Harbinger's Lamp

Isaiah 59; 60; 62 · ASV · Lesson 11 of 13

The Light Has Come

Isaiah 59, 60 and 62 continue the pattern of judgment followed by mercy, as chapter 60 brings a powerful theme of light: Isaiah uses light to show God’s comfort, hope and glory alongside His salvation and restoration.

Series
Isaiah, Part II
Date
October 20, 2026
Length
45 min
Parts
8
Questions
11

The passage · ASV

Isaiah 59; 60; 62

Read the passage · 55 verses

Isaiah 59

1Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear.

3For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness.

4None sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

5They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

6Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

7Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths.

8The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace.

9Therefore is justice far from us, neither doth righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

10We grope for the wall like the blind; yea, we grope as they that have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among them that are lusty we are as dead men.

11We roar all like bears, and moan sore like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

12For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

13transgressing and denying Jehovah, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.

15Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

16And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it upheld him.

17And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.

18According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense.

19So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth.

20And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah.

21And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever.

Isaiah 60

1Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

2For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

4Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms.

5Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.

6The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah.

7All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar; and I will glorify the house of my glory.

8Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

9Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee.

11Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

12For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time.

Isaiah 62

1For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.

2And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name.

3Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

6I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, take ye no rest,

7and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

8Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored:

9but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.

10Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples.

11Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

12And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken.

1

Part 1 · Isaiah 59:1–8

Separated by Sin

Isaiah addresses their separation. God’s power had not diminished; He was still able to save: “Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (verse 1). Sin had created the barrier: “your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you” (verse 2).

Isaiah then highlights their corruption (verses 3–4): lips speaking lies, hearts plotting wickedness — “they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity” — and truth abandoned. And what did that lead to (verses 5–8)? Destructive paths, with violence and ruin in their wake: “the act of violence is in their hands… desolation and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their goings” (verses 6–8).

  1. Question 1. As we’ve seen throughout Isaiah’s writing, what had the people done rather than following the Lord (verse 8)? What are the obvious reasons this is not advisable?

2

Part 2 · Isaiah 59:9–15

He That Departeth from Evil

Having addressed the problem of sin, the people acknowledge their lack of light: “we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity” (verse 9). They seek but cannot find. They act as the blind, stumbling, like dead men (verse 10). They look for salvation, but it is far from them (verse 11). Sin is the problem — transgressions against the Lord (verses 12–13). No justice, no righteousness, no truth, no equity: “justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter” (verse 14).

Then verse 15: “Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.” In a nation of people who had rebelled against God, those who depart from wickedness make themselves prey — a target for the wicked. Some translations say such a man is “accounted mad,” viewed as irrational, foolish or impractical. Departing from evil is necessary, but it will be a challenge.

  1. Question 2. Let’s take a closer look at verse 15. What does this verse mean that “he who departs from evil makes himself a prey”?

3

Part 3 · Isaiah 59:15–21

His Own Arm Brought Salvation

In a call back to verse 1, God was still watching: “And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor” (verses 15–16). Why did they need an intercessor? So God sends His own arm to bring salvation: “therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him” (verse 16).

The intercessor is armed for the work: “he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle” (verse 17). Justice will be served: “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay” (verse 18). And “a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob” (verse 20).

Verse 21 summarizes what we have studied in prior chapters: God’s Spirit upon them, His words in their mouth, and their descendants included — “from henceforth and for ever.”

  1. Question 3. Why did they need an intercessor?

  2. Question 4. In verses 16–21, what does God see that His people lack and then provides?

4

Part 4 · Isaiah 60:1–14

Arise, Shine

God’s people are called out of the darkness: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee” (verse 1). His glory shines as a light signaling restoration and hope, while “darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples” (verse 2). The witnesses are not limited to His people: “nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (verse 3).

