© The Exploratorium,
www.exploratorium.edu

Theme Introduction

Shine

Nations will come

Wealth of Nations

City of the Lord

"The Wealth of the Nations"
Introduction     Scripture, Readings, Prayers, Discussion Questions, Songs

              Isaiah’s picture of the New Jerusalem has some interesting things showing up in the city. He tells of commercial goods and foreign political figures entering into the city with great fanfare. This raises all kinds of interesting questions, many of which are discussed below. However, the key point is stated by Richard Mouw when he says, “God’s present attitude, then, toward these instruments of culture is an ambivalent one. As tools of human rebellion and objects of idolatrous trust, he hates them, and he warns his people not to be contaminated by them. But he hates them because of their present uses. And his hatred will lead him to transform them into proper instruments of service” (pg. 32). Yes, the things of culture will exist in the New Jerusalem, but in a posture of submission to God.

Sample Service

Responsive Scripture:
Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.

Hymn: Here from All Nations
Psalm: Psalm 72
Scripture: Revelation 21-22:5
Prayer: Prayer from Book of Common Prayer listed below
Hymn: Jesus Shall Reign
Blessing: To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen. Jude 24-25

Additional Scripture

Psalm 24:1-2
1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

Genesis 1:26-31
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day.

Isaiah 2:12-17
12The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),
13for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,
14for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,
15for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,
16for every ship of Tarshish
and every stately vessel.
17The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

In this prophecy of vindication and hope that immediately follows chapter 60, Isaiah once again uses the image of the “wealth of the nations,” but here the context is the exaltation of the afflicted in Zion.
Isaiah 61:4-7 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. 7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.

Haggai 2:3, 7, 9 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 7I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 9'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Matthew 2:1-11
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Romans 12:1-2 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16, 39-40 8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Revelation 21-22:6 (see “Shine, For Your Light Is Come”)

See also:
Isaiah 18:7
Isaiah 66:12
Jeremiah 6:16-20
I Corinthians 8:4-8, 10:25-31

Readings

Some one will ask, “Is not this honor, of which the Prophet speaks, excessive and greater than ought to be given to the church? For to bow down and prostrate ourselves are tokens of honor which no human being ought to receive.” I reply, this honor is rendered, not to the members, but to the Head: that is, to Christ, who is worshipped in the Church; and this worship is rendered by those who formerly hated and persecuted him … They for whose sake these things are said reject and despise doctrine; for Christ is honored by those who obey his doctrine. And this is what the Prophet means, that they who were formerly alienated from it shall heartily submit, so as to obey Christ; for if Christ has any majesty, it shines forth in the doctrine which he administers by the agency of men.
–on Isaiah 60:14, Commentary on the Prophet Isaiah by John Calvin (Vol. 4, p. 291)

Reflecting on the original goodness of creation catapults our imaginations to the consummate goodness of the re-creation. There, too, we find both grace and judgment. Two of Scripture's dramatic visions of the new creation, the one chronicled by the prophet Isaiah and the other by the apostle John, tell us that the dignitaries of the earth will one day parade into the heavenly kingdom bearing their nation's glory with them (Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21). These are dignitaries of every nation and tribe and language and people, and they lead the procession of a multitude so great it cannot be numbered. Isaiah pictures the treasures of his day being brought into the holy city—rams, camels, frankincense—but we can reframe the picture of the parade of nations. So the French will bring their Bordeaux wines, the Scots their tweeds, the Mayans their xocoatl (chocolate), the Chinese their Tang-dynasty vases, the Byzantines their mosaics, and the Liberians their woven bags. But, says John, nothing unclean will enter there (Rev. 21:27). There will be judgment. Dross will be consumed, and chaff will be sifted out.
-from Discerning The Spirits by Neal Plantinga & Sue Rozeboom © 2003. Used by permission of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co (pgs. 80-81).

