A few weeks ago I taught on this chapter of Isaiah in Adult Bible Class at Concordia (ABC). This is my follow-up to that teaching, in hopes that if I went too quickly through the material, people can go back and get clarification on some of the points and references I made.
1 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.
The Advent of a new day for Jerusalem (and for all of Israel) has dawned. Light has come! Because the glory (כָּבוֹד) of YHWH is upon them.
That's a theologically-rich Hebrew word. Used hundreds of times throughout the OT. When you think of glory in relation to YHWH, you probably start associating that word with things like the pillar of fire, or the pillar of cloud, or the "devouring fire on top of the mount" at Sinai, amongst other things.
It's the manifest presence of YHWH, in the presence of His people.
In the Septuagint, which is a greek-translation of the Hebrew Old Testament the word used for "glory" in Isaiah 60 is δόξα.
This same word is used in the opening words of John's Gospel:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -John 1:1
This prophetic text from Isaiah anticipates the day when the fullest expression of YHWH's glory (which is revealed in the Incarnate Son) comes/returns to His Holy City to reign as King. Johannine literature, especially Revelation is awash with the language and symbolism of Isaiah's prophecies. More on this in just a few verses.
These opening verses of Isaiah 60 are evocative of Genesis 1 to me. There's darkness (חשֶׁךְ), thick darkness (וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל) covering the face of the earth. And YHWH will be light-bringer (Gen. 1:3), just as He was at the dawning of the world.
By the way, that word for thick darkness (וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל) occurs 15 other times in the Old Testament. In many of those instances, it is a word that is used in association with the glory (כָּבוֹד) of YHWH! It's actually indicative of His presence, which seems unusual. For instance, take a look at this description in Exodus 20:21, "As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud (or "thick darkness" עֲרָפֶל) where God was." Or Deuteronomy 4:11, "YHWH spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness (עֲרָפֶל)." David actually describes YHWH as having "dark storm clouds (עֲרָפֶל) beneath his feet," in 2 Samuel 22:10. Just an interesting word I had encountered many other times, but I had never associated it with the presence of YHWH. |
The magnificence of this new day of YHWH's glory will draw the nations and their kings to Jerusalem.
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.
The children of Israel are coming home.
This has always been the hope and the promise for the people of Israel. Going back to the beginning of the story, connecting us all the way to the calling of Abram (pre-Covenant name for Abraham and whose story is very prominent in the upcoming verses of Isaiah). Abram is first called in Genesis 12, which is where we get the first mention of a promised land. YHWH calls Abram, leads him to the land of Canaan, and tells him, "To your offspring I will give this land."
YHWH doubles-down on this promise again in chapter 13:14-17. Then in chapter 14, you have this weird encounter between Abram and a character named Melchizedek. We don't know much about Melchizedek; he's mysterious but very important.
Here's the text from Genesis 14:18-20. I'm including it in this blog because of the location where this takes place:
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was the priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!'
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
Here's what we can gather from these verses:
Melchizedek's name comes from two roots. King (melechi מַלְכִּי) + righteous (tsedeq צֶדֶק) = My king is righteousness
He is called King of Salem. But what is Salem? It's in the name -- Jeru-Salem ("Jerusalem" means city. "Salem" or "shalom" mean peace). Salem is Jerusalem. And Genesis 14:17 mentions that this interaction takes place "at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley)." The Valley of Shevah is on the eastern edge of the city of Jerusalem. So we're at the central location of this whole story -- the holy city. The place where all of this starts and the place where Isaiah sees this story reaching its culmination.
Melchizedek brings Abram what looks an awful lot like a Covenant meal (bread and wine).
He is called the priest of God Most High, which is odd because the Levitical order of priests has not been established yet, seeing as this is way before Moses, Exodus, and Sinai. So, there was some sort of true worship to YHWH (before the revelation of His name in Exodus 3) as God Most High that was taking place in the time of Abram... by someone other than Abram. And if Melchizedek is a priest, it would make sense that he would be offering sacrifices, so naturally the questions arise, "Whose this guy offering sacrifices for?" "How did he get this job?" "Why aren't we told more?" "What is the nature of this priesthood?" "Are there others? Or, is Melchizedek the first and last of his order?"
He blessed Abram (immediately prior to Abraham receiving the Covenant in the next chapter) in the name of God Most High.
And Abram gives this guy a tenth of everything! Abram gives Melchizedek a tithe!
