Isaiah 60:8-14

2. GAIN

TEXT: Isaiah 60:8-14

8

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

9

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10

And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee.

11

Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

12

For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14

And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

QUERIES

a.

What are the clouds and doves of verse eight?

b.

How would it be possible for foreigners to build Zion's walls?

c.

How would the nation that did not serve Zion perish?

PARAPHRASE

There are shadowy forms on the prophetic horizon drifting inexorably in our direction; they are like homing pigeons or doves going straight for their nests. Who are they: They are ships coming from all over the world bringing all those Gentile sons of Zion who have been waiting so long in darkness to find her. These ships of the prophetic future are bringing the real wealth of the world to Zion. They have been attracted to Zion because God has made her beautiful by giving her His redemptive glory and they want to be made a part of that beauty also. Yes, Gentiles are going to be participants in forming the future Zion; Gentiles will be co-laborers and fellow-citizens of that messianic city. Even some of the rulers of Gentile peoples will become citizens and serve the new Zion. I, Jehovah, am about to destroy the present city of Jerusalem, but I will in mercy also restore a remnant and through them eventually build the everlasting Zion. Access to the new Zion will be open as long as there are people deciding they want to take up citizenship. Nations from the ends of the earth will contribute their best and greatest resources to the new Zion; people great and small shall become willing captives of this glorious city. Those peoples and individuals who do not willingly surrender to Zion will perish. The attitude of many peoples toward you Zion, My dwelling place, will be reverence and a desire to give the best of their possessions to beautify you. Those who have been Zion's enemies will become willing citizens, humbling themselves and believing that what Jehovah has said about her belonging to Him is true. They shall willingly confess that you are Mine, that I dwell in You and that I am God.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 60:8-12 CITIZENS: Zion now arisen and awake to what God has been trying to communicate through the prophet begins to see dimly certain shadowy cloud-like forms of the prophetic ingathering of the world to herself. Isaiah has repeated and repeated the message. Like the inexorable movement of clouds and the magnet-like homing of doves the prophet's visions of masses of humanity coming to Zion has finally caught on in the mind of the remnant. So they ask, Who are these. ? The answer comes back immediately, They are the isles! (see comments on Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 20:6; Isaiah 23:2; Isaiah 23:6; Isaiah 40:15; Isaiah 41:2; Isaiah 41:5; Isaiah 42:4; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 42:12; Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 51:5). Tarshish was the great-grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:4), and considered to be the progenitor of a people along the western coastlands and islands of the Mediterranean. Tarshish is also conjecturally believed to be a form of the name of Tartessus, an ancient city located on the southern or eastern coast of Spain (see comments, Minor Prophets, Jonah 1:3, pg. 225, Butler, College Press). Tarshish probably represents the fartherest known reaches of traveled or commercialized civilization of that age. These people so long in darkness waited for Jehovah to manifest Himself and reveal a way back to His presence (cf. Isaiah 42:4). The prophet has repeatedly predicted that some day their waiting will be over. When that day comes, they will fly inexorably and directly to God. The reason given for that flight is that Jehovah will have glorified Zion. That is, of course, the redemptive work of the Servant and the New Covenant available to all peoples.

Foreigners building the walls of Zion is definitely a messianic figure of speech (cf. Amos 9:11-12 with Acts 15:16-17; see also Jeremiah 31:4-6 and attendant context; Jeremiah 33:7-26; Micah 7:11-17; Isaiah 19:16-25). Paul wrote to the Gentiles in Ephesus that they were a part of the New dwelling place of God (Ephesians 2:11-22). In the New Zion all members will be ministerseven Gentiles. There will be no special priesthoodall members of the New Covenant will be a holy priesthood (cf. 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 10:19 ff). All who come to New Zion (Hebrews 12:22-24) will offer sacrifices as ministers and priests (cf. Hebrews 13:15-16). God, in His wrath against the wickedness of Old Zion, destroyed it (not only in the Babylonian exile, but centuries later [forever] when Old Zion. rejected its Messiah [70 A.D.]). But God is going to build a New Zion by grace (favor) because the Messiah came and earned God's grace for man. The Messiah's merited favor will be made available not only to the Jew but to the Gentile also. Gentiles will be included in the New building.

Access to New Zion will be constant. Access to New Zion will be for everyone who wishes it. The Holy Spirit, through His Word, and the Bride (the churchNew Zion) say Come to all who will (cf. Revelation 22:17). Of course, the invitation will not always be offered for men to become citizens of the New Zion. But those who will not willingly enter Zion in this life would not enter it in the next life either (cf. Luke 16:29-31). This is really the point of Isaiah's statement that Zion's gates are open continually; the idea is ready access for all who wish. There shall be no danger to those in New Zion that the gates will have to be shut and barred. There will be continual freedom and peace in New Zion. The members of Zion will be continually bringing in the sheaves (the wealth of the nations).

One very forceful reason for concluding the Zion here is New Zion (the church) is that all who will not serve her shall perish. As Young puts it, It is obvious that this prophecy does not fit the time of the restoration from exile. What nations at that time perished because they did not serve the empirical Zion? There have been nations through the centuries, and there are nations now, not only refusing to serve literal Zion but making her serve them and they have not perished. Literal Zion as Jehovah's dwelling place perished in 70 A.D. (cf. Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 13:34-35; Luke 19:41-44). The Hebrew word kharav is translated wasted and means basically destroyed by drying up. What tragic waste all the potential resources, and wealth of those nations and peoples who will not surrender to the New Zion!

Isaiah 60:13-14 COMELINESS: The place of God's dwelling (New Zion) will be exalted above all that is on the earthboth of nature and men. It is going to be made glorious and preeminent. Everything in creation will be made available to glorify her (art, music, learning, literature, thoughts, emotions). The greatest powers opposing her will be humbled (cf. Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:15-20; Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:5-18). Many of the powerful forces and peoples opposing Zion will become converts to her. Formerly they ridiculed and scoffed at herbut they will penitently call her what she very evidently is: The (only) city of Jehovah, The Zion (Citadel or Sanctuary) of the Holy One of Israel. In Old Testament times it appeared Zion could be despoiled, humbled and obliterated by war, siege and death. But Zion's Eternal King came (the Messiah) in a space-time historical event and conquered death forever! This is the message of the book of Revelation. The Lamb has come and conquered death by resurrection and is now worthy to reveal (open the scroll) that New Zion (the church) is unconquerable! New Zion is the citadel of eternal safety.

QUIZ

1.

Why does Zion see clouds and doves (verse eight)?

2.

How do the isles bring their sons to Zion?

3.

Why do we say foreigners building Zion's walls is a messianic term?

4.

What is the meaning of the continual opening of Zion's gates?

5.

How does Isaiah 60:12 help determine this is a messianic passage?

6.

Why will Zion's enemies bow down to her?