Hymns: RHC 87 I Know Whom I Have Believed 88 Praise Him, Praise Him! 90 Love Lifted Me

Isaiah 45

1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. 9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Letthe potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? 11 Thus saith 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 command ye me. 12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. 14 Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God. 15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. 16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that aremakers of idols. 17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth inrighteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall onesay, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

In the LORD

OUTLINE

• Salvation
• Man’s Proper Functioning Comes from the Maker
• Righteousness and Strength 

INTRODUCTION

It is in the LORD that we have our being – Acts 17:28 (KJV) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Without Him, there is no life, we have no existence. Man owes his existence to his Creator God. In man’s lost estate, he having lost his way, did not understand how he was so wonderfully created and sustained.

God particular manifest Himself to His chosen people. In the LORD, His people will realize is salvation (v21), righteousness and strength (v24).

His people Israel has strayed from Him, and He has orchestrated the great chastisement program through the Babylonians to help them to see that He only is the living and true God who love them and care for them and yet they have departed from Him. And He will raise a saviour to bring Israel in captivity to come back to the land again. This will be done through Cyrus.

The subject which was introduced in the previous chapter Isaiah 44:28 constitutes the main topic of this. 

Isaiah 44:28 (KJV) That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

God had there introduced the name of Cyrus as he who was to deliver His people from their captivity, and to restore them to their own land. 

This chapter is almost entirely occupied with a statement of the deliverance which would be effected through him to the more important deliverance which would be effected under the Messiah. 

The general subject of the chapter is the overthrow of Babylon, the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus, and the events consequent on that, adapted to give consolation to the friends of God, particularly the future conversion of the Gentiles to the true religion. [Barnes]

• Salvation 

1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

God will bring salvation to His people from unexpected quarters. A heathen Persian king as His instrument and agent to bring His people back to the land.

An apostrophe to Cyrus, stating the design for which God had raised him up, and what he would do for him (v1-8). This statement also comprises several items:

God would subdue nations before him, open brass gates, and give him the treasures of kings (v1-3).

4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there isnone beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The design for which God would do this would be, that He might deliver His people, and that the world might know that the LORD was the true and only God (v4-7).

8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

The joyful consequences of this event – so great that the heavens are represented as dropping down righteousness, and the earth as bringing forth salvation in consequence of it (v8).

• Man’s Proper Functioning Comes from the Maker (v9-17)

9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto hisfather, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Those who strive with their Maker are reproved and rebuked (v9-10). This is probably designed to apply to the people of Babylon, or to complainers in general in regard to the government of God.

God vindicates Himself against the calumnies and objections of His enemies, and states the evidence that He is God, and the consequence of His interposition in raising up Cyrus.

11 Thus saith 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 command ye me. 

He condescends to reason with people, and is willing to be inquired of respecting future events (v11).

12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.

He had made the earth and all things, and he had raised up Cyrus for the purpose of delivering his people (v12-13).

14 Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

He states the consequence of his raising up Cyrus, and their deliverance, for the purpose of comforting His people (v14).

15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. 16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.

All the worshippers of idols should be ashamed and confounded (v15-16).

17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

They who put their trust in God should never be confounded (v17).

• Strength and Righteousness (v18-25)

18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 

God vindicates His own character; and calls on the nations of idolaters to come and compare the claims of idols with Him, and especially appeals, in proof that He is God, to his power of predicting future events (v18-21).

22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

The chapter closes by a call on all nations to trust in Him in view of the fact that he is the only true God; and with an assurance that all should yet trust in him, and that the true religion should yet spread over the world (v22-25). 

This is designed further to comfort the people of God in their exile and is a striking prophecy of the final universal prevalence of the gospel. [Barnes]

CONCLUSION

In the LORD, we have our true being. Let His people therefore subsist in Him. Amen.