“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. 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.
The fulfillment of this prophecy 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 of old Simeon 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 occasion that linked the prophecy to the event Simeon was
experiencing. This is another example of
how God fulfills what He promises.
Jesus Himself said, “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 must have been surrounded by
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!” Amen.
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