Isaiah 60:1-22

The history of the nation of Israel has been full of tragedy.  As God’s chosen people they have suffered under the oppression of nation after nation.  Most of these troubles have been brought upon themselves through their own immorality and idolatry but that can be said of every nation on the planet.  Isaiah paints a very different picture of Israel’s future.  He sees a time of peace and prosperity in which Israel will be greatly blessed by the surrounding nations as well as the presence of God.  The description of this chapter does not seem to fit into any part of Israel’s past and it cannot be describing a heavenly state because of the punishment mentioned of rebellious nations.  The only conclusion I can make is that this chapter must foresee a future kingdom that will take place in the Millennium. 

ISRAEL WILL BE ENRICHED BY GENEROUS NATIONS: Historically the nations have come flocking to Israel in order to pillage her, destroy her and take her away as captives.  Isaiah sees a day when the nations of the world will come pouring into the gates of Israel both night and day brining gifts and wealth for the purpose of worship and not war.  They will see the nation of Israel as a beacon of light to which they can come and seek the Lord, learn of Him and bring offerings of thanksgiving to Him.  Israel will be seen as a center for worship of the Lord and will experience amazing peace, prosperity and the glory of God will be upon the nation.  God told Abraham that He would bless all the nations through Israel and that He would bless those nations who blessed Israel.  This seems to be exactly what is described in these verses.  We can rest assured that God is faithful to keep His promises and the promises He makes to His people will be fulfilled.  He is faithful even when we are not and He is sovereign over all of the events of this world even when we do not understand them.


ISRAEL WILL BE ENLIGHTENED BY THE GLORIOUS GOD: Besides having the nations flock into the land, the very presence of God will be there.  His glory will radiate from the nation both day and night.  The walls of Jerusalem will shine with the splendor of His presence.  King Jesus, Messiah will reside in this place and His glory will make the sun and moon of no consequence.  Righteousness will reign supreme in the nation and there will be perfect peace.  The land will be a perpetual possession of the nation of Israel.  The number of people in the nation will multiply exponentially and the productivity of the people will be astounding.  All of this will happen for one specific purpose: the glory of God and for only one reason: the grace of God.  Israel is not worthy of this blessing just like all the other nations; but God has purposed this in His plan so that His grace and His glory might shine forth for all to see and so all might rejoice in the glory of being to worship at His feet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows into our lives.  These blessings from God are always available to us as long as we remember the
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.    By the Holy Spirit   who dwells within us, guard   the good deposit entrusted to you. There is nothing more important th
Read more

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more