ISAIAH 60:5-9

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2008

LOOK AND SEE WHAT IS COMING!

5 Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, And I will glorify the house of My glory.

8 " Who are these who fly like a cloud, And like doves to their roosts?

9 Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the LORD your God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He has glorified you. Isaiah 60:5-9 (NKJV)

LOOK AND SEE WHAT IS COMING can best describe this next section of Isaiah 60. In this part of the prophecy, Isaiah is telling the people that what they have been looking for for so long will soon be in their presence. He is talking about the material things, as people will be able to understand this. Then later he can move from this to the prophecy of what is to come.  I, as well as many other Pastors, also use this to help people understand the Scriptures.

In verse 5, "the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you" is very good news. On first reading you might think that it refers to the fishermen having record catches to provide food, but this is not what the reference implies. The abundance of the seas, in this case, is the merchandise on the ships that for years has bypassed them and taken those desired products to other distant lands. All of the goods on those ships shall be turned to you; that is, the ships shall turn from their normal course and turn toward the ports of your land. How excited the people must have been. They probably watched for days, maybe weeks or months, for the first sighting of those ships arriving, first as a dot on the distant seas, then growing larger and larger as they drew nearer to port. This would be of even greater excitement than the Day after Thanksgiving and the Day after Christmas sales or even hearing that the hard to get item has come into a store. The excitement is greater because the abundance, the wealth of the Gentiles, is something they may have heard about, but have not had before.

In verses 6 and 7 we find the description of what is seen when this abundance arrives from the seas. The multitude of camels and the dromedaries (young camels) are the means of transporting the goods that arrive from the seas as well as from neighboring countries. When it says they covered the land, it gives us a very good picture of line after line of laden camels bringing these long wanted items from afar. The people probably watched intently as these goods as well as the flocks of animals passed by.

It is in these verses that the prophecy is seen. The goods, the gold, the incense, the flocks are all being brought to glorify God. They are brought to the altar, not to be sacrificed but to be dedicated to the Glory of God. This is rather important because the people needed to know, and so do we, that these treasures first need to be given to the Glory of God. We are not told how they are used. A part of faith is to believe that God will use what we give to Him in the way that is best for us. It is like the words of a hymn that many know, "We give Thee but Thine own, whate’er the gift may be, All that we have is Thine alone, A trust O Lord, from Thee."

In verses 8 and 9 we can, with the prophet Isaiah, LOOK AND SEE WHAT IS COMING.  As the ships draw nearer, their white sails can be seen and it looks like clouds hovering over the water and wafting toward the shore. As they draw closer, the doves are seen flying to the ships to make their nests as if they are going home. All of the people, and all that they have, are coming home to give glory to the Redeemer. The people have been waiting for the Redeemer for so long that they leave everything they can’t bring and travel by land an by sea. You almost get the sense that these people who have held to the faith of the coming Messiah, are magnetically drawn to Him.

Only part of this prophecy has been fulfilled and we celebrate that part in this Epiphany Season. The shepherds came from the hillsides, the Wise Men came from the East and throughout the life of Jesus on earth, people came from all over to see Him, to hear Him, to worship Him, and to give Him Glory. They all came, the lame, the blind, the deaf, those with illnesses--both physical and demon possessed.

The prophecy remains to be fulfilled again. Only one question remains. LOOK FOR WHAT IS COMING AGAIN!  If it comes today, will you be looking for it and be present to witness it?

WE PRAY: Help me to always be looking for those clouds on which you will descend to us. You have given to us the words of prophecy through Isaiah and other prophets. You have given us the Words of Jesus, your only Begotten Son and His disciples. Help me to turn to them and be prepared at all times for your return. AMEN.

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

This suggestion is different than others I have offered as it only applies to a small part of the Devotion. The prophet looked toward the sea and saw what looked like clouds moving across the water toward the shore This had meaning for him. The suggestion is that each day you take time to look at the environment. Watch the clouds as they flow through the sky, the wind as it rustles through the trees, the trash as it moves about the ground or through the air, the birds and other creatures as they go through their daily life. Just look and in a quiet few moments, allow God to speak to you through His Creation.