ARISE, SHINE - Robert Murray Mcchene
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, beheld, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” —Isa. lx., 1-3
THESE words are yet to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. It has been long trodden down by the Gentiles, its walls are desolate, its temple’ burnt, and the Mosque of Omar raised over it in cruel mockery. The ways of Zion do mourn; because none come to the solemn feasts. No sunbeam pours upon the dark brow of Judah; no star of Bethlehem sparkles in their sky. But another day is at hand. The time is coming when a voice shall be heard saying to Jerusalem; “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
Observe, 1. It shall be a time when the world is in darkness; “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” The whole Bible bears witness that the time when the Jew is to be enlightened is to be a time when the world is dark and unenlightened. Paul says plainly that the world will be dead, one great dead mass, when God gives life to the Jews: “If the casting away of them has been the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?”
2. In that time of darkness, the Lord Jesus shall reveal himself to the Jews, the veil shall be taken away, and that glorious Bridegroom shall come for h to them: “The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” Like the rising sun appearing above the hills, tinging all Mount Olivet with living gold, then pouring down upon the prostrate ruins of Jerusalem, till the holy hills smile again in his cheering ray; so shall it be with desolated Judah. Christ shall arise upon their souls, the day shall dawn, and the day-star arise on their hearts. Christ shall appear beautiful and glorious, and they shall submit with joy to put on his imputed righteousness. His glory, his beauty, his comeliness shall be seen upon them.
3. Observe the command of God to the enlightened Jews: “Arise, shine.” Hitherto they have been sitting on the ground, desolate, in darkness; but when Christ is revealed to them, they shall give life to the dead world, they shall be the lights of a dark world. The word is, “Arise, shine.” As Christ rises upon them, so they must rise on the dark world; as Christ shines upon them, so they must reflect his beauty and his brightness all around. Even as the moon, in itself dark and desolate, does not drink in the rays of the sun, but arises and shines, reflecting his beams on the dark earth; so shall it be with the enlightened Jews.
3. Observe the command of God to the enlightened Jews: “Arise, shine.” Hitherto they have been sitting on the ground, desolate, in darkness; but when Christ is revealed to them, they shall give life to the dead world, they shall be the lights of a dark world. The word is, “Arise, shine.” As Christ rises upon them, so they must rise on the dark world; as Christ shines upon them, so they must reflect his beauty and his brightness all around. Even as the moon, in itself dark and desolate, does not drink in the rays of the sun, but arises and shines, reflecting his beams on the dark earth; so shall it be with the enlightened Jews. Israelites are heard in their native mountains, their mouth filled with laughter and their tongue with singing, then shall the nations say: “The Lord hath done great things for them.” Ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: “We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.” When the psalms of Israel rise from under their vine and their fig-tree, even kings shall lay by their crowns, and come to learn of them the way to peace. Dear brethren, pray for the Jews, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Oh! hasten the happy day. The Lord will hasten it in his time.
Doctrine.—Christ arises and shines upon souls, in order that they may arise and shine.
I. By nature men are in a state of darkness. Verse 2 :” Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.” When Christ arises upon a soul, he finds it in utter darkness.
1. He does not know himself.—A man in the dark cannot see himself, he cannot see his own hand before him, he cannot tell whether his hands are filthy or clean; so is it with all of you who are in an unconverted state. You do not know yourselves. Your fingers are defiled, your garments are stained; but you know it not. Impure desires are written in your heart; but you cannot read what is there. You say: “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”
2. A natural man shrinks from the light.—A person who has been long in a dark dungeon, cannot bear the glaring light; it hurts the eyes; he starts back into his darkness; so is it with all unconverted souls. You love the darkness rather than the light; because your deeds are evil. When the light of God’s holy law is brought upon you, you shrink back from it. When Jesus, who is the light of the world, is preached unto you, you shut your eyes closer than before. Is there none of you who has felt that when Christ is fully preached to you, when you have been compelled for a little to bear the light of his lovely countenance .shining through the Word, when you have gone home, did you not creep back with delight lo other thoughts of sin and worldliness? The more that sun shone, the more you have closed your eyes. Oh! how plainly you are in darkness, and a lover of it.