Sons and daughters return to Zion — they come home with joy (verse 4), and not just Israelites but all nations, bringing their wealth (verses 5–9). God is the one being glorified: “I will glorify the house of my glory” (verse 7). His mercy is in full view: “in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee” (verse 10). The gates remain open — ongoing peace and abundance: “Thy gates also shall be open continually” (verse 11). But “that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish” (verse 12).

  1. Question 5. What well-known phrase has its origin in verse 1? What is its true meaning according to this context?

  2. Question 6. In verses 3–4, what draws the Gentiles and kings together? Is the same true today?

5

Part 5 · Isaiah 60:15–22

An Everlasting Light

Former disgrace and shame become honor and glory: “Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations” (verse 15). The promises are reassured (verses 17, 21): “For brass I will bring gold… I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness” (verse 17). Unending peace, security and prosperity follow: “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (verse 18).

The Lord Himself becomes an everlasting light for His people: “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory… and the days of thy mourning shall be ended” (verses 19–20). Zion’s influence will expand and its joy never end: “The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation” (verse 22).

This should provide comfort, especially while in darkness. The New Testament has a similar description: “the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23; compare 22:5). But note the differences. In Isaiah’s day the people are in the midst of God’s judgment — Assyria for Israel, Babylon for Judah. How do they overcome it? God is their light. In John’s day, he is not quoting Isaiah but describing his own vision, with a new enemy, Rome: there is a place where the Lord and the Lamb reign and His servants serve.

  1. Question 7. Compared to the early verses of chapter 59, what do we see happening in the land of Israel in verses 14–18?

  2. Question 8. Verses 19–20 present an illustration showing God as an everlasting light to His people. What should this message bring to His people? Do we see any similar descriptions in the New Testament? What are the key differences between Isaiah’s usage and the usage in the New Testament?

6

Part 6 · Isaiah 62:1–5

Familiar Themes

Chapter 62 gathers many themes we have already studied. God’s commitment: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest” (verse 1; compare 40:1–2). The Gentiles and kings shall see their righteousness: “the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory” (verse 2; compare 60:1–3). A new identity for Israel (verses 2–3; compare 43:1, “I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine”).

Honor and restoration: “Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God” (verses 3–4; compare 28:5–6, where Jehovah becomes “a crown of glory” to the remnant). And God’s relationship with His people described as marriage: “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (verse 5; compare 54:5, “thy Maker is thy husband”).

  1. Question 9. We see a lot of familiar themes in the first few verses. What are some repeated themes that we’ve studied in other passages found here?

7

Part 7 · Isaiah 62:6–9

Watchmen and an Oath

Watchmen are appointed on Zion’s walls for her protection, and they will not stay silent: “they shall never hold their peace day nor night” (verse 6). They will continually communicate with the Lord until the city is established: “give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (verse 7).

Then God swears an oath to His people: “Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah” (verses 8–9).

  1. Question 10. In verses 8–9, God swears an oath to His people. What did He promise them and what is their significance?

8

Part 8 · Isaiah 62:10–12

A New Name

The road to Zion is prepared: “Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones” (verse 10) — a direct, clear path for the redeemed to return and follow. Salvation is coming: “Behold, thy salvation cometh” (verse 11) — a public declaration of the restoration and blessings God will bring, and confirmation that God is their source. And again there is mention of a new identity: “they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken” (verse 12).

Verse 2 said the people would “be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name.” What is that name? Some point to “Christians” (Acts 11:26), or to “saints,” as Paul repeatedly says “called to be saints”; and those who overcome are promised a new name (Revelation 3:12). But remember the context. In verse 4, Forsaken and Desolate become Hephzi-bah — “my delight is in her.” Isaiah is telling the people: you will no longer be called Forsaken; you will be a holy people. We want to find a single name to be called by, but Isaiah is saying you have been called many things — forsaken, desolate, empty, left behind. You are now the redeemed.

  1. Question 11. In verse 2, it says the people will be called by a new name. After reading the whole chapter, what might Isaiah be trying to convey?