Shine Divine Light

In Isaiah 60, Hashem speaks uplifting words to Israel through the prophet. He says Kumi ori ki ba orech “Rise and shine, give light, because your light has come.” Uchvod ADONAI alayich zara – “the glory of the LORD has risen upon you, like a dawn.” Israel, you have received light from God, and you need to shine it. Verse 3 says that “nations will come and walk in your light, Israel.”

Shine means it’s not for you alone, its for others. Our task is to shine the light while we are not its source. What happens in a spiritual world is that God supernaturally endows us with something that others do not have. We call it “his light,” but that is just a name. In Isaiah, Israel receives this light, but the nations that oppress them do not receive this light. The prophet says that the nations will come to Israel’s light instead. But these words cannot come true if Israel is in the payback mode. Was Israel destined to rebuild, rearm, and hit back at Assyria or Babylon for the war and carnage they brought upon them? No, they were to rebuild their temple, to restore the burnt offerings, to bring back righteousness, and to return to being a priestly nation, a source of light that emanates from one and only God in a world filled with false gods.

Shining for others is not easy. In Pirkei Avot, Hillel said, “In a place where there is no man, be a man.” We have always been called to lead, to use the best of what we have for the benefit of the broader world. And the best of what we possess in our lives is the light that comes to us from Hashem. Israel can lead in war, lead in anything if we try hard. But Hashem’s will is that we, as a people, use the light we were given for his glory. Yeshua taught us the power of forgiveness, seventy times seven, if necessary. He did it with his own example. Forgiveness does not mean there is no justice. We leave that for Hashem. Instead, we choose not to blend with darkness, but fight against it. We rise, we shine, and then others can come to God’s light.