“I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler.
No longer will violence be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.”
Isaiah 60:17b-19
This passage is such a beautiful description of what heaven will be like for us! But since our eternity with God starts the moment we become His children, I believe parts of these verses can apply to us now.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
This is how things are in heaven. What a wonderful thought that, in the spiritual and eternal sense, we can begin experiencing these truths in our daily lives on Planet Earth!
I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler…
One day that will apply across every border of God’s new heaven and earth! But even for us today, the kingdom of God ruling in our hearts through salvation makes this possible. God desires for each one of us that peace would be our “governor” and righteousness our “ruler,” resulting from our daily submission to Christ and His sovereign care over us.
No longer will violence be heard in your land…but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise…
This got me thinking about walls and gates.
The purpose of a wall is to create a boundary; it defines the borders of an entity, providing security and protection. It is a dividing line which differentiates between what is within, and what is without.
God says the walls of His city will be called “Salvation.” The Hebrew word for “salvation” means “deliverance.” Salvation—our eternal deliverance, our hope in Christ—is what identifies us as His children. It is our protection, our eternal and present security. It is the dividing line that differentiates us from the unbelieving world around us.
Salvation is indeed the name of the “walls” that surround us both now and in our eternal home.
The purpose of city gates are to provide entry and exit; to allow for trade and commerce, travel and freedom. The city gates of ancient times were also places of administration and justice, where the elders sat to hear cases brought for resolution. God says His gates will be called “Praise.” This is also His desire for our daily lives here on earth…that we would make praise the threshold of our going out and our coming in. Whether we are engaging in our work, enjoying our play, or wrestling with the heavy issues that need wisdom and discernment—praise should be the checkpoint that our words pass through. Paul tells us that the worship and glory of God, and our gratitude towards Him, can permeate every facet of existence: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
I Cor. 10:31
Praise is indeed the name of the “gates” that provide the entryway for peace into our lives both now and in our eternal home.
If the walls of a city are its body, enclosing all the life that is within, then the gates are the mouth of that body, inviting in what is healthful for the body. Let that mouth be always so identified with glorifying God that its very name is “Praise”! Let the walls that surround our lives be evident to others as the solid, secure foundation of Salvation. May peace be our governor and righteousness our ruler.
“Happy are they who enjoy a firm trust in God and His controlling providence! In great peace shall they possess their souls. Their best Friend sits at the helm of affairs and guides in such a way that all things shall work for their good.”
Robert Boyd