Set Free by God’s
Power to Work Through People & Nations:
A Look at the Extent of God’s Extraordinary Power, 45:1–25
1This is Jehovah’s message to
Cyrus, God’s anointed, whom he has chosen to conquer many lands. God shall
empower his right hand, and he shall crush the strength of mighty kings. God
shall open the gates of Babylon to him; the gates shall not be shut against him
anymore. 2I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains and
smash down the city gates of brass and iron bars. 3And I will give
you treasures hidden in the darkness, secret riches; and you will know that I
am doing this—I, the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by your
name.
4And
why have I named you for this work? For the sake of Jacob, my servant—Israel, my chosen. I called
you by name when you didn’t know me. 5I am Jehovah; there is no
other God. I will strengthen you and send you out to victory even though you
don’t know me, 6and all the world from east to west will know there
is no other God. I am Jehovah and there is no one else. I alone am God. 7I
form the light and make the dark. I send good times and bad. I, Jehovah, am he
who does these things. 8Open up, O heavens. Let the skies pour out
their righteousness. Let salvation and righteousness sprout up together from
the earth. I, Jehovah, created them.
9Woe
to the man who fights with his Creator. Does the pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute
with him who forms it, saying, “Stop, you’re doing it wrong!” or the pot
exclaim, “How clumsy can you be!”? 10Woe to the baby just being born who squalls to
his father and mother, “Why have you produced me? Can’t you do anything right at all?”
11Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Israel’s Creator, says: What right have you to question what I do? Who are you to command me concerning the work of my hands? 12I have made the earth and created man upon it. With my hands, I have stretched out the heavens and commanded all the vast myriads of stars. 13I have raised up Cyrusa to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will direct all his paths. He shall restore my city and free my captive people—and not for a reward!
14Jehovah
says: The Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sabeans shall be subject to you. They
shall come to you with all their merchandise, and it shall all be yours. They
shall follow you as prisoners in chains and fall down on their knees before you
and say, “The only God there is, is your God!”
15Truly,
O God of Israel, Savior, you work in strange, mysterious ways. 16All
who worship idols shall be disappointed and ashamed. 17But Israel
shall be saved by Jehovah with eternal salvation; they shall never be
disappointed in their God through all eternity. 18For Jehovah
created the heavens and earth and put everything in place, and he made the
world to be lived in, not to be empty chaos. I am Jehovah, he says, and there
is no other! 19I publicly proclaim bold promises; I do not whisper
obscurities in some dark corner so that no one can know what I mean. And I
didn’t tell Israel to ask me for what I didn’t plan to give! No, for I, Jehovah,
speak only truth and righteousness.
20Gather
together and come, you nations that escape from Cyrus’ hand. What fools they
are who carry around the wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save! 21Consult
together, argue your case, and state your proofs that idol worship pays! Who
but God has said that these things concerning Cyrus would come true? What idol ever told you
they would happen?
For there is no other God but me—a just God and a Savior—no, not one! 22Let
all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. 23I
have sworn by myself, and I will never go back on my word, for it is true—that
every knee in all the world shall bow to me, and every tongue shall swear
allegiance to my name.
24“In Jehovah is all my righteousness and strength,” the people shall declare. And all who were angry with him shall come to him and be ashamed. 25In Jehovah all the generations of Israel shall be justified, triumphant.[1] (Isaiah45:1–25)
Set Free by God’s
Power to Work Through People and Nations:
A Look at the Extent of God’s Extraordinary Power, 45:1–25
Introduction: The Lust For Power Is
A Strong Craving Within The Human Heart. Holding power is not wrong or
evil. In fact, there must be leaders in positions of authority for society to
function properly. But craving power for the purpose of dominating or enslaving
others arises from an evil heart. Tragically, many rulers of the world down
through history have sought power for the purpose of controlling the citizens
of a nation and then reveling in the wealth and luxury of their top government
positions.
