The *Lord is speaking to ‘*Jerusalem’. ‘*Jerusalem’ refers to both the city and its inhabitants. So, through this whole chapter, ‘you’ means both the city and its inhabitants. • ‘Rise’ means ‘get up to act’. The action is ‘to shine’. That is, the people are to express bright hope for their future,... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS GOD’S PROMISES TO HIS SPECIAL PEOPLE ISAIAH CHAPTER S 58 TO 66 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 60 NEW *JERUSALEM WILL BE SPLENDID V1 ‘Rise, *Jerusalem, and shine like the sun! The *glory of the *Lord is shining on you! V2 Darkness covers the earth. Black night covers... [ Continue Reading ]
God’s gift of special light is for his people when they obey him (see Isaiah 9:2 and Isaiah 58:8). The ‘light’ refers to the witness that God’s people give to the nations.... [ Continue Reading ]
Light attracts attention. Foreign nations will notice what happens. They will want to share the same experience. CROWDS ARE COMING TO *JERUSALEM V4 ‘Look about you! See what is happening! Your people are gathering to come home together. Your sons and your daughters are coming from distant countri... [ Continue Reading ]
The ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ refer to the families from *Jerusalem which were in *exile. Now the *Lord makes it possible for them to return home. This continues the word picture in Isaiah 49:17-21.... [ Continue Reading ]
All the areas in this list were in the desert called Arabia. The people who lived there were called Arabs. They were busy merchants. They used *camels to carry their goods over long distances. • People in Israel usually obtained gold (see Isaiah 2:7) and *frankincense (see Isaiah 43:23) by trade. A... [ Continue Reading ]
As picture words, ‘ships, clouds, birds, nests’ describe a busy scene of action. Former enemies are now eager to bring back harmony and beauty to the city that once they tried to destroy. They do not stop to wonder why they have changed their attitude. It was the *Lord who caused this to happen. EN... [ Continue Reading ]
The *Lord had been angry because the people refused to obey him. The people’s punishment was to become *exiles for many years in Babylon.... [ Continue Reading ]
Normally, men shut the city’s gates each evening to give protection to the inhabitants. But now there is no danger. The *Lord is in complete control.... [ Continue Reading ]
Only the very best materials are good enough for the *Lord’s *Temple. Centuries earlier, King Solomon obtained the help of the *Gentile people from Lebanon (see 1 Kings 5:2-9). They provided wood for the *Temple. • The *Lord’s *Temple is holy, because the holy *Lord is there. THE *LORD CHANGES ATT... [ Continue Reading ]
Whether people realise it or not, their deepest desires can find true satisfaction only in the God of Israel. That is true about the desires both of people, and of whole nations. THE *LORD WILL ESTABLISH TRUE PEACE V17 ‘Instead of ordinary metals, I will bring gold and silver to you. I will bring... [ Continue Reading ]
You will have all the materials that you need for the *Temple. This was what happened in the days of King Solomon (see 1 Chronicles 29:7).... [ Continue Reading ]
To give names to the walls and gates is a double word picture. The first means that the *Lord himself will protect his people like a strong wall. The second means that the people will praise the *Lord because of his actions on their behalf. THE BRIGHT (AND WONDERFUL) FUTURE V19 ‘The sun will no l... [ Continue Reading ]
This does not mean that the sun and moon will disappear. Rather, it means that God’s people will not need their light. Their light cannot compare with the *Lord’s far brighter light. And unlike the light of the sun and moon, the *Lord’s light will never end (see Zechariah 14:6-7; Revelation 21:22-25... [ Continue Reading ]
The ‘sad days’ refer to the people’s first sight of the state of their land. Enemies had ruined it while the people were away as *exiles in Babylon.... [ Continue Reading ]
The *Lord made such a promise to Abraham many centuries earlier (see Genesis 18:18). JERUSALEM ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. GLORY ~ the splendid beauty and wonderful li... [ Continue Reading ]