Isaiah 45
July 18
Reading: Isaiah 45
1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
2 "I will go before you and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I,
the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west,
that there is none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the LORD, who does all these things.
8 "Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.
9 Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'
or 'Your work has no handles'?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?'
or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'"
11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
"Ask me of things to come;
will you command me concerning my children
and the work of my hands?
12 I made the earth and created man on it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,
and I will make all his ways level;
he shall build my city and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward," says the LORD of hosts.
14 Thus says the LORD:
"The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.'"
15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the LORD
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
to all eternity.
18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens
he is God, who formed the earth and made it
he established it; he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!
"I am the LORD, and there is no other.
19 I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.'
I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.
20 "Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols,
and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the LORD?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return:
To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.
24 Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
all who were incensed against him.
25 In the LORD all the offspring of Israel
shall be justified and shall glory."
We have read of God’s sovereignty in judgment in Isaiah 13-24, many other displays of God’s sovereign control, and the awesome sovereignty of God over all creation and the nations in chapter 40. Now, chapter 45 adds another dynamic to our understanding of God’s sovereign control over all the earth.
Hebrew prophesy is usually a conversation between God, His prophet, and His people. But here the Sovereign Lord is speaking to Cyrus, the King of Persia. Of course, Cyrus, is not likely to read this, at least not until it has happened. So, the conversation is rhetorical.
It is astounding, in verse 1, that the prophet describes Cyrus as Yahweh’s “anointed.” This is a title used for Israel’s kings and prophets, or for the Messiah. But Cyrus is God’s anointed in the sense that he has been taken and led by God to do God’s will, though he is ignorant of all of this. We learn here that God holds the will and the fate of the kings of earth in His hand… this is true for Cyrus, Biden, Putin, Trump, Hitler, and on and on.
In this case, God is doing something specific and promised with Cyrus of Persia. God will use him to conquer kingdoms and gather treasure. (vss. 1-4) He will do this so that Cyrus will rebuild Jerusalem. (Isaiah 44:28) And the Lord is doing this so that people will see that He is the only God. (vss. 5-6) Notice that, in verse 7, the Lord claims to be in control of all things, light and darkness, both things causing “shalom” and causing disaster. Nothing is outside of God’s control.
Some people do not like the idea of God being in control of all things and all people. So, Isaiah answers them in verses 9-10. The answer: Who are you to argue with God?
In verses 11-25, the Lord puts His plan of salvation on display. He explains that He has said what He is going to do and, when God speaks, He always does what He says. This is that nature of God’s word. He tells us what He is going to do. Then He does what He said He will do. Then He tells us that He has done what He said He would do. He does it all for His glory.