Isaiah 45
Isaiah 45 introduces the idea of God's sovereign power and His use of Cyrus, a pagan king, as His anointed instrument to deliver Israel. God proclaims His supreme authority over creation and history, demonstrating His control over the rise and fall of nations. The chapter focuses on God’s plan to restore His people and how He can use even foreign rulers for His purposes. God also declares that there is no other God besides Him, emphasizing His unique power and the futility of idols.
Isaiah 45:1-10 (NKJV)
1 "Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’
8 “Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’”
God speaks to Cyrus, a non-Israelite king, calling him His anointed, emphasizing that God is in control of history and will use Cyrus to achieve His plans. Despite Cyrus not knowing God, he is chosen to subdue nations and restore Israel. God declares His uniqueness and absolute authority over creation, declaring that He controls both peace and calamity. Verses 9-10 offer a warning to those who question God's will, likening them to clay questioning the potter's design. God emphasizes His ultimate authority, urging people to trust in His wisdom.
Isaiah 45:11-13 (NKJV)
11 Thus says the Lord,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;
And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 I have made the earth,
And created man on it.
I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,
And all their host I have commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will direct all his ways;
He shall build My city
And let My exiles go free,
Not for price nor reward,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
God reasserts His role as Creator, reminding the people that He controls the future and commands all things. He has raised Cyrus in righteousness to fulfill His divine purpose, specifically to rebuild Jerusalem and free the exiles without any form of payment or reward. God demonstrates His sovereignty and power, working His will through history.
Isaiah 45:14-17 (NKJV)
14 Thus says the Lord:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying,
‘Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
There is no other God.’”
15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced
Forever and ever.
God proclaims that Egypt, Cush, and the Sabeans will come to Israel in submission, recognizing the true God. This symbolizes how the surrounding nations will acknowledge God's power. While idols and their worshipers will be shamed and confused, Israel will experience salvation and honor, trusting in the Lord for eternal deliverance.
Isaiah 45:18-25 (NKJV)
18 For thus says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
In a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in vain’;
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
20 “Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations.
They have no knowledge,
Who carry the wood of their carved image,
And pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.
22 “Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall take an oath.
24 He shall say,
‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.
25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and shall glory.’”
God declares His role as Creator, reaffirming that He alone is God and that everything He does is right and just. He invites people from all nations to turn to Him for salvation, reminding them that idols cannot save. God asserts His authority, declaring that eventually, every person will acknowledge Him. Those who oppose Him will be ashamed, while Israel will find righteousness and strength in the Lord.