Israel His Light

“If you build it, he will come.” In the movie Field of Dreams, Iowa corn farmer Ray Kinsella kept hearing a voice in his head repeat this phrase. Kinsella understood the voice to be directing him to build a baseball diamond on his farm—a place where eventually his father comes in order for father and son to be reconciled. In the final scene of the movie, one sees cars for miles lining the road to Kinsella’s field. Their coming fulfills the words of Kinsella’s friend, Terence Mann: “Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom.”

Isaiah envisions a day when the people of the nations will come to Jerusalem. They are coming to the exalted city, made radiant by the glory of the Lord’s light resting upon the city. This is one picture of the glorification of God’s people. The shining city will point the way to God, even as it points the way to the glory of God’s work in His people. In fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, many will bring their riches from every country and will serve the people of Jerusalem.

The exaltation of Jerusalem means that the city and its inhabitants will be glorified. The Lord will place His character upon us, and for all eternity we will experience the fullness of all of His attributes, the fullness of Christ, and the fullness of the Spirit. We will know God fully and experience being fully known (see 1 Cor. 13:12; 15:28; Eph. 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Gal. 4:9).

At that time, the Mighty One of Jacob will make the enemies of His people bow down (vv. 14–16). They will see His glory and be forced to submit to His perfect will.

Pray with Us

Please focus your prayers on Moody Publishers, headed by Paul Santhouse, vice president of Publications. Ask the Lord to guide Paul and his staff in operational, financial, and editorial decisions, and thank God for this fruitful ministry.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).