Here, the prophet Isaiah is conveying the word of the Lord to us, looking at Israel. When we read the first verse of this passage, Isaiah is telling the Israelis to rise up, because their light has come, and the glory of the Lord is rising upon them. Isaiah is telling the Israelis that they must rise up and shine. They must rise up so that their light reaches the people. They must rise up so that their light reaches those who are in darkness today.
When we read this passage, the question arises in our minds: from where is Isaiah telling the Israelis to rise up? When someone is told to rise up, it means that the person is sitting or lying down somewhere. Here, the Israelis are in a state of distress. They are constantly losing battles against their enemies and are living as captives in other lands. That is why Isaiah is telling them that they must rise up and shine for God. Now the question arises: where does the light come from? As it is written in this passage, “Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Along with this, it is written in another verse that the glory of God will be revealed upon them. Isaiah is telling the Israelis that they must spread the glory of God that will be revealed upon them to the people. We know about the moon, stars, and the sun. Furthermore, we are aware that the moon lacks its own illumination. During the day, the sun’s rays fall on the moon. Illuminated by these rays, the moon gives its light to the earth at night. Similarly, we also do not have our own light. God’s glory will be revealed through us, and we must manifest that light of glory to others. Isaiah also tells the Israelis to do the same. Even today, we may be caught up in sin, envy, anger, and other negative emotions. We too must rise above these feelings and bring God’s glory to people. As we read in John 8:12:
Here, Jesus Christ is teaching people that He is the light of the world. Jesus Christ is saying that those who follow Him will not walk in darkness. There will be no sin in their lives. They will receive the light of life. We can read a similar verse in Matthew 5:14:
Here, Jesus Christ is saying that we are the light of the world. Where did this light come from? When we walk in the light of Jesus Christ, we too will become the light of the world, like Jesus Christ. The light of Jesus Christ will be revealed to people through us. Today, there are people walking in darkness, people who cannot distinguish between right and wrong, or those who are deliberately walking on the wrong path. We must reveal our light to such people. We might think that we are inadequate. Sometimes, Satan might plant the thought in our minds that we lack talent, that we don’t have any gifts, so how can we do anything for the Lord? That is why, through Isaiah, God is telling us to rise up. Rise above all these feelings and bring my light to the people. God has chosen us and made us a special people. God’s purpose is that He may reveal His glory through us to those who are in darkness. God has a great plan for our lives. God wants us to be used by Him. He wants us to bring people out of darkness through His glory and expand His kingdom. We must pray to God every day that the work He has chosen for us may be accomplished through us, and that we, like Paul, may complete our race.
