“Arise,
shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen
upon you. 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. And nations shall come to your light, and
kings to the brightness of your rising.” – Isaiah
60:1-3 (ESV).
This
prophecy has a two-fold emphasis. The Messiah, who is the Light to
all nations, will come. Then, because He has come, God will put His
light and beauty upon the people, attracting the nations to the Light
of Christ. Jesus said during His earthly ministry, “And I, when I
am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John
12:32, ESV). He spoke of the death whereby He would die as a
sacrifice for our sins; the cross is a sign beckoning all people to
come to redemption and faith in Him.
Isaiah
is foreseeing the glory of all of God’s people being united under
the Light. The bright future of God’s people calls for faith and
action. We cannot stand dormant in the Light. “The
Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen in you” (v. 2)
indicates that God will make a
clear distinction between His own people and those who still remain
in darkness, those who have not acknowledged Him. But
those with the Light have an obligation to bear His light:
The
fulfillment of this prophecy from Isaiah was spoken by Simeon when
Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem when
he was forty days old. There old Simeon blessed Jesus and said,
“Lord, now You are letting
Your servant depart in peace according to Your word; for my eyes have
seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all
peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to
Your people Israel” (Luke
2:29-32, ESV). Imagine the joy old Simeon had in seeing and holding
the Son of God! He had been promised the privilege of doing so
before his death, and the occasion of Jewish purification of Mary and
child was the event that linked the prophecy to the fulfillment
Simeon was experiencing. This is another example of how God fulfills
what He promises.
Jesus’
declaration can be true for all His followers: “I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life”
(John 8:12, ESV). He furthermore told us to be lights for Him: “You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand,
and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your
light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and
give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew
5:14-16, ESV). To be light is to wield positive influence. We speak
of coming to the light of the truth. A single candle can banish the
darkness in a room. Likewise, a Christian life, lived under the
direction, influence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ can make an
untold difference in lighting others to Him for salvation. This is
every Christian’s calling: to come to the Light and to reflect His
light.
Prayer.
Lord, Christmas was filled with light. The star shone to lead Wise
Men to Jesus at Bethlehem. “The
glory of the Lord” that
surrounded the shepherds as they heard the announcement by the angels
of the Savior’s birth was accompanied by a great light. And Jesus,
the Light of the world, tells us, “You
are the light of the world!” Let
us arise, shine, for our light
is come!” In December in
most of our churches, we have a double emphasis: remembering the
coming of the Lord Christ to earth, and fulfilling his commission to
“go, tell, share, bear light to others!” May we be faithful!
Amen.
–Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.14.2014.
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