Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 3 (7)
Pray Psalm 102.12-14.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
Sing Psalm 102.12-14.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
But You, O LORD, abide forever in Your place.
Arise and stand on Zion’s side and lavish us with grace!
Revive Your Church, O LORD! Let all her dust and stones
be strengthened by Your mighty Word, and compact be as one.
Read Isaiah 60.1-3, 19-22; meditate on verses 19-22.
Preparation
1. What will accompany the coming of the Light?
2. How does the Light affect the sun and the moon?
Meditation
The immediate future may have looked dark for the people of Judah and Jerusalem. But their captivity in Babylon would be only for a season. They must look beyond that dark time, far ahead to the coming day of light and glory and salvation (vv. 1-3). And we must do the same, for although we who believe know the Lord’s great salvation right now, amid the darkness of our sad and weary world, we look forward, in hope and obedience, to an even brighter day of salvation yet to come.
Isaiah is given a glimpse into the new heavens and new earth, the time when we will no longer need the light of the sun or the moon, for the Light of God will shine perpetually and without obstruction (vv. 19, 20; cf. Rev. 22.1-5). Of course, this begins within the framework of history as we know it. Jesus, the Light of the world, has dawned, and His Light is overcoming the darkness and filling all the world (1 Jn. 2.8; Eph. 4.8-10). The use of “light” here implies many things, among them life, understanding, peace, joy, and more.
The effects of this on the people of God are to make them righteous and to glorify God in becoming a holy nation (vv. 21, 22). From one small people a strong nation shall grow to inherit the earth (NKJV: “land”, v. 21). As God had planted His people in the past, so He will plant them again, and they will glorify Him. This will be entirely a work of God’s grace, “The work of My hands.”
Isaiah keeps pulling out the lengths of his spyglass, leading the people of his day and ours to see far into the future, when, “in its time”, the Lord will bring His promises to full fruition, and His creation and people will be fully renewed and restored. We to whom this promise is given must nurture the vision of it in our minds, and devote ourselves to seeking it daily.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Contrasts. Our life is full of them.
Hate and love.
Sadness and joy.
Pain and comfort.
Winter and summer.
Hunger and satiety.
Cold and hot.
Sour and sweet.
Sharp and smooth.
Dark and light.
Sin and righteousness.
The one gives the other more meaning—
and heightens the experience of both.
Life without Jesus and with Jesus—the most obvious contrast of all.
The Bible is full of the contrast—one does not survive or thrive without Him.
“Arise, shine; for your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people;
but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you” (Is. 60.1, 2).
“But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise
with healing in His wings…” (Mal. 4.2).
“I AM the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life” (Jn. 8.12).
“You are the light of the world…let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5.14, 16).
“Therefore He says:
‘Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is…
be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5.14-18).
“But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory…
and the days of your mourning shall be ended” (Is. 60.19, 20).
“To comfort all who mourn,
to console those who mourn…
to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…that He may be glorified” (Is. 61.2, 3).
Take the world, but give me Jesus; in His cross my trust shall be,
Till, with clearer, brighter vision, face to face my Lord I see.
(Fanny J. Crosby, 1879)
Reflection
1. What does it mean to live in the Light of Jesus rather than the darkness of sin?
2. Why do we say that Jesus is the Light of the world?
3. What can you do to increase the Light of the world in your world?
[It is] as if he had said, “Do not judge of thy safety from the present appearance of things, but know that it is laid up in God. God will be thy sun, so that thou hast no need of borrowing light from the sun or the moon. Do not, therefore, dread any change or revolution of affairs; for thou shalt have a perpetual and unchangeable light.”. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Isaiah 60.19-22
Pray Psalm 102.15-28.
Pray the Light of the world will shine through you today, and that He will drive away the darkness over all the earth for a great awakening to the Lord.
Sing Psalm 102.15-28.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
Then let the nations fear the glory of the LORD!
For He shall in His Church appear to heed our sighing words.
Then let our children learn to praise the LORD above.
He hears their groans and knows they yearn to dwell within His love.
Yet let us tell God’s Name and praise His glorious grace;
let all as one His love proclaim together in this place.
Though now our strength is low; though shortened grow our days,
our God will not forsake us so, but keep us in His ways!
Of old You made the earth and heavens by Your hand.
Though they shall perish You endure; forever shall You stand.
They change, yet You remain the same, without an end.
Our children shall Your favor gain, and theirs shall be Your friend.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
