“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
There is something about light that makes it a perfect description for everything that is good. God himself is described as light or introduced as dwelling in unapproachable light. Jesus is referred to as the true light who came from heaven. The Holy Spirit is also described as the Spirit of light. It is therefore safe to say that the triune God of the Bible is a God of light. In the opening chapter of the Bible, we are told that darkness covered the whole earth and the first thing God created was light. There is something special about light.
In the midst of gloom and darkness brought about by their sin, God, through the prophet Isaiah promised a day when he would arise and shine his glory upon his people. The effect would be that they would shine so bright that nations would come to their light and kings to the brightness of their rising. The apostle John tells us that that day finally came when the eternal Son of God took on flesh and dwelt among his people. “The true light, which gives light to everyone, came into the world.“ That light has risen on everyone who has repented and believed in the Lord Jesus.
The Christian, according to Peter, has been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of God. The implication of this transfer is titanic. The apostle John puts it so well, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another….“ And Jesus himself told his disciples, “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.“
May the Lord help us through his Spirit to shine brightly to the praise and glory and his name.