But for most
of us, the craving for power is far more limited. Most of us simply want the
power to command people’s attention, and convince them of the worth of our
opinions or our way of doing things. Having enough power to influence people to
do what we desire or think seems to satisfy most people. But even this limited
longing for power arises from hearts that are self-centered. No matter what
position of authority we hold, we must always keep our motives pure. We must
use whatever power or influence we have for the welfare of our neighbors, our
community, and for society as a whole.
God’s
enormous power is the subject of this Scripture. God uses His power for
good at all times. He never uses it for evil. Down through history, He has
always used His power to work all things out for good, both for the human race
in general and for His people. This fact is clearly seen in the present
Scripture.
This is Set Free by God’s Power to Work Through People and Nations: A Look at the Extent of God’s Extraordinary Power, Isaiah45:1–25.
1. God’s power to use Cyrus to free Israel from
captivity: a picture of Christ setting people free from sin and death (vv.
1–13).
2. God’s power to arouse the nations to submit and
bow before Him: a picture of the Messiah’s kingdom, 2:2–4; 18:7; 23:15–18 (vv.
14–17).
3. God’s power to save everyone within the nations who turn to Him (vv. 18–25).
God’s Power To Use Cyrus To Free Israel From Captivity:
A Picture Of Christ Setting People Free From Sin And Death (Vv. 1–13).
1This is Jehovah’s message to Cyrus, God’s anointed, whom he has chosen to
conquer many lands. God shall empower his right hand, and he shall crush the
strength of mighty kings. God shall open the gates of Babylon to him; the gates
shall not be shut against him anymore. 2I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains and smash down the city gates of brass and iron bars. 3And
I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness, secret riches; and you will
know that I am doing this—I, the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you
by your name.
4And why have I named you for this work? For the sake of Jacob, my servant—Israel, my
chosen. I called you by name when you didn’t know me. 5I am Jehovah;
there is no other God. I will strengthen you and send you out to victory even
though you don’t know me, 6and all the world from east to west will
know there is no other God. I am Jehovah and there is no one else. I alone am
God. 7I form the light and make the dark. I send good times and bad.
I, Jehovah, am he who does these things. 8Open up, O heavens. Let the
skies pour out their righteousness. Let salvation and righteousness sprout up
together from the earth. I, Jehovah, created them.
9Woe to the man who fights with his Creator. Does the pot argue with its
maker? Does the
clay dispute with him who forms it, saying, “Stop, you’re doing it wrong!” or
the pot exclaim, “How clumsy can you be!”? 10Woe to the baby just being born who
squalls to his father and mother, “Why have you produced me? Can’t you do anything
right at all?”
11Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Israel’s Creator, says: What right have you to question what I do? Who are you to command me concerning the work of my hands? 12I have made the earth and created man upon it. With my hands, I have stretched out the heavens and commanded all the vast myriads of stars. 13I have raised up Cyrusa to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will direct all his paths. He shall restore my city and free my captive people—and not for a reward![2] (Isaiah 45:1–13)
Isaiah predicts that God’s power will work through Cyrus, the pagan king of Persia. God’s power will arouse King Cyrus to free Israel from the Babylonian captivity. Remember, this prophecy is being given more than 150 years before the event. Isaiah not only pinpoints the nation that will free the Jews, but he gives the name of the ruler—and Cyrus has not even been born yet. His birth and rule still lie several generations in the future. Only because of God’s eternal knowledge (omniscience) and infinite power (omnipotence) could He have known these facts and revealed them to Isaiah. God is omniscient, knowing all things past, present, and future. And God is omnipotent, possessing supreme, unlimited, and unrestricted power. God rules and reigns over the entire universe. He oversees all affairs worldwide, working through both people and nations to accomplish His purpose of redemption. At the same time, God gave free will to the human race. Sadly, the great majority of people down through the ages have chosen to defy or reject Him. Nevertheless, the Lord has determined to provide the way of salvation for all who will trust Him and repent of their sins. The Lord works all things out for good, orchestrating human events in order to save those who truly trust and follow Him. That is why God used His power to raise up Cyrus to free the true believers in Israel from their captivity. This event is a clear picture of Christ setting people free from sin and death.
