Isaiah 60:6-10

⁶ A crowd of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will herald the praiseworthy actions of Yahveh as glad tidings. ⁷ All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you, rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be acceptable on my altar, and I will restore glory to my glorious house. ⁸ Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? ⁹ Because the continents will look eagerly to me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from a distance, their silver and gold with them, for the name of Yahveh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. ¹⁰ Sons of foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you; because in my wrath I have struck you down now, but in my favour I will have had mercy on you then.

restoring the glory

Isaiah dares to challenge his people to imagine a restoration to glory and beauty. The restoration is to be so pronounced that all the continents of the planet vie for the opportunity to serve Israel. They bring their silver, gold and frankincense (!) to invest in the restoration of Israel. They proclaim the good news of what Yahveh has done for his land and people. The sons of the very foreigners who were now oppressing Israel would be rebuilding the walls that their fathers had torn down. The difference is that God’s wrath will have turned. God would choose to restore the glory of his own house.

God has chosen to restore what he was destroying. His wrath has been spent on the sacrifice of his Son on the cross. If you belong to him, you have no reason to fear Yahveh now. You have every reason to hope in his love. He wants to rescue his household, and he has invited you to be part of it. Come to the LORD now, before his day of permanent wrath comes.

LORD, restore the glory of your household, and grant us mercy that we may be a part of that restoration.