in Jerusalem trying to give them the story of the risen Messiah. They don’t believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. They are still waiting.
Many in countries outside of Israel hate the Jews because they think that they are the source of the problem of them not having money. They think the Jews have it all. The fact that they don’t realize is that the Jews have been set aside because of their unbelief but they are still in prophecy as the people of God.
So we have them hated now as they were in Isaiah’s day. People don’t like people who seem to succeed when they fail. They don’t want anyone blessed except themselves. All humans are a selfish and lazy group of people. They always want what other people have without working for it. It should be given to them.
There is a future day coming when Israel will be judged by the LORD according to the seventieth week of Daniel. There will be a seven year period of the wrath of God poured out on the earth. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses will realize that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and begin preaching this message. Many will be saved during the Tribulation period.
After this period of time the LORD will return and set up HIS Millennial reign in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be a blessed city again with a Temple built where there will be sacrifices of praise given to the LORD. The sacrifices will not be for sin but for worship. Christ will be the LIGHT of the city. The sun and moon will not be necessary to give light.
Jerusalem will be full of the “glory of the LORD.” The people of Jerusalem will be blessed and during that time period children shall live to be a thousand years old again as it was in the beginning.
CHALLENGE: The promises of God should give hope to all of us who are living today. HE keeps HIS promises. HE is with us all the time. Encourage those around you with this hope.
: 18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, wasting not destruction within your borders, but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. (2555 “violence” [chamac] means wrong, cruelty, injustice, an act of aggression, especially involving physical contact, oppression, that which is gained by violence and wrong, or plunder.)
DEVOTION: Here is a future promise to Israel that the city will be peaceful and joyful in the future. It also promises that the LORD will protect the city.
God is making a promise of future blessing the nation of Israel that they can look forward too in the distant future.
HE always keeps HIS promises to HIS people whether it is the children of Israel or the New Testament saints. Each group has their own promises given by the LORD. HE can be trusted to keep HIS promises.
However, what is going on today is what HE has also promised to the children of Israel. They have been set aside for a time period while those who are called Christian are given blessing both now and in the future as well.
We need to realize that the LORD keeps HIS promises, even if, it seems that things are going wrong. HE has a plan and is working HIS plan for this world. We have to trust HIM to keep HIS promises in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
With this trust we can move forward in our enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil. They are real at present and we have to keep fighting with the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The church is here to help those who are genuine believers to worship and serve HIM in the present generation as the children of Israel did in the Old Testament. We are doing about the same as them regarding our stand for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: There is a group that will be blessed in the future from each group. We need to trust HIS promise and work for the day is coming for the return of the LORD!
: 20 Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. (5769 “everlasting” [olam] means forever, lasting, always, eternal, continuance, perpetual, or without end.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is describing a future time for Israel. In the future, the LORD will be their light and they will no longer be sad. Israel will inherit the land in the future. All the Gentiles will come to them to offer gifts. That day is coming but has not yet been.
The Millennium is going to be the start of Christ being the physical light for the world. The sun and moon will no longer be necessary. When we are in the presence of the LORD, there will always be light.
Remember the glory of the LORD was manifested to Moses and his face shone so that he had to wear a veil. The disciples were given a sample of the light on the mount of Transfiguration. We need to always be looking for the LORD’S return.
“Even so come LORD JESUS.” This should be our daily prayer. Once we have Christ as our Savior, this world is not our home. Our responsibility while we are here is to give glory to God.
One way to give HIM glory is to witness to our family and friends about the great hope HE gives. There is only one true hope in the world and that is a life with Christ. This life is without end. Halleluiah!!!!
Allow the LIGHT of the LORD to dispel the darkness of the world around us. If we look at the world we will be discouraged. It is a dark place and getting darker every day. Our world is full of those who want to dishonor the LORD. They seem to find new ways to try to get rid of any light that might come from the Word of God. They seem to think that this world would be better off without any Bible believers in it. False religions seem to have more honor in our world than the Word of God and the God of the Bible.
Our light needs to shine in our dark world. We are the light of the world as we represent Christ until HE returns. We are to let our light shine. We should be an hundred watt bulbs at least each day.
CHALLENGE: How much light are you manifesting to those around you today? Remember if we are not the light, we contribute to the darkness. That is not honoring the LORD. Light up your world with your life for Christ!!!
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