Arise, Shine — TDW Kids

Your Light Has Come

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Paul wrote, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). Long before Paul, God gave the prophet Isaiah a message about light coming to His people.

Get up! “Arise, shine; For your light has come!” (Isaiah 60:1). God’s message was for Jerusalem, the city of His people. Arise means get up, like a sleepy child when the curtains open in the morning.

Whose light? “And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” (60:1). The light was not their own. It was the glory of the Lord rising on them, like sunrise over a sleeping city.

Like the sunrise. The sun does not wait for the night to be ready. It simply comes up, and the dark gives way. God’s light came to His people like that, as His gift.

Deep darkness. “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people” (60:2). Isaiah saw a world far from God, dark like a night with no moon.

Stronger than darkness. “But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you” (60:2). The darkness was real, but God’s light was stronger.

Never too dark. No sadness, no sin and no place is too dark for God’s light to reach.

Light for everyone. God did not want His light kept for a few. He wanted it seen far and wide.

The nations come. “The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising” (60:3). Gentiles means people from the other nations.

Drawn by the light. On a dark night, travelers walk toward a lit window. In the same way, the nations would come to the light God gave His people.

For every nation. God wanted people from every nation to come to Him. His plan was always bigger than one city.

A promise to Israel. God made this promise to Jerusalem, and God keeps His promises to Israel. Today people from many nations know the God of Israel through Jesus. The rest of the promise is still ahead.

Sin, the cross and new life. Our sin is like darkness in the heart. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and brought into His light.

What this means for you. When you wake up tomorrow, thank God for His light. Ask Him to help you live in His light all day.

Paul told believers, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). Centuries earlier, God spoke through Isaiah of a day when light would rise on His people.

A command (60:1). “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” God tells His people to get up and shine, because their light has already come.

Risen like the dawn. Risen is zarach (say: zah-RAKH), the word for the sun coming up at dawn. The glory of the Lord rises on Jerusalem the way the morning sun rises over the hills.

Glory. The glory of the Lord is the brightness of who He is, His goodness and greatness shining out. In Isaiah’s picture, that glory rises on His people like the morning sun.

Why light? Light lets people see, find their way and live without fear. God’s light does all of this for the heart.

Deep darkness (60:2). “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people.” The world really was dark. Deep darkness pictures people living far from God.

The Lord rises (60:2). “But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” The same verb zarach appears again. The darkness is real, yet the Lord rises over it.

The Lord is greater. Darkness covers the earth, but it cannot cover the Lord. Where He rises, people see His glory.

Kings and nations. Kings were the most powerful people of the nations. Isaiah pictures even them coming to the light God gave His people, because no one is too great to need God.

The nations (60:3). “The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” From the start, God’s plan reached beyond one nation. The light given to Israel would draw the nations.

Begun and still ahead. Through Jesus, born of Israel, people from many nations have come to know the God of Israel. Yet Isaiah’s picture of nations and kings coming to Jerusalem is not yet complete. God keeps His promises to Israel, and He will finish what He has said.

The gospel. Every person has sinned and lives in darkness without God. Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again the third day. All who trust Him are brought out of darkness into His light.

Application. Think of someone from another nation or background. Pray this week that God’s light would reach them too.

An Everlasting Light

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God promised that His light would rise on His people (Isaiah 60:1-3). Later in the same chapter, He promised something even greater.

Better than the sun. “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you” (60:19). God promised a light even better than the sun and moon.

Good gifts. The sun and the moon are good gifts from God. But God’s people do not trust the sun. They trust the God who made it.

The Lord Himself. “But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory” (60:19). God Himself would be their light.

Everlasting. Everlasting means it lasts forever. A lamp runs out of oil, and the sun sets every evening. God’s light never runs out.

A light that stays. On a dark night, a lamp in a window helps a traveler find the way. God promised to be a light that never goes out.

No more sunset. “Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself” (60:20). Withdraw means to pull back and stop shining.

Sadness ended. “And the days of your mourning shall be ended” (60:20). Mourning means deep sadness. God promised His people a day when their sadness would be over for good.

Still ahead. That day has not fully come yet. People still feel sad, and night still falls. God has promised it, and He always keeps His word.

Jesus, the light. Jesus said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). Abide means to stay.

Light now. Everyone who trusts Jesus is not left in darkness. His light is with them now, even on hard days.

Light forever. One day, when Jesus comes again, God will finish what He promised. His people will live in His light forever, and their sadness will end.

When you feel sad. Sad days are real. Tell God how you feel, and tell a parent or a grown-up you trust. God’s light has not gone out.

The way into the light. We have all sinned. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Everyone who believes in Him is brought out of darkness.

What this means for you. On a dark night, look at a light and remember that God has promised to be the light of His people forever.

After promising that His light would rise on Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:1-3), God looked further ahead, to a light that would never set.

Beyond the sun (60:19). “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you.” The sun and moon are gifts God made, but they are not the final light.

The Lord Himself. “But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.” The promise is not merely more light but God Himself, present with His people.

Their glory. The honor and beauty of God’s people will not come from their city or their riches. God Himself will be their glory.

Never setting (60:20). “Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the Lord will be your everlasting light.” Every earthly light rises and sets; this light stays.

Mourning ended. “And the days of your mourning shall be ended.” Mourning is grief over loss and sorrow. God promises its end, not merely its easing.

Light for hard days. Believers still grieve, and grief is not a lack of faith. God gives hope in sorrow: He has set a day when mourning ends.

Not yet complete. That day is still ahead. God’s people still face sorrow and darkness now. The promise stands, because the One who made it is faithful.

Jesus, the light. Jesus said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). Abide means to stay or remain. Those who believe in Him are not left in darkness.

Now and later. Believers walk in Christ’s light now, and they wait for the day when Christ returns, when God will be their everlasting light and every mourning will end.

The gospel. Our sin keeps us in darkness and far from God. Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again the third day. Whoever believes in Him does not stay in darkness.

Application. When sorrow comes, read Isaiah 60:19-20 and tell God honestly how you feel. Talk with a parent or a grown-up you trust, and remember the promise that the days of mourning will end.

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.