Isaiah 60:15-22

3. GOODNESS

TEXT: Isaiah 60:15-22

15

Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine executors righteousness.

18

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19

The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory,

20

Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy morning shall be ended.

21

Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22

The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation: I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time.

QUERIES

a.

What does Isaiah mean by Zion sucking the milk of the nations?

b.

Why would Zion need only Jehovah for light?

c.

How does the little one become a thousand?

PARAPHRASE

Zion, you have been laughed at and scoffed at by the world because it never believed what you proclaimed about your God. You have also been despised for your hypocrisy and profligacy. Although you have been mocked and shunned by the world, I am going to make you so exalted and majestic for all eternity you will be an object of rejoicing for millions. You shall be fed and grow into beautiful maidenhood from the life and vitality that comes from the nations of the world. Kings and great leaders of these nations shall become part of that food that shall be given you. When this comes to pass you will compare the experience with the predictions I have made in My Word and you will know that I, the God of the Jews, am the only God there is! Only the best will be good enough for you Zion. You will be built with that which is superior and precious instead of that which is inferior. Failing, faltering human rulers will no longer be needed in Zion because I will put Peace and Righteousness upon her throne. There will be no more violence in her midst. Desolation and destruction will be banished from within Zion. My Salvation and My Praise will protect her like walls around a city. She will no longer be dependent upon mere reflections of My Glory for her light, but she shall have the ultimate origin and source of all Light, My Person, illuminating her forever. There will never again be sadness or grief with Zion. Her citizens will all be made righteous and they shall all be given the eternal inheritance I promised them and this will cause all the world to see My glory. From a small and insignificant remnant Zion shall grow into an innumerable multitude of people forming a universal kingdom. I, Jehovah, will accomplish this according to My time schedule of the world's history.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 60:15-17 RICHES: The time came when the glorious land (Palestine) and the holy city (Jerusalem) was an object of ridicule and mockery. After Assyrian invasion of Israel in 722 B.C. and the deportation of the ten northern tribes (and the immigration of foreigners into the unoccupied territory) came the Babylonian invasion of Judah (606-586 B.C.). Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, tore down most of Jerusalem's walls and took the people back to Babylon as prisoners of war. The land of Palestine became inhabited by a nomadic people from the deserts and mostly pagan. The beautiful homes and luxuriant vineyards and productive farms of the Jews were allowed to deteriorate. The city of Jerusalem remained in a semi-ruined state until 70 years later when Nehemiah received word that it was in ruins (Nehemiah 1:1-4), and got permission to return and rebuild it. For two generations caravans, travelers and soldiers passed by Palestine and by the city of Jerusalem, wagging their heads and hissing (whistling) at the devastation. This was what God predicted (cf. Jeremiah 18:16; Jeremiah 19:8; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 25:18; Jeremiah 29:18; Lamentations 2:15-16; Micah 6:16). The world not only hissed at the land of Palestine, it also mocked the Jewish people. They had (until idolatry became so prevalent) claimed their God, Jehovah, was the only true God and that He was all-powerful. They also claimed He was righteous and holy. But they had become pagan themselves and were conquered by those they held in contempt as ignorant heathen. Suddenly they were mocked and shunned and despised. This was precisely predicted (Deuteronomy 28:15-46, esp. Deuteronomy 28:37).

From these despicable depths, however, God promises to rescue a remnant and form a New Zion which He will exalt and magnify eternally. The Hebrew word ge-'on is translated excellency; it means to grow up, to increase, to be lifted, exalted, majestic. The Lord is going to make the New Zion majestic and an object of rejoicing for succeeding generations (millions of people).

The interesting phrase in Isaiah 60:16, Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, is a graphic figure of speech to portray the New Zion as a hungry nursing child feeding on the choicest products of the nations of the whole world. This has already been commented on in Isaiah 60:11. There have been the Augustines, Justin Martyrs, Pascals, Gladstones, Lincolns, Agassizes, Miltons, Handels, ad infinitum. the milk of the nations which have sustained Zion. There have been the millions and millions of little people, the salt of the earth people, the real jewels of each generation and nationality which have also come to Zion. The fact that great and small, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, weak and powerful may come together in a kingdom of peace redounds to the glory and praise of Jehovah who created Zion. The church itself is undeniable, empirical evidence of the existence of God. Isaiah 60:17 is a continuation of the idea that God is going to build New Zion from only the best of everything. There will be no inferior materials in building His New dwelling place (the church). There will be no more need for human rulers in New Zion (human rulers were oppressive and inferior) because she shall be ruled by Peace (see comments on Isaiah 59:8 for peace) and by Righteousness. In the church of Christ there are no positions of human rulershiponly servanthood. Elders, deacons and evangelists are not rulersthey are slaves, ruled over by the Prince of Peace and the King of Righteousness. The Hebrew word Jerusalem means righteousness-peace.

