In a few short days many people will gather to reunite our families around a table full of food.  I pray there will be laughter as memories are recalled while making new ones on this day.  Most of all I pray that God will be given the glory and thanks for all He has done, is doing and will do in all the details of our lives here on earth.  Some who gather with us have walked out on God but not on the family yet.  So may our lives as believers be evident at the table of God’s blessings so that God’s love and light in us will attract a reunion between the lost and God.

Isaiah is foretelling the reunion of Israel back to Jerusalem and much more.  The Babylonian captivity had been the nation’s darkest hour, but that is not the darkness that Isaiah was describing. He was describing the awful darkness that will cover the earth during the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18) when God punishes the nations of the earth for their sins. God’s judgement gets worse before it gets better.  Along with this prophecy, Isaiah is also describing the glorious light that will come to Israel when her Messiah returns to reign in Jerusalem.  His words are parallel to the words John will write as a result of God’s Revelation to him on the island of Patmos!  Pay attention!  “Put your face in the sunlight, God’s bright glory has risen for you.”

Isaiah 60, The Message

People Returning for the Reunion

^1-7 “Get out of bed, Jerusalem!
    Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.
    God’s bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,
    all people sunk in deep darkness,
But God rises on you,
    his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    kings to your sunburst brightness.
Look up! Look around!
    Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you:
Your sons coming from great distances,
    your daughters carried by their nannies.
When you see them coming you’ll smile—big smiles!
    Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the reunion,
    a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!
And then streams of camel caravans as far as the eye can see,
    young camels of nomads in Midian and Ephah,
Pouring in from the south from Sheba,
    loaded with gold and frankincense,
    preaching the praises of God.
And yes, a great roundup
    of flocks from the nomads in Kedar and Nebaioth,
Welcome gifts for worship at my altar
    as I bathe my glorious Temple in splendor.

What’s That We See in the Distance?

^8-22 “What’s that we see in the distance,
    a cloud on the horizon, like doves darkening the sky?
It’s ships from the distant islands,
    the famous Tarshish ships
Returning your children from faraway places,
    loaded with riches, with silver and gold,
And backed by the name of your God, The Holy of Israel,
    showering you with splendor.
Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings assist you in the conduct of worship.
When I was angry I hit you hard.
    It’s my desire now to be tender.
Your Jerusalem gates will always be open
    —open house day and night!—
Receiving deliveries of wealth from all nations,
    and their kings, the delivery boys!

Any nation or kingdom that doesn’t deliver will perish;
    those nations will be totally wasted.
The rich woods of Lebanon will be delivered
    —all that cypress and oak and pine—
To give a splendid elegance to my Sanctuary,
    as I make my footstool glorious.
The descendants of your oppressor
    will come bowing and scraping to you.
All who looked down at you in contempt
    will lick your boots.

They’ll confer a title on you: City of God,
    Zion of The Holy of Israel.
Not long ago you were despised refuse—
    out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored.
But now I’ve put you on your feet,
    towering and grand forever, a joy to look at!
When you suck the milk of nations
    and the breasts of royalty,

You’ll know that I, God, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob.
I’ll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs!
    Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron,
    bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones.
I’ll install Peace to run your country,
    make Righteousness your boss.
There’ll be no more stories of crime in your land,
    no more robberies, no more vandalism.
You’ll name your main street Salvation Way,
    and install Praise Park at the center of town.
You’ll have no more need of the sun by day
    nor the brightness of the moon at night.
God will be your eternal light,
    your God will bathe you in splendor.
Your sun will never go down,
    your moon will never fade.
I will be your eternal light.
    Your days of grieving are over.

All your people will live right and well,
    in permanent possession of the land.
They’re the green shoot that I planted,
    planted with my own hands to display my glory.
The runt will become a great tribe,
    the weakling become a strong nation.
I am God.
    At the right time I’ll make it happen.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Arise, shine” is God’s wake-up call to Jerusalem because a new day is dawning for Israel. This light is not from the sun but from the glory of God shining on the city.

Isaiah saw ships and caravans bringing people and wealth to Jerusalem.  In this holy reunion, however, he also saw that the nations refusing to honor the Lord and His city would be judged. He saw that even Israel’s old enemies will submit and help to serve the Lord.  We learn that when God intervenes, the whole world takes notice!

The Lord, through Isaiah, describes some of the joys and wonders of the glorious kingdom under His rule and protection.  John, beloved disciple of Jesus, exiled to an island for preaching the Good News, used some of the characteristics of the millennial Jerusalem when he described the Holy City (Rev. 21–22): The sun never sets; no sorrow is there; the gates never close; and so forth. But the city Isaiah described is the capital city of the restored Jewish nation, and Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of David and judge righteously. The Jewish “remnant” will increase and fill the land according to prophecy.

“I am God. At the right time I’ll make it happen.” –God

The benefits of believing and trusting God:

• When we wait on God, trusting Him to do what only God can do, our lives will reflect His glory on our faces!
• When we repent of our sins, God forgives—and forgets them all!  Freedom at last!  Redeemed people are guilt free people.
• When we lay down our will for God’s will, peace, joy, wisdom, and love grow in us—even in (and especially through) the struggles of this world. 
• When we seek God first each day with a heart’s desire to grow in a deeper relationship with Him, our lives are never the same and certainly not stagnant.  Adventures with God become plentiful!
• Everything good we tried to do by ourselves is now suddenly magnified exponentially when we allow God to do what He must in us—working from the inside out. 

Lord,

I know You will make it happen.  You are always at work whether we see it or not, believe it or not.  I do believe.  I pray for the day when all the lost ones of my family will arise and see you for who you are—their hope, salvation, and peace and reunite with You completely.  I pray that our reunions this season will be sweet and joyous as we gather in your Name to give you thanks.  I thank you now for saving my soul and making me whole—daily.  You are my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen