“Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor of the Lord shines on you!
For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:1, 2)
The surface temperature of our sun is 5778 K. White-hot gasses, light, and energy particles erupt from the massive sphere in every direction, including toward earth. Solar radiation destined for our planet should destroy all life down to the most resilient microorganisms. On the second day of creation, however, God made an atmosphere to absorb our sun’s incinerating heat. The air and magnetic field around us—invisible as they are—protect the world from the eradication of organic life.
Jehovah is the wholly righteous God. His blinding righteousness radiates toward everything in creation. Guilt can no more withstand his burning holiness than a twig would endure on the sun. Sin, imperfection, and lies are engulfed in flames when they touch God’s righteous light. He may tolerate my polluted heart while I float in this bubble of time, but it will soon pop. I must face him and see my unrighteousness turned to ash.
From the epicenter of Golgotha, a supernatural atmosphere poured from the Messiah. Ether with the power to absorb God’s righteous judgment streamed out to cover the earth. The heat of Divine contempt for our betrayal was taken into the shield that is Jesus. This blanket of grace reached forward and back in time to protect repentant sinners throughout history.
The foundation of existence is still righteousness, but now it’s buffered by Grace. God filters the intensity of his holiness through Jesus, so we don’t burst into flames. With Christ Jesus overshadowing me, I can finally begin to reconcile my life to God’s burning light.
Prayer: Great Jehovah, thank you for righteousness covered by grace.