A. God Would Anoint Cyrus To Be His Special Agent (Vv. 1–3). Surprisingly, the Lord called the pagan king his anointed. The term anointed was a term of honor usually reserved for righteous kings, prophets, priests, patriarchs, and for the people of God themselves (1 S. 12:3; Ps. 2:2; 105:15; Da. 9:25; Hab. 3:13). Even Christ Himself is called the Anointed One (Da. 9:25–26). In light of the traditional use of the term, the people must have been utterly shocked when Isaiah referred to Cyrus as God’s anointed. But unknown to them, God was planning a marvelous thing for His people, those who truly believed and followed Him. He was going to rescue them from the Babylonian captivity. To perform this unusual feat, it was necessary to raise up a ruler through whom He could work and accomplish His purposes.
B. God Had A Fivefold Purpose For Raising Up Cyrus To Be His Agent. These purposes clearly show how God works through both people and nations to fulfill His will and accomplish His wonderful plan of salvation.
1) First, God
Was Going To Use Cyrus To Execute His Justice Upon The Wicked Nations Of The
Earth. He would empower Cyrus to be a world conqueror and subdue nations
with the Persian war machine. In some cases, Cyrus would defeat and strip kings
of their armor and military power. In other cases, kings would tremble in so
much fear that they would swing open their gates and surrender without a fight
(v.
1). All over the known world of that time, the mountains would be leveled, and
the great cities and fortresses of the world would be conquered (v. 2).
Through these conquests, the Lord would give Cyrus great wealth, the hidden
treasures of nations (v. 3a).
2) Second, God
Was Going To Stir Up Cyrus To Know That He Is The Lord (Jehovah, Yahweh), The
Only True And Living God (V. 3b). How could Cyrus know that God had
appointed him to conquer the world and free the Israelites from captivity? How could he know that
the Lord had called him by name generations before he was born? Most likely through the
prophet Daniel, who would be an elderly prime minister in Cyrus’s court. Daniel
would undoubtedly have told the king about some of the great prophecies of
Isaiah (Da. 6:28; 10:1). Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian,
actually said that it was Isaiah’s prophecy that aroused Cyrus to free the
Jews. He states:
When Cyrus read this [Isaiah’s prophecy],
and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to
fulfill what was so written. So he called for the most imminent Jews that were
in Babylon and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own
country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that
he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and
governors that were in their neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they
should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and,
besides that, beast for their sacrifices.1
The source
from which Josephus got his information is not known. But since Daniel was
Cyrus’s prime minister, it is likely that he showed Isaiah’s prophecy to the
king. And as a strong witness for the Lord, Daniel almost certainly did all he
could to lead the king to acknowledge the only true and living God. Although we
cannot know if Cyrus ever truly turned to the Lord, Scripture does say that the
Lord Himself raised up Cyrus so that he might know that the Lord is the God of
Israel, the only living and true God.
3) Third, God
Was Going To Raise Up Cyrus To Free The Israelites From Captivity And Allow
Them To Return To The Promised Land Of Judah (Vv. 4–5). Although the Lord
honored Cyrus by appointing him to be His agent, God’s purpose was not focused
upon the king. His purpose was to fulfill His promises to Israel, to set the
exiles free from captivity and return them to their homeland. When God called
King Cyrus His shepherd (40:11;
44:28) and His anointed (45:1),
He bestowed a great honor on the Persian king. However, Cyrus was not honored
because of any personal merit or righteousness. Scripture clearly says that
Cyrus did not acknowledge or know the Lord during the days when God was
preparing him to help Israel. God chose
to use Cyrus to free His people from captivity.
4) Fourth, God
Was Going To Raise Up Cyrus To Prove To The World And His People That He Alone
Is God (Vv. 6–7). From the rising to the setting of the sun, from one end
of the earth to the other, all people were to know that there is no God but the
Lord Himself (Jehovah, Yahweh). He alone is the Creator, for He alone has
created both light and darkness. And He alone is sovereign, controlling both
good and evil, peace and calamity.