The next chapter picks up with Abraham's vision. In it, YHWH tells him, "I am YHWH who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." And YHWH also tells him that his descendants will suffer 400 years of sojourning and affliction in a foreign land, but that He will bring them back to this place, to Salem. And boom! Covenant formally enacted between YHWH and Abram.
Jumping forward in the narrative, I recently preached on Exodus 16 (the story of manna), but in the previous chapter -- Exodus 15 -- Moses and the people sing these words to YHWH after His deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh and his chariots at the Yam Suph (Sea of Reeds).
"You will bring them in (Israel) and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O YHWH, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O YHWH, which your hands have established. YHWH will reign forever and ever."
The sanctuary (מִקְדָּשׁ) which in Exodus is obviously pointing us forward in the story to the Temple that Solomon will build on Mount Moriah for YHWH, in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Zion, the Mountain of God... these places are foundational to the identity of Israel (specifically referring to OT-Israel). Their future, their hope has always been tied to this land, the land that is their inheritance, the land where God dwells.
So, naturally, Isaiah's vision anticipates the day when Israel's birthright is restored.
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.
Abundance, wealth, a multitude... It's probably best not to over-read the symbolism of the imagery described in these verses. The point is relatively simple: The nations are bringing the "fat" of their lands (wealth, abundance, camels, flocks, rams, etc.) as tribute to the God that shines forth and reigns from Zion.
The final verse of this text speaks of YHWH's "beautiful house." This is a parade, a royal procession of the nations to the House of YHWH, the Temple, the dwelling place of His glory amongst His people.
And here's where we encounter another similarity between Johannine literature and the prophecies of Isaiah. John, near the end of his life, has a similar vision to Isaiah 60 that's recorded in Revelation 21. It's a vision of a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. I'll spend more time on the similarities of those two texts later in the chapter, but for now, I want to highlight a key difference between the two visions. In Isaiah's prophecy, as I've already mentioned, Isaiah envisions a future where all the world processes to a new dwelling place of God in the midst of Jerusalem, bringing their gifts. He uses the language of house (בּיִת) in verse 7 and sanctuary (מִקְדָּשׁ) in verse 13, which we'd naturally associate with the OT understanding of the Temple, Tabernacle, etc. John, on the other hand, describes the New Jerusalem, but in his description there is explicitly no temple building (ναός). Why? Revelation 21:22, "For the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." So what gives? The prophet Isaiah is, in a sense, constrained to the available language of his time. He's describing the same future reality, but he's filtered it through his theological framework and understanding. Or, I guess you could argue that Isaiah is describing the future in the way that the people of his time could comprehend. Imagine you are someone who lived during the destruction of the First Temple, or shortly thereafter. You'd be longing for the day when the Temple was rebuilt for many reasons:
So, maybe Isaiah did see the Incarnate Christ (the Lamb) in the midst of the New Jerusalem. I guess I can't say either way, but I can say that he is using the language available to him to make this prophetic vision accessible to the first hearers of this prophecy. |
Go back to Isaiah 60:5-7. You may have noticed that I highlighted the names of the nations/people in those verses in purple. What do each of these nations/people have in common?
The answer comes from Genesis 25, which lists the descendants and nations that come from the lineage of Abraham. These are from the children born to Abraham not from Sarah, but from his other wife, Keturah, and his concubine, Hagar (from that particularly unsavory story in Genesis 16).
Isaiah is describing a time when all the sons of Abraham will turn to the glory of YHWH and inherit the land. This is the hope and the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 15, which I referenced earlier. However, here are the key components of the Covenant: Abraham would have numerous offspring, a land to possess, and the final part of the Covenant (and the most important part) from Genesis 22:18, "and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
So now, as the vision continues to develop, as all of the sons of Abraham return to the land of their progenitor, the blessing of the Covenant will extend beyond the sons of Abraham to all the nations of the world.
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.
What are the ships of Tarshish? And where do they come from?
It's hard to say with any certainty. That said, the "ships of Tarshish" are described in Chronicles as ships of commerce and trade, coming from a place in the Mediterranean.
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.
This is quite the reversal for Jerusalem.
Note that the words, "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," have dual-fulfillment.
For the first fulfillment of this prophecy, we look to the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah, where Cyrus (king of the Medo-Persian or Achaemenid Empire) permits the people of Israel to return home, to rebuild their Temple after it had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon in 587 BC ("for in my wrath I struck you").
