Razoring The Mirror

Razoring The Mirror

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭1‬ NASB)

Seeking to do a little bit of journaling and a little bit of blogging this morning from the journal my friend gave me (see yesterday’s post). The text that is suppose to be my source of meditation this morning is confusing me. I first read Isaiah 59 to get the context. It is speaking about the nation of Israel being separated from God because of their sin and wickedness. Chapter 61 begins with the words Jesus referred to when he was asked to read in the synagogue.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; (‭Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭1‬ NASB)

Sandwiched in the middle is chapter 60. The chapter seems to be speaking about a day when God will come to restore the spender and glory of the nation. He tells his people that all nations will come before them to see their radiance and even bow down before them. Huh? By verse 19, we have the statement that there will not be a need for a sun or moon any longer because God will be this for them as an everlasting light. The picture is beginning to be a little clearer. This is Isaiah’s description of heaven, the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21 is all about the new Heavens and the new Earth. The writer of Revelation uses this same language regarding the need for a sun:

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭22–27‬ NASB)

Isaiah 60:1 is speaking about any individual who is written in the Lamb’s Book Of Life. They, in heaven, will shine forth with light and glory. Looking closely at the verse, it is not an internal light and glory that emanates out of the redeemed individual. Rather this person was waiting for the light to come. Jesus is the one waited for. He is the one who will take his light and glory and radiate it off of his beloved ones who trust in him. They will then shine forth with light and glory because they are reflecting the light and glory of Jesus; much like a mirror reflecting the light, not a bulb producing light.

This text is good news for me. I am called to rise and reflect the glory of Jesus. I will do that in full some day in heaven, but I must do that in part now. Why? Because Jesus has indeed come. He is worthy to be reflected before the nations. He is the Supreme and Sovereign Son of God who came as a ransom for the nations. How does one reflect a light when they are not a clean mirror? The color white reflects the light to those around, but black absorbs it. Could this be one of the purposes of suffering? Suffering is the razor blade that is used to scrape the film off the glass. It hurts being a mirror.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ NASB)