3. A natural man gropes after salvation.—A man in the dark gropes like the blind. If he wants lo find the door, he is obliged to feel for it; he gropes about, not knowing where to place his hand; often he goes in the very opposite direction: so is it with natural men seeking salvation, they grope for it in the dark. “We grope for the wall like -the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.” Isa. lix., 10. Do you not remember a time when you were alarmed about your soul? a sudden threatening of death, or the near approach of a sacrament, awakened you to tremble for your soul. And where did you go for peace? You did not know where to go; you groped for it; you did not know where to turn yourself. You were directed to Jesus; but you could comprehend him: “The darkness comprehended it not.” How plain that you are in gross darkness !most miserable; you are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Oh! what are all the sparks of worldly pleasure, what are all the fires and torches of the world’s kindling? They are like the glowworm’s deceitful blaze, they are leading you to ruin; they will soon go out, and leave you to the blackness of darkness for ever.
4. They know not at what they shall stumble.—A man in the dark does not know what he may come against. His next step may be over a precipice, or upon dark mountains; so is it with Christless souls: “The path of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they shall stumble.” Oh! poor blinded souls, that walk so boldly in sin; ye know not what ye do. You that know you have never come to Christ, and yet walk with a light, confident step, as if you were to walk on a smooth carpet for ever, awake, dear souls. Do not rush on in the dark; for fear, and the pit, and the snare are in the way, and many bold sinners have gone down quick into hell. Give glory to the Lord before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
II. Learn how a soul is brought into light and peace; “The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”
1. It is by Christ rising upon the soul.—The image here is taken from the rising of the sun. When the sun rises, then all is light; so when Christ rises upon the soul, all is light. When God first awakens a soul, he finds himself sitting in gross darkness and the shadow of death; he fears he shall soon be cast into outer darkness. He says, I must make my way to light; so he struggles to justify himself, he tries to blot out his past sins by repentance, he tries to mend his life; but he is met by the word: “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled; this shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow.” So he sits down in agony, in more midnight darkness than before; but man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. The soul is sitting, as it were, in a dungeon; he sees no way of peace. The Spirit opens the Word, and Christ shines through, Christ the Son of God, the Lord our Righteousness. The heart of Christ is revealed, his love to the lost, his undertaking for them, his suretyship obedience, his suretyship sufferings. Glorious Christ! precious Christ! He shines like a new sun. The soul gazes and says: “Truly light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.” Has Christ risen upon you? Has he been revealed to you, that better Sun? Oh! if not, you are of all men most miserable; you are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Oh! What are all the sparks of worldly pleasure, what are all the fires and torches of the world’s kindling? They are like the glowworm’s deceitful blaze, they are leading you to ruin; they will soon go out, and leave you to the blackness of darkness forever.
Anxious souls, learn to look out for peace.—Oh! how anxiously you search that bosom, to see if there is any change there which may give you peace. Now, change your plan. No more gaze into that foul dungeon; but look out upon the glorious Sun, look upon Christ: one look to him gives peace.
Learn to wait for light.—Be like those that wait for the morning. You can no more bring yourself into peace than you can change the course of the sun. Feel your vileness, feel your helplessness, and wait on his hand to take the veil away. “I wait for the Lord; my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope; my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning.”
2. Christ’s glory is put upon the soul:— “His glory shall be seen upon thee.” It has long been discovered that color is nothing in the object, but is all thrown upon it by the sun, arid reflected back again. The beautiful colors with which this lovely world is adorned, all proceed from the sun. His glory is seen upon the earth. It is all the gift of the sun that the grass is of that refreshing green, and the rivers are lines of waving blue; it is all the gift of the sun that the flowers are tinged with their thousand glories; that the petal of the rose has its delicate blush, and the lily, that neither toils nor spins, a brightness that is greater than Solomon’s. Now, my dear souls, this is the way in which you may be justified. You are dark, and vile, and worthless in yourselves; but Christ’s glory shall be seen on you.
