Or Olam

“The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”

Isaiah 60:19

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time is to see the Christmas lights.  I squeal like a young child when our lights go up outside in our tree and bushes.  Last year, I added a lighted angel to our meager yard decorations.  I drive my family in our van through some of the nicer neighborhoods to see their lights.  We enjoy lights of all colors – white, blue, green, and red.  Some houses have stars, lights on Christmas wreaths, or a candle burning in every window.  My friend Bobbie was telling me at lunch today about the Christmas lights she saw in San Francisco when she visited her daughter.  They had lights on the trees the colors of fall leaves – orange, red, and yellow.  Some buildings were outlined in lights and made to look like Christmas presents.  The splendor of the lights delights me.

As I have been preparing my heart for Christmas, Jesus’ birthday, I ran across Isaiah 60:19, and God captured my attention right there.  Like a sparkling diamond, my eyes stared and reread this verse.  “The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”  So I had to read the rest of the chapter to get it into context.

I discovered that Isaiah 60 is a chapter of promise for a time to come.  It tells us that some day our loved ones will be reunited from the distance or death that separates us (v.4).  We will no longer receive our “economic lot in life,” second-hand gifts, or the mere bare necessities, but we will receive the riches of God (v.17).  This chapter tells us that some day there will be no more violence, robberies, vandalism, or crime (v.18).  Some day salvation will dwell in the streets.  We will live in a country of peace.  Praise will ring all over town for the one true God (v.18).

Isaiah 60 is also a chapter of the promise about the Light of God.  It begins by saying, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”  It was not until I studied it in detail that I realized this chapter is one of the most packed chapters in the Bible about the Everlasting Light.  Isaiah says darkness covers the earth, but the nations will come to the light of the city of God.  God’s glory will appear over us.  His beauty and splendor will radiate and glitter in magnificence that will dazzle us.  The sun will no longer be the light by day, and the moon will no longer shine at light.  Isaiah 24:23 tells us that they would be embarrassed and ashamed for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.

Of course, I studied the Hebrew words for Everlasting Light.  “Everlasting” in the Hebrew is olam.  It means “forever, evermore, everlasting, perpetual, ancient, always, continuous existence, perpetual, lasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity.”  The Hebrew word for “light” is or.  It means “light, shine, bright, illuminate.”  Our God is perpetual brightness, evermore shining, and unending illumination filled with beauty and glory.

God created the sun, moon, and the stars so that we might have light in order to live.  We think of them as timeless and unshakable.  However, they have merely been a substitute until we can have the one true Light, the Everlasting Light.  In the city of God, these heavenly bodies will no longer be required.

Then, God reminded me of some verses about light in the New Testament.  You see, Jesus, the Son of God, was the Light of the World.  This Light came into the world (John 8:12), but the darkness did not understand it (John 1:5).  Jesus said when He healed the blind man in John 9:4-5, ^“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Even as the Son of Man who took on flesh, Jesus exhibited the family characteristics as the Everlasting Light.  In Him, there is no darkness.  There is nothing hidden.  In Him, beauty and majesty divine shines everywhere.  Unlike the sun and the moon which are substitutes for the one true Light, Jesus came as a preview of the Everlasting Light.  Although the sun and moon are quite lovely, Jesus’ compassion, love, and protectiveness of those He loves makes me long to dwell in this place of beauty. 

Some day, the Everlasting Light will be revealed to us, and we will bask in His presence forever.  We will behold His majesty that currently surpasses our wildest imagination.  Oh, beloved, how I pray that when you look at the lights this Christmas that it will make you long for the day when we will behold Him, our beautiful Or Olam!

Pray with me:  Or Olam, we praise You!  God, You are the Everlasting Light. Your presence captures our attention, and we are drawn to the Light.  You dazzle and radiate.  Your appearance is breath-taking.  In You, there will be no more dreary days for You are Light.  Thank You, Jesus, for coming to give us life so that we might dwell in the city of God, a place of eternal beauty and splendor.  Thank You for being the Light of the World and being the most stunning Light of all.  It’s in Your precious Name, Jesus, we pray, Amen.