In the final book of his classic series, The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis tells the story of Emeth, a Calormene warrior who has dedicated his whole life to the faithful service of the elusive Tash, the enemy of Aslan, King of Narnia. Yet, remarkably, when at the close of the last battle Emeth finds himself standing before the victor Aslan, rather than being condemned to death as a servant of the enemy, the one who is called the “Glorious One” gently bends down his “golden head” to welcome Emeth as a son and explains how it is that he can accept service done unto Tash as service done unto himself:

For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he knows it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash is his deed accepted.
-from The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis © C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd 1956

I believe in God, maker of an unfinished world, who calls us to participate in bringing about the fullness of Creation – God, who created abundant resources to provide for all; God, who has not divided people into rich and poor, owners and slaves, nor pitted us against each other because of race, color, social class or sex. I believe in Jesus Christ who was ridiculed, tortured, and executed for the sins of humankind. He has overthrown the rule of evil and injustice and continues to judge and redeem the hatred and arrogance of human beings. I believe in the Spirit of God whose flame comforts us with divine presence and causes our hearts to burn for righteousness and justice. I believe in the reconciling power of God in my life and in the world. I believe that God, through people, can bring peace and hope, justice and equality, the relief of suffering and pain, and the final triumph of love and grace. Amen.
-from Banquet of Praise (number 35); Used by permission from Bread for the World.

Reformed Confessional Statements

Q: But why are you called a Christian?
A: Because by faith I am a member of Christ
And so I share in his anointing.
I am anointed
To confess his name,
To present myself as a living sacrifice of thanks,
To strive with a good conscience against sin and devil in this life,
And afterward to reign with Christ
Over all creation
For all eternity.
- Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 32

God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day … all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil. The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of his justice in the eternal damnation of the reprobate.
-Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 35, Paragraphs 1-2a

Prayers

Gracious Father, we thank and praise you that you have made your glory visible to us in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man. We thank and praise you that we are daily being transformed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another. As you used the star to draw the magi from afar so that they might kneel at the manger, now use us, your church, to draw people of all nations into your kingdom. Hasten the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In his name we pray, Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-Book of Common Prayer

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
-Psalm 145:1-13

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my Lord,
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
-“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” By Isaac Watts, 1707; vs. 2, 4.

Discussion Questions

1. In Isaiah 2 the prophet tells how the idolatrous instruments and the rebellious people who have taken pride in them will be brought low in the Day of the Lord, but in Isaiah 60 he shows these same instruments being brought by the kings of the nations into the New Jerusalem as transformed instruments of service How are we to understand God’s judgment and punishment in light of the difference between these two passages? (What is the difference between a consuming fire and a refining fire?)
2. Neal Plantinga and Sue Rozeboom describe what it would look like if the nations in today’s world brought their best as offerings to the Lord. What would you bring from your nation or region? What goods of the nations would be consumed”as “dross?” (see I Cor 3: 11-15)
3. The items listed are also prominent with regard to trade (camels and ships were used to transport goods, while livestock were bought and sold). What role do you think trade and currency might have to play in the New Jerusalem (“the riches of the nations will come” – vs. 5)? What about the role of music, art and other cultural endeavors? What light does Isaiah 61:4-7 shed on the issue?
4. The gates of the New Jerusalem never shut. What should we do with our own personal “gates” in regard to the world around us, considering that we don’t yet live in the New Jerusalem?
5. As kings enter the New Jerusalem with the wealth of their nations, what will be the position of evil and oppressive rulers?
6. C. S. Lewis’ account of the end times of Narnia, a fictional world, shows Aslan (the Christ figure) accepting the service of a pure and upright servant devoted to another god. What is your response to this?
7. Hebrews 11 describes the deep longing with which the biblical saints yearned for the heavenly city, yet the author of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms that they have not yet reached it. “Only together with us would they be made perfect.” (v.40) How does the prospect of entering into the city together with the church of all ages affect your vision of our arrival into the promised New Jerusalem?
8. What does the Bible tell us about which God desires more -- a presentation of our gifts or a presentation of ourselves? (See Jer. 6:16-20, Mark 12:28-34, Rom. 12:1-2.) Why?
9. To what does the theological term “re-creation” refer? What impact does our doctrine of creation have on our understanding of the end times?
10. What does Gen. 1:28, often referred to as the “cultural mandate,” teach us about the unique responsibilities of Adam and Eve as God’s image-bearers in the Garden of Eden? Will the cultural mandate change when we come into the final and glorious City of God? How will we be different from the original inhabitants of the garden?
11. What is the significance of creation starting with a garden and ending in this picture of a magnificent city?

Songs

As With Gladness Men of Old: PH 358
Here from All Nations: PH 235
Jesus Shall Reign: PH 412
O God of Every Nation: PH 606
Shout to the North