1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
We can and should be proud of our relationship with God.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
No matter how dark it may seem, God shines through us.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
God's light is very attractive. Others can’t resist trying to find out about.
4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
God is promising to bring back the Babylonian captives. Those children they have watched carried into slavery will return.
5 Then thou shall see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
God will bless again.
Also, after the Babylonian captivity, Alexander the Great marched through the region conquering everything in his way...except Judah. There he was welcomed as a liberator and he even gave gifts to the Temple.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.
Many believe Sheba to be Egypt. After Alexander, Ptolemy (who inherited Egypt from Alexander) came to Judah to worship God.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory.
God brings glory to His people in order to bring glory to Himself.
8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9 Surely the isles shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favor have I had mercy on thee.
Historically, a number of rulers made it a point to come worship at Jerusalem after the Return; Ptolemy 1 of Egypt, Alexander the Great….
11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
Don’t know, unless this is speaking of the time after Christ, when all who love God become part of Israel and those who don't are kicked out. During this time the only way to find salvation is through Jesus and His Church.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.
Solomon’s Temple will be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Cyrus the Great of Persia will send fine wood and all the supplies needed to rebuild it 70 years later.
14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; "The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel."
Acts tells us of people of many nations being there in Jerusalem to worship 50 days after the Passover (The Day of Pentecost, Acts 2). From the time of the Return people did make it a point to worship God in Jerusalem from many different countries.
15 Whereas thou have been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
Traders were avoiding going through Judah at this point, but God will change that. He will bring them back to the old routes that led through Jerusalem.
16 Thou shall also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shall suck the breast of kings: and thou shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
They will be rich.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shall call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
The time from the completion of the Temple to about AD200 was a time of peace and plenty for most of this part of the world (The great Pax Romana).
On a different angle, no matter what is going on around us, no matter what the physical says, we followers of God are the richest people in the world.
19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
The sun and moon often stand for Israel/Judah (reference Joseph’s dream in Genesis). Is this speaking of the time when physical descendants of Jacob will no longer be the source of God to the world, but Christ?
20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Even when we lose someone dear to us, we don’t have to mourn. If they loved God, the separation is only temporary. We are often sad for their absence and we have to learn how to go on without them, form a new “normal,” but we know that at the end of this life we will be with them again.
21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.
All followers of Christ are grafted into Israel (while all unbelievers are cut off) and made righteous, not by our own strength or workers, but by the blood of Christ.
22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in His time.