Isaiah 60:18-22 RIGHTEOUSNESS: AS important to the goodness Zion is to have as riches, is righteousness. Citizens of New Zion are not belligerent; they do not retaliate (they leave justice to be done by the proper authority); they do not war and fight against one another (Matthew 5:7; Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:21-26; Matthew 5:38-42; 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 5:25-28; James 4:1-12; 1 Peter 2:13-25, etc.). Citizens of New Zion have conformed their thinking and acting to the image of God's Son, Jesus Christ, and there is no violence in Zion. The New Zion is the only Zion of which this can be said. It certainly cannot apply to any literal, physical Zion or Jerusalem! The reason there is no violence in New Zion is that she is walled about by Salvation and Praise. Jesus pointed out to some men in His day that the kingdom of God had suffered a history of violent men wanting to take God's kingdom from Him and use it for their own violent purposes (cf. Matthew 11:7-15), but (the inference is) His coming to establish His rule as King would stop all that.

Some commentators think Isaiah 60:19-20 refer to the heavenly-consummation when heaven and earth shall have passed away and there is no more sun or moon (cf. Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5). Isaiah does not actually state here that the sun and moon will be done away, but merely that it is no longer to give light to Zion by day. It is possible that this is merely a figure to predict that all light (mental and spiritual illumination) except Divine Light will be excluded from the New Zion. The menorah (lamp-stand) in the Tabernacle in which only that oil made according to Divine formula could be burned typified the fact that in the Lord's dwelling place only Divine Light was to shine. Instructions concerning the Tabernacle also prohibited the Jews from allowing sunlight, moonlight or any other light to shine inside the tent. Jesus was the Light (John 1:4; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:46). The gospel is the Light (Acts 26:23; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:19; 1 John 1:5; 1 John 1:7; 1 John 2:9, etc.). Malachi predicts the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings (Malachi 4:2) which we believe to be a messianic prophecy. God's city will be changed from a physical, geographical Zion which has a physical sun to a spiritual, universal Zion which will have a spiritual Light.

Isaiah was directed to comfort Israel with the prediction that her warfare is ended (cf. Isaiah 40:1 ff, see comments there). Chapter s 60-66 are amplifications of that prediction. When New Zion is created, the days of mourning for God's people will be over (cf. comments Isaiah 25:6-9).

The crowning characteristic of New Zion will be the righteousness of her citizens. This is possible only because God has provided a satisfactory atonement and imputed His righteousness to Zion's citizenry (cf. comments Isaiah 53:11). Zion's citizens, declared righteous, must by righteous living be faithful to their calling, however, or they will not remain citizens. In other words, there is an imputed righteousness and a lived righteousness. The one who is justified and saved will do righteousness (cf. 1 John 3:4-10). Anyone born of God cannot go on sinning (deliberately). This is the correct understanding of the present tense Greek verb poiei in 1 John 3:9, and the present tense participle poion in 1 John 3:8. Present tense in Greek means continuing action. Citizens of Zion hunger and thirst after righteousness. As John says, ... let no one deceive you. the one continuing to do righteousness is righteous. the one continuing to do sin is of the devil. Ultimately, of course, we will be saved forever by God's imputed righteousness for we sin even after accepting by faith the grace of God (1 John 1:8; 1 John 2:1-2 was written to Christians). But if we repent (change our minds) and determine not to continue in a particular sin but rather keep His commandments, we are faithful citizens of Zion and we shall receive our inheritance. We are the human offspring of our earthly parents by their grace, so to speak, and we remain in the grace of our mothers and fathers only so long as we choose to be faithful to them. We are joined to our earthly spouse by his or her grace, but we remain in the love of that grace only so long as we are faithful.

When God's people are faithful and live righteously, God is glorified. And Zion's population is increased when God is glorified. The phrase The little one shall become a thousand. apparently means that the Lord will take the foolish, weak, and despised and confound the wise and powerful (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31). God will take what the world says can never become anything and give it increase and glory (cf. Micah 5:2); even Bethlehem of Ephrathah small among the claims of Judah will produce the Messiah, Jehovah will not follow man's timetable. He has His own seasons and times in His great redemptive work (cf. Daniel 9:20-27, see our comments there, College Press). The Lord fixes all times and seasons in His own authority (cf. Acts 1:6-7; Daniel 2:20-23). And the Lord will create New Zion in its time. Its time was, of course, in the days of the kings of the fourth kingdom (cf. Daniel 2:44); the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1 ff). The creative work of Zion's incarnate King began on a Sunday, as He mounted a colt, the foal of an ass, and rode toward physical Zion declaring Himself the prophesied King of Zechariah 9:1-10 coming to establish spiritual Zion.

QUIZ

1.

When was Jerusalem hated?

2.

What does the term excellency mean?

3.

What is the milk of nations?

4.

Which Zion would experience the cessation of violence?

5.

Are Isaiah 60:19-20 speaking literally or figuratively?

6.

What are the two aspects of righteousness the people of Zion shall have?

7.

What was the time Jehovah chose to create New Zion?