Arise, shine; for your light has come
Isaiah 60:1-3 Believers can bask in the light and love of Jesus, and joyfully anticipate the day when we will all be fully immersed in His glory.
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 NASB1995
Back in the days when I was first starting to do a Bible In One Year program, I admit that I found myself excited by the New Testament, but yawning at the Old Testament. Many years later, I am enjoying deep dives into certain parts of the Old Testament, particularly the many verses that foretell the eventual coming of the Messiah and the redemption of mankind through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. Isaiah is a favorite of mine thanks to the beautiful writing as well as the accurate prophecy contained in it.
The title of this section of Isaiah varies depending on the translation used: the NASB95 and KJV use “A Glorified Zion”, the CSB “The Lord’s Glory in Zion”, and the NLT starts off with “Future Glory for Jerusalem”. The opening phrase “Arise, shine; for your light has come” is particularly welcome after the darkness described in parts of Isaiah 59, and refers to the glorious rescue of the people by the Redeemer.
God is telling His people through Isaiah to respond to the light — arise and shine, as if they are waking to a new and wonderful day! God provides us His light, and we’re not just supposed to roll over and go back to sleep — we need to respond to Him.
The next verse is equally stunning: “And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” As I read this line, I was reminded of a line at the end of the movie The Right Stuff (1983), where astronaut Gordon Cooper (played by Dennis Quaid) is hurtling into space in his Mercury spacecraft. The unfiltered light of the sun shines through his spacecraft window, and he exclaims something like “The sunlight is coming through the window… and Lord, what a glorious light!”
Image from The Right Stuff (1983), a Ladd Company production, Warner Brothers
Enduring Word says of this verse:
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you: This is no earthly light; this is light that emanates from the glory of the LORD. This is like the light of Jesus in the Transfiguration, when His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). Sometimes harsh, bright light can be disturbing or uncomfortable — but not this warm, wonderful light that pulsates from the glory of the LORD.
Before this happens, God warns that “darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples”, but once the Lord shines His glorious light over Israel, all nations will see it and will come to the light. Even the powerful will find the “brightness of your rising” to be something they wish to be part of.
When will this happen? This prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, but will be in the Millennial Kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Christ and those who were martyred for their belief (Revelation 20:1-6). As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a bit timid about eschatology. For those who wish to learn more, I offer this link to Theopedia.
In the meantime, believers can bask in His light and love, and joyfully anticipate the day when we will all be fully immersed in His glory.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, we pray to You, thankful for the light that illuminates our lives through Jesus Christ. Your glory rises before us and dispels the darkness that had permeated our hearts and minds. We praise You for saving us from our sins, redeeming us, and turning our shame into honor. May our lives be a reflection of the light of the world, Jesus. AMEN.
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