Arise and Shine!
Sixth Haftarah of Comfort, Isaiah 60:1-22
Suzy Linett, Devar Shalom, Ontario, CA
“Kumi ori—Arise, shine, for your light has come! The glory of Adonai has risen on you” (Isaiah 60:1). It has been six weeks since Tisha b’Av, since that time of deep mourning for all that has happened to the Jewish people over the centuries, so much of which occurred on that date. This week, we read the sixth of the Seven Haftarot of Comfort, read between Tisha b’Av and Rosh Hashanah, or Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpet Blast (Leviticus 23:24). We are in the month of Elul, the season of return. We draw near to God and seek forgiveness. We long for that ultimate Day of Trumpet Blast, the sounding of the Shofar, and the coronation of the King of Kings. This week, we are stirred to arise; we are moving from a time of sorrow to a time of glory and great joy. Arise and shine; it’s time to wake up.
“Rise and shine.” Although I was unfamiliar with this haftarah at the time, these are the words I heard some mornings when I was awakened for a school day. Later, in Jewish summer camp, we sang, “Rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory, children of the Lord.” (Actual origin of the song unknown). It was time to wake up.
Isaiah 60 is both a prophecy and a command. Throughout scripture, the theme of “arise and shine” repeats. Abram was told to arise, to leave his father’s house, to become Abraham and bring forth the people who would take God’s shining light to the world. In Exodus 34:29–30 we read, “Now it happened, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai . . . Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant, because God had spoken with him. When Aaron and all Bnei-Yisrael saw Moses, the skin of his face shone in rays, so they were afraid to come near him.” He had climbed and risen to the top of the mountain to meet with the Lord, and he shone after the experience. After Yeshua ascended the Mount of Transfiguration, with Peter and Jacob and John his brother, “He was transfigured before them; His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt 17:2). They had climbed, arisen, to the top of that mountain.
The second verse of Isaiah 60 reads, “For behold, darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness the peoples. But Adonai will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.” This is reminiscent of Genesis 1:2–3, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” The presence of the Lord brings light. We are to be the ones who bring the light; we are to rise and shine.
The tragedies that occurred over history on the ninth of Av were a result of turning away from God. Our sages taught those events were the result of the bad report brought by the ten spies which resulted in a 40-year wilderness journey (Mishnah Taanit 4.6:3). They did not see the spiritual truth. They did not rise to the occasion and trust the land would be theirs. They did not see that the Lord would shine through the Israelites and overcome the darkness of the pagan tribes living in the land.
Now, in repentance, it is time to turn towards Him; to return to Him. It is time to turn to His light and to reflect it and take it to the world. Isaiah 60 is a call to wake up and show the glory of the Lord. Israel will shine. Israel is not dead. Israel has not been replaced. Israel will respond to the command, “Kumi Ori.” Israel will “Arise and shine.”
Arise and shine – wake up and do your best. Arise and shine – get up and get going. Arise and shine – move from darkness to light.
“Nations will come to your light, kings to the brilliance of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3). Nations will come to the light. Nations will come to the Lord through Israel’s light. When diamonds and other gems are first mined, they are rough and uneven stones. They do not look anything like the refined and polished jewels we admire. They are raised from the earth, then must undergo a process of refinement. They must be cut, shaped, and polished. They must be made into shapes that sparkle when they reflect light. They must undergo a process provided by trained gem cutters who work with precision. Isn’t that like us? When we come to the Lord, we are raised into new life, but we must undergo refinement. We must be cut, shaped, and polished through a process, trusting the Lord Who knows how to cut each of us to uniquely shine.
Throughout history, the Jewish people have been cut. We have been mined, excavated, and elevated. We have been “diamonds in the rough,” a chosen people with great value who have shone throughout the ages. Then, we stumble, we fall. It is as if the diamond slipped from its setting back into the dirt. Then, the Master brings it out again, cleans it off, and sets it out to shine once more.
We are commanded to wake up, to get up, to move, to shine and give glory to God. Yet it is difficult. How do we shine? “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it” (John 1:5). We shine in the darkness when we reflect the light of the Lord. We reflect His light when we live as He commands. The journey through the seven weeks from Tisha b’Av to Rosh Hashanah mirrors our walk as we draw closer to the Lord. Messiah Yeshua said,
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:14–16)
During this season we travel towards the Lord in repentance and awe. As we turn towards Him, we see His radiance, His glory, His light. We have His forgiveness, if we only return to Him and seek Him. As we are cleansed, we are chiseled into gems of glory. We recall a promise found in this haftarah.
No more will the sun be your light by day,
nor the glow of the moon be your light,
but Adonai will be your everlasting light,
and your God for your glory.
No more will your sun set,
nor will your moon wane,
for Adonai will be your everlasting light,
as the days of your mourning end. (Isa 60:19–20)
The Lord is available. He is waiting for us to turn to Him. He will shine His light upon us as we seek Him. In his vision of the New Jerusalem, John sees the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy:
I saw no temple in her, for its Temple is Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot and the Lamb. And the city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. . . . Night shall be no more, and people will have no need for lamplight or sunlight—for Adonai Elohim will shine on them. And they shall reign forever and ever! (Rev 21:22–24, 22:5)
The King will sit on His throne, He will provide the light, and we will reflect His glory. Wake up! Kumi Ori! Arise and shine! The King is coming!
Scripture references are from the TLV