In that story, not only does Cyrus permit it, but in his decree he orders that "all expense will be paid by the royal treasury," and that whatever riches were taken from the Temple by the Babylonians be returned to Jerusalem. (Ezra 6:4-5)
This edict was somehow lost after Cyrus' rule, but the eventual successor, Darius I, orders that a search be made for the edict and when it is found, he honors it. The Temple is then rebuilt and consecrated during the reign of Darius I (Ezra 6:13-18). This is the same Temple that Jesus would have encountered during His earthly life and ministry.
In ABC, I highlighted something important about the story of the consecration of the Second Temple. But first, let me start with what takes place at the consecration of the First Temple.
Here's that text, "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory (כָּבוֹד) of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, 'The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud (עֲרָפֶל); I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.'” -1 Kings 8:10-13.
Pretty cool, eh? There are those Hebrew words again that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog! The glory (כָּבוֹד) of YHWH fills the room! [That chapter has some really cool typological significance in verse 19, when David's son "his own flesh and blood" builds a house for YHWH's name -- partial fulfillment pointing to ultimate fulfillment in David's son, Jesus. The True Temple.]
Anyway, take that first story. Remember that story. Now compare it to this story of the Second Temple's consecration in Ezra 6:16-18:
"Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses."
What's conspicuously missing from the consecration/dedication of the Temple?
Where's the glory (כָּבוֹד)? Why isn't YHWH's presence filling the space? Because this isn't the ultimate fulfillment of the promise in Isaiah 60.
Tying directly to the language of Isaiah 60, though, is the imagery of "walls being rebuilt." Nehemiah tells this story of partial fulfillment. Chapter 2:8 says this, "And I (Nehemiah) said to the king, 'If it pleases the king (Artaxerxes I the grandson of Darius I), let letters be given me to the governors of the province beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.' And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me."
So, between Cyrus, Darius I, and Artaxerxes I a bunch of foreign kings rebuilt and ministered to Jerusalem. However, as I've said this isn't the final fulfillment of this prophetic vision. In fact, hundreds of years later the Second Temple and the city walls would again be destroyed by a foreign power (Rome) in 70 AD.
Verses 11 is a powerful image, given the history of the city. A city where the gates do not shut is a city that fears no threat of danger. Day and night they remain open because there is no longer any power to oppose the people of God. This is complete victory. Complete rest. Complete shalom. The City of Peace will finally live up to its billing.
Note the shared language between this prophecy and Revelation 21, again.
Isaiah 60:11 | Revelation 21:24-26 |
|---|---|
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. | The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. |
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.
Not only is there no longer a threat to the city, but those who did "afflict", those who did "despise" they aren't simply destroyed... Their hearts are changed. They're humbled. They take on the posture of worship to the Holy One of Israel. A God that can change a man's heart is more powerful to me than a God that simply destroys His opposition.
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.
The imagery of verse 16 is queer which is what makes it so profound. To nurse at the breast of kings shows that the power structures of the world are being flipped on their heads. Kings becoming like mothers, nurturing and nourishing.
I bolded the word "Redeemer" in vese 16, as well, which is גָּאַל in Hebrew. This is an avenger, one who buys back their relatives property, a kinsman. This idea first pops up in Leviticus and then we see it's power play out in the story of Ruth, where Boaz acts as a kinsman-redeemer (גָּאַל) to buy back the life, property, and fortunes of Naomi and Ruth.
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.
Here's another point of similarity between Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21:
Isaiah 60:19 | Revelation 21:23 |
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 the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. |
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.
This last verse makes me think of Deuteronomy 7:7, "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that YHWH set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples."
Or Micah 5:2, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the lands of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
Or 1 Corinthians 1:28, "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence."
God repeatedly uses the least, the last, the meek, the insignificant to accomplish His most awesome work. You can see this in the characters He choose throughout the biblical narrative.
He chose Abraham, who had no children, to birth a nation that would bless the world. He chose Jacob not Esau, the second son, to receive the blessing of His father, Isaac. He chose Judah, not Reuben to be given the scepter. He chose Moses, an exile and murderer to lead His people out of Egypt. He chose Jesse's youngest son, David, to be king.
He sent His Son, not to a powerful nation, but instead to a virgin, betrothed to a carpenter, living in a podunk, back-water town called Nazareth, to a group of people occupied by a foreign power. He didn't send Him to assemble a mighty military, or to carry out a coup to seize political power, but instead to relinquish power, to suffer and die an unrighteous death, at the very hands of the people He came to save.
And in this Son YHWH has built the perfect house for His name. A Temple that dwells with His people, forever. The place of His (כָּבוֹד), the True Light that draws the nations to Him, and the blessing of all the peoples of the world.