To Read: Isaiah 60:1-6
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.
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.
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.
Isaiah picks up similar themes introduced in Isaiah 9 surrounding the Messiah – that light has come into great darkness. John’s gospel, in its introduction, reiterates the same theme – that Jesus is this light that has come to dispel darkness. Notice that in the first verse it says that you should arise and you should shine because this light has come. Jesus would say “you are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14-16). HIs light is now our light and we should let that light shine! It is a beautiful picture – that his radiance now shines through his church, through believers in Christ! Even as you together read a devotional like this, or sing together, or enjoy a meal together – we are lights in the darkness – so keep up the good work.
Then Isaiah turns his prophetic sights outside of Israel – the nations shall come, it says, to your light. It should not be lost on us that some of the first visitors to the baby Jesus were shepherds (the lowest class of people in Israel) and then the wise men from the east (not Israelites at all). You’ve got plenty of animals in the scene (God’s creation bowing to him), a wide spectra of social classes (shepherds and astrologers) and people from Israel and the surrounding nations. Jesus is truly Savior of all kinds of people. The people from Sheba were from places east of the Red Sea, most likely in a region of Saudi Arabia near Yemen.
This is a prophecy about the Wise Men who would come to pay homage to the king of the world (Matthew 2). We will get to the significance of their gifts in a further study, but take notice that God has planned these events hundreds of years in advance and has his aim in saving anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, ingrafting the Gentiles into the family of God (Galatians 3), for those who believe. You are most likely a Gentile yourself (meaning non-Jewish). Rejoice for the Lord has brought salvation for all, and that you are a recipient of the mission of God, that God would make for himself a family from Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), to incorporate people from all tribes, tongues, and nations – that’s you!
Song to Sing: The Light Came Down by Josh Garrels
This may be one that you don’t know, but this whole album by Josh Garrels is wonderful. Give it a listen and pay attention to the words!
Prayer: Lord, help me to remember where I have stood in the mission of God. That by your promises, the gospel would reach the ends of the earth, and that is where I stand right now. Thank you, Lord, for saving me. And thank you that the mission continues, that we get to go on being a light in the world. I pray for my neighbors, and family members, and friends, who have yet to come to the light. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Echoes of Eden: Giving Gifts! What an excellent way to model the story of Jesus’ birth – give gifts like the wise men gave gifts, and keep in mind that we are remembering Christ as the greatest gift of all!