#1007 Isaiah 45 His Anointed Hidden in the Shadows

 

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.

The Lord, the Only Savior

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.” Isaiah 45 ESV

Isaiah 45

Cyrus is called God's anointed; he was designed and qualified for his great service by the counsel of God. The gates of Babylon which led to the river, were left open the night that Cyrus marched his army into the empty channel. The Lord went before him, giving entrance to the cities he besieged. He gave him also treasures, which had been hidden in secret places. The true God was to Cyrus an unknown God; yet God foreknew him; he called him by his name. The exact fulfilment of this must have shown Cyrus that Jehovah was the only true God, and that it was for the sake of Israel that he was prospered. In all the changes of states and kingdoms, God works out the good of his church. - Matthew Henry

1-7. I make well being and create calamity - God has no equal, as He has stated there is no other. Satan is not an equal enemy of God, for he is a created being. God is being and there is no causation before Him, and He is the Author of all life. What happens here, good or bad, God alone is sovereign.

Isaiah’s point is that there are not two gods or forces in heaven, one good and one bad, as in a dualistic “yin and yang” sense. “Cyrus was a Persian, and Persian had a dualistic concept of God and th world. Their good god they called Ahura-mazda and the evil god Angra-mainya. The former had created the light, the second the darkness.” (Bultema)

…8Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,… Ephesians 3: 8-10

…8that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.… Ephesians 1: 8-10

27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.… Romans 8: 27-29

6Even if I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me, 7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.…

9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. 10That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.… 2 Corinthians 12: 6-10

8. Shower, O heavens, from above - The Lord is the Redeemer, the sender of salvation, just as He can close up or open the skies to rain, salvation is of the Lord. Look at salvation and righteousness, they go hand in hand. A call to God is a call to Holiness, and a tree is known by it's fruits. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. 

…22“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? 23If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.24Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,… Proverbs 1: 22-24

…5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. 6And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,…

…8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! 10Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.… 2 Corinthians 3: 5-10

9-13. Woe to him who strives with Him Who formed him - Those that fight with God have lost the war of sanity, it is like jumping off the Empire State Building and thinking that your head is hard enough to survive the stop, or like screaming, "I don't believe in gravity", as you plummet to your doom. 

Your work has no handles - Or some translate the maker has no hands. "I cannot see God, or hands that I am accustomed to, so no hands then no God."  

19One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” 21Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?… Romans 9: 19-21

Let not oppressors oppose God's designs for his people. Let not the poor oppressed murmur, as if God dealt unkindly with them. Men are but earthen pots; they are broken potsherds, and are very much made so by mutual contentions. To contend with Him is as senