Torah Portion Isaiah 60:1-22 Ki Tavo, " When You come in"

Isaiah 60

The Future Glory of Israel

60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult, [1]
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
and I will beautify my beautiful house.

8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
9 For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.

10 Foreigners shall build up your walls,
and their kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Your gates shall be open continually;
day and night they shall not be shut,
that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom
that will not serve you shall perish;
those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy from age to age.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations;
you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
instead of stones, iron.
I will make your overseers peace
and your taskmasters righteousness.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light; [2]
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory. [3]
20 Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified. [4]
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
in its time I will hasten it. (ESV)

Something in the Distance

I see a glimpse of something in the distance…

Wounded soldiers in sink

No music is accompanying

the sounds of their marching feet.

I see rays of burning light beaming from their faces.

No music,

fills in the spaces

as millions are standing in the streets.

Dust covered nostrils,

The smell of despair

No shelter, no food

stench in the air.

.

Why did the captains choose the wrong turn?

Weren’t they supposed to lead us?

They pushed us down a one way track

They never seemed concerned.

We took the land by force,

Protesting with mighty fervor

We told them they had to turn around

 And still they stayed their course.

Now for a thousand years……..

Were they ever here?

Did we take what God had given freely

to stand in the gap and fight?

Did we know what lied ahead?

Did we use His might?

Still….a ray of burning light,

Beaming from our faces

The sounds of marching feet

Fills in the places

Where hope was rising

The quiet stirred

 I saw a glimpse of something in the distance.

 Still…..no music was ever heard.

Covered by Grace

You Lord have covered us with a white blanket of grace.

Many have wished to see you, but we must seek your face.

You have lifted us high to the mountain plains,

Your pure white clothing, torn and stained.

We have reached the depths in the valleys of despair

And you have held our hands gently, while you were there.

You brought us to the hope of life,

When all seemed hopeless, nothing but strife.

You have called each of our names though the darkness of night.

Each sound you made was a glimmer of light.

Can we hear you now as you speak bold and loud?

Or will we wait until you come in the glory cloud?

You Lord have numbered the hairs on our heads.

It is you Lord who has raised the chosen from the dead.

You Lord alone are the armor of our souls.

You have shown us Lord how we must attain your goals.

I have covered you with my blanket of grace.

“Seek me while it is still early, seek my face.”

My word is sharper than any two edged sword,

Stand still, and know that I am God, thus saith the Lord.

Like you, Lord

Who knows my heart like you do Lord?

Who sees the the windows of my soul?

Who hears me Lord when I do not speak?

Who forgives me when I’m not whole?

If I could understand the mysteries in your mind.

If I could know the vast, wheres and whys

If I could keep you in my sight.

If I could trust you with my life.

Then…….I wouldn’t struggle with my heart.

I would know my soul has wings to soar.

I would hear your voice instead of mine.

I would understand, I’m not alone,

Even when I’ve fallen, for you will never leave………

I can give you more.

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Time to Fly

For a time I will keep you under my wing.

Then I will feed you carefully, little eagle,

making sure each bite is digested slowly.

I will help you stand, then walk, then run.

Later when I know you have the strength,

I must let you fly…………….

If I let you rush, you may miss the task,

that I purposed you for, since the beginning.

If you think you are ready, and you go thru the door

perhaps unsteady, how will you ever know there was more?

Take my hand, and hold onto it tight,

I will tell you when it is your time.

It is different for everyone, you trust me now.

I will know the day, the hour, and the moment,

you will take flight…………….