Isaiah 60

CHAPTER 60

The Glory of Zion (60:1–22)

1–3 Arise, shine, for your light (the Lord) has come. This wonderful chapter describes the restoration of Zion, the City of the LORD (verse 14). It is a prophecy spoken by the Lord through His prophet Isaiah. How are we to interpret this prophecy?

It is to be interpreted on three levels. First, it is a prophecy of the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. However, that restoration was only a partial fulfillment of this prophecy; the scope of Isaiah’s words in this chapter far exceeds anything that happened in Old Testament Jerusalem.

Second, this is a prophecy of Christ’s church in this present age, to whose light the nations are even now coming (verse 3). Foreigners will rebuild [its] walls (verse 10)—that is, the church will be built by Gentile believers²¹⁸ (see Acts 15:14–16; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:5).

Third, this is a prophecy of the Messianic age²¹⁹ that is yet to come. Much of the prophecy in this chapter, especially verses 15–22, has not yet been fulfilled. It will be fulfilled only when Christ comes again at the end of this present age to establish His Messianic kingdom.

In summary, the return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of a much larger movement of believers into the church of Christ. And the church today, in spiritual terms, is a foreshadowing of the Messianic reign of Christ that is yet to come. All of this is dealt with in this one chapter, which gives ample reason for calling this chapter “wonderful.”

4–9 In these verses, the Lord describes the return of His people to Jerusalem and the wealth that will be brought to the city from all over the world (verses 5–6). At that time, Jerusalem’s sons and daughters (verses 4,9) will return—in addition to the Gentile nations (verse 3).

In verse 7, the Lord says that flocks and rams will be accepted as offerings at His altar. This was true only of the restored Jerusalem in Old Testament times;²²⁰ after Christ came, animal sacrifices were no longer necessary (see Hebrews 10:1–5,10–14).

10–12 In these verses, the Lord describes how foreigners and their kings will bring their wealth to Jerusalem; they will come as subjects, as prisoners led in triumphal procession²²¹ (verse 11). The Lord had struck His people in anger by sending them into exile (verse 10); now He was about to show them compassion (see Isaiah 54:7–8). “Your gates will always stand open,” says the Lord (verse 11); this is a picture of the new heavenly Jerusalem, whose gates will never need to be shut for protection against enemies (Revelation 21:2,24–25).

13–14 The Lord continues to describe how the nations will come and bow down at the feet of His people. The glory of Lebanon, especially its cedar wood, will be brought to Jerusalem, just as it had been in Solomon’s day (1 Kings 5:6,8). The wood and other materials will be used to adorn the Lord’s sanctuary—“the place of my feet”²²² (verse 13). Jerusalem itself will be called Zion, the City of the LORD (verse 14); the New Testament speaks of the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2), the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22), and the Jerusalem that is above (Galatians 4:26).

15–22 Here the Lord further describes the future heavenly Jerusalem. He will establish peace and righteousness in the city (verse 17); both peace and righteousness are associated with the reign of the Lord’s servant (see Isaiah 9:7). There will be no need for the sun or moon to provide light (Revelation 21:23; 22:5), because the Lord Himself will be the city’s everlasting light (verse 19). The days of sorrow will end (verse 20) and all the people will be righteous (verse 21), just as the New Testament foretells (see Revelation 21:4,27).

In verse 21, the Lord calls the people of the heavenly Jerusalem “the shoot I have planted.” Earlier He had mentioned another shoot, the Messiah, who would grow out of the house of David and ultimately bear fruit (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2–3). That original despised shoot would one day become the collective “shoot” of the redeemed people of God; by this redemptive work, God’s splendor (glory) would be displayed.