God’s
prediction and use of Cyrus—and even naming the as-yet-unborn king—would arouse
the attention of all who were truly objective and honest. It would also prove
beyond any reasonable doubt that the Lord alone is God.
C. God Now
Issues A Strong Warning To Those Who Question His Will And The Way He Works
With People (Vv. 9–13). Naturally, some people in Isaiah’s day opposed
God’s will. A number of unbelievers opposed God’s choice of Israel as His
people. Others opposed His use of a pagan king to free His people. They
believed that a pagan such as King Cyrus was not worthy to be used for God’s
great purposes. In their minds, Cyrus was far too evil, immoral, and corrupt
for God to anoint him for any service, much less to free His people from
captivity.
But note God’s response to those who second-guess or criticize the way He chooses to work. He pronounces the certain doom of all who argue with their Creator (v. 9). People who challenge the Lord expose their true hearts. They show that their hearts are hard and stubborn against God. Consider a potter and his clay. A clay pot does not argue with its maker. It does not question what the potter is making or the way he is doing it. Think about newborn babies. While they are being born, babies do not ask why their parents are bringing them into the world or question the way they are being delivered into it.
D. God’s
Answer To Those Who Question Their Creator Is Very Straightforward (Vv. 11–13).
They must think about what they are really doing. In questioning the Lord about
His children and about the way He works, they are actually issuing orders to
the Lord, telling Him what they think should be done and the way it should be
done. Simply stated, they are seeking to play
God. Those who question and argue with God must remember two facts:
Ø
The Lord is the Creator of the heavens and earth
and of all mankind. For this reason, He has the right to do as He chooses (v. 12).
Ø The Lord will raise up Cyrus to fulfill His righteous purpose. His purpose is to rebuild the holy city of Jerusalem and to set Israel free from its captivity.
V “For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Ro. 3:23–25).
V “In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ep. 1:7).
V “But is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Ti. 1:10).
V “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (He. 2:14–15).[3]
4And why have I named you for this work? For the sake of Jacob, my servant—Israel, my chosen. I called you by
name when you didn’t know me. 5I am Jehovah; there is no other God.
I will strengthen you and send you out to victory even though you don’t know
me, 6and all the world from east to west will know there is no other
God…
Does the pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with him who forms it, saying, “Stop, you’re doing it wrong!” or the pot exclaim, “How clumsy can you be!”? 10Woe to the baby just being born who squalls to his father and mother, “Why have you produced me? Can’t you do anything right at all?” 11Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Israel’s Creator, says: What right have you to question what I do? Who are you to command me concerning the work of my hands?
This is the
only place in the Bible where a Gentile ruler is said to be “anointed.” God
is the power over all rulers, and he anoints whom he chooses for his special
tasks. Cyrus’s kingdom spread across 2,000 miles (the largest of any empire
then known), including the territories of both the Assyrian and the Babylonian
Empires.
Why Did God
Anoint Cyrus? Because
God had a special task for him to do for Israel. Cyrus would allow God’s city,
Jerusalem, to be rebuilt, and he would set the exiles free without expecting
anything in return. Few kings of Israel or Judah had done as much for God’s
people as Cyrus would.
God is
ruler over light and darkness, over good times and bad times. Our lives are
sprinkled with both types of experiences, and both are needed for us to grow
spiritually. When good times come, thank God and use your prosperity for
him. When bad times come, don’t resent them, but ask what you can learn
from this refining experience to make you a better servant of God.[4]
& and
a 45:13
I have raised up Cyrus,
literally, “I have raised up him.” The reference probably is also to Christ in
the more distant future, as well as to Cyrus.
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
a 45:13 I have raised up Cyrus, literally, “I have raised up him.” The reference probably is also to Christ in the more distant future, as well as to Cyrus.
[2] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
1 Josephus. Complete Works. Antiquities of the Jews. Book 11, Ch. 1, Para.2, p. 228.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[4] Life Application
Bible Notes. 2007. Tyndale.
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