Give Light!

Isaiah 60:1-5 Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5 Then you shall see, and flow together, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto you.

Isaiah begins with two imperatives: Arise! Give light! In other words, give forth the revelation! Turn loose the presence of the Lord! Emit the light! Give light! for your light is come!

It’s interesting that the Lord would say it this way, “Your light is come!” It is a declaration, and He speaks it so because at the moment it doesn’t feel as though His light has come. He has been working it in us, and we’re always more aware of His dealings than what He is creating in us. So He is saying, “Your light is come!” Notice the present tense, “Your light is come!” So begin giving light.

Verse 1 …and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

He tells us that because we’re not as aware of His glory upon us as we should be.

I Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

If you have been going through the work of the cross, you should know something about the fiery trial.

I Peter 4:13-14 But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.

You’re going through the dealings. You’re experiencing the fire. And Peter says, “Don’t think it is some strange thing happening to you. The glory of the Lord is resting upon you.” Our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29. He is the fire! When we are going through the fire that burns up the chaff of our flesh nature, it is lit by His presence. He is a consuming fire!

We tend to be more aware of the negative aspects. But the fire and the glory are one and the same thing, although we don’t always recognize it as so. If we are going through the fire, it is because the glory of the Lord is resting upon us.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

You may not feel like a light or very glorious. You may not realize that you are able to shine. But your light has come and the glory of the Lord is upon you. Now is the time to give light!

Isaiah 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.

Darkness usually represents spiritual ignorance. The people in darkness are the church-world. But the glory of the Lord will be manifested upon the remnant.

Isaiah 60:3-4 And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

Can you see the people coming to your light? The Lord calls things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17). That is what makes it happen. Now in order to really believe what He is saying you must see by revelation. Lift up your eyes! Lift up the eyes of your spirit; lift them to a higher realm. Do you not say, There are yet four months, and then comes harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are already white for harvest. John 4:35.

Isaiah 60:5 Then you shall see, and flow together, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come unto you.

A better rendering of the Hebrew is: your heart shall throb with excitement. There isn’t much excitement when the fire of God is burning up your chaff. But here He is saying, “You’re going to see! You’re going to flow together in an oneness! Your heart will throb with excitement!”

Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof goes forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns.

There must be some that will be first partakers of the glory of the Lord, to go through the fire and be the first shiners, the first to give light. The determination and dedication they need is a product of being tried by fire (I Peter 4:12-14). “Well,” you say, “He is burning up the chaff.” That’s true! But the fiery trial is also creating within us the ability to really believe. We just aren’t aware of how much unbelief is still in our hearts. The fire of God burns up the chaff of unbelief and out of that comes an intense dedication that says, For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof goes forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns!

This is a very important revelation, because it isn’t a dedication to break through into something for yourself. It is a dedication to see the whole Body of Christ becoming what God wants it to be. It is that dedication that says, “We’ve got to get this Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth” (Matthew 24:14). It is a dedication that’s determined! It is not self that we’re thinking about; it’s the whole church. And we won’t rest until her salvation is completed!

Isaiah 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory: and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

This is not spoken to the firstfruits that rise and shine to “give light” (Isaiah 60:1). This is what the Lord is speaking through them to the rest of the church.

Isaiah 62:3 You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

We’ve usually understood that to be God speaking to us, but it is what He is speaking through us to them.

Isaiah 62:4-5 You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate: but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah: for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you: and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

The church has been termed “Forsaken” and “Desolate” because of the barrenness. But now, through the prophetic Word, change comes and it is called “Hephzibah” and “Beulah.” Hephzibah means “My delight is in her,” and Beulah means “married.”

Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem…

Who are these watchmen He has set on the walls of Jerusalem? They are the ones in chapter 60 where He says, “Arise! Shine! Give light! For the glory of the Lord has come upon you.”

Isaiah 62:6 …which shall never hold their peace day nor night…

The watchmen are a prophetic company that proclaims the Word during the day and night. This is not speaking of the literal daytime and nighttime. The “day” is those periods when you know that the light is upon you and you are of the Day (I Thessalonians 5:5). And the “night” are those periods when you are not aware of the light upon you because the feelings aren’t there, but you are not moved by your feelings and you continue to give light, you continue to speak forth the Word.

Isaiah 62:6 …you that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence.

That speaking of the Word is the giving forth of the light spoken of Isaiah 60:1.

Isaiah 60:7 And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

“Give Him no rest,” because we know that He does the work and we are determined for Him to move through us. We dedicate ourselves to be the channels for Him to move through. “O God, we’re reminding you. We are Your channels. Give forth Your light through us. We’ll give You no rest, until You establish Your church and make it a praise in the earth.”

The Lord is saying, “It is time for you to give light. The glory of the Lord is upon you.” So much of the church is still in darkness. Let the Lord shine on them through you. Let there be light!

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