Lectionary Year B
Isaiah 60:1-6
January 6, 2003
Epiphany

Step II: Disposition

A. GENRE

(JFC)
The prophetic imperative hastens to describe motivational reasons to prompt to its directives. It specifies realities that might tend to interrupt and/or interfere with compliance to the directives. It resorts, as if additional reasons are warranted, to characterizing God's glories as well as the responses of the rest of the world to such divine revelations. It predicts that adherence to these instructions will benefit the whole family of the recipients. The praise of God will result thereafter.

(JFC) B. PERSONAL INTERACTION

How confident can the prophet have been that the light predicted had already, let alone, enlightened the recipients of this message? Tenses of these verbs and their proper meanings when translated into our language might be the problem here. Are the nations and their sovereigns yet to approach or are they already at least in route to gather at the recipients' light? The riches of the sea, the wealth of the (foreign?) nations and the hoards of camels (young and old, too?), are these resources idiomatic of blessings galore in that culture? What will the chorus of these voices sound like? Will it be truly praiseworthy for God?

The passage begins with an imperative and follows it immediately with a word of prophecy. Thereafter, just as immediately, it refers to God's glory as a done thing having landed on the recipients of this message. It admits mundane darkness and contrasts, again, God's glorious light. Then it pictures nations and their leaders flocking to those enlightened by God's glory. Penultimately, more resources will be magnetized to the enlightened. Finally and climactically, God's name gets praised.



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