Observe it is His glory.—If you only consent to take Christ for your surety, his divine righteousness is all imputed to you; his sufferings, his obedience are both yours Tell me, anxious soul, what are you seeking? “Iain seeking to make myself appear better in the sight of God.” Well, then, do you think you will ever make yourself appear as lovely and glorious as Jesus Christ in the eyes of God? “No, I have no hope of that.” Ah! then, look here. Christ himself is offered you for a covering; put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Oh! that God would open some heart to believe the word concerning Jesus. Oh! to see dust and ashes clothed in the brightness and beauty of Christ! Oh! to see a weary sinner perfect in beauty, through Christ’s comeliness! This is the loveliest sight in all the world. “His glory shall be seen upon thee.”
III. The command to all in Christ: “Arise, shine.” There never yet was a man saved for himself. God never yet made a Christian to be a selfish being. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” But salt is not for itself, but to be used., A city set on a hill cannot .be hid; so a Christian is set upon God’s holy hill not to be hid. No man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel or a bed, but on a candlestick, and then it gives light to all that are in the house. But here is a more wonderful comparison still: “Arise, shine.” Christians are to become like Christ—little suns, to rise and shine upon the dark world. He rises and shines upon us, and then says to us, “Arise, shine.” This is Christ’s command to all on whom he has arisen: “Arise, shine.” Dear Christians, ye are the lights of the world. Poor, and feeble, and dark, and sinful, though you be, Christ has risen upon you for this very end, that you might “Arise and shine.”
1. Be like the sun, which shineth every day. and in every place.— Wherever he goes he carries light; so do you. Some shine like the sun in public before men. but are dark as night in the r own family. Dear Christians, look more to Christ, and you will shine more constantly.
2. Shine with Christ’s light.—The moon rises and shines, but not with her own light, she gathers all from the sun; so do you. Shine in such a way that Christ shall have all the glory. They shine brightest who feel most their own darkness, and are most clothed in Christ’s brightness. Oh! wherever you go, make it manifest that your light and peace all come from him; that it is by looking unto Jesus that you shine; that your holiness all comes from union to him. “Let your light so shine before men.”
3. Make it the business of your life lo shine.—If the sun were to grow weary of running his daily journey, and were to give over shining, would you not say it should be taken down? for did not God hang it in the sky to give light upon the earth? Just so, dear Christians, if you grow weary in well-doing, in shining with Christ’s beauty, in walking by Christ’s Spirit, you, too, should be taken down and cast away; for did not Christ arise upon you for this very end, that you might be a light in the world? Ah! think of this, dark, useless Christians, who are putting your candle under a bushel. I tremble for some who will not lay themselves out for Christ. Ah! you are wronging your.-elves and dishonoring Christ. Your truest happiness is in shining; the more you shine for Christ, the happier you will be. “To me to live is Christ; and to die, gain.”
4. Shine far arid near.—You are this day besought to help your brethren in the colonies; to send them the Gospel, that the Sun of Righteousness may rise upon them. Obj. Better help the heathen at home. Ans. It is quite right to help the heathen at home; but it is just as right to help the heathen abroad. Oh! that God would free you from a narrow mind, and give you his own divine Spirit. Learn a lesson from the sun. It shines both far and near; it does not pour its beams all into one sunny valley, or on one bright land. No; it journeys on from shore to shore; pours its rich beams upon the wide ocean; on the torrid sands of Africa and the icy coasts of Greenland. Go you and do likewise. Shine as lights in the world.
Shine in your closet in secret prayer. Ah! let your face shine in secret communion with God. Shine in your family; that without the word you may gain their souls. Shine in your town; that, when you mingle with the crowd, it may be as if an angel shook his wings. Shine in the world; embrace every shore with the beams of living love. Oh! let your heart’s desire and prayer be, that every soul may be saved. Be like Christ himself, who is not willing that any should perish. And whenever a soul-sinks into the dark lake of eternal agony, may you be able to lift up your tearful eyes and say: Father, I have prayed to the last, and spoken to the last. “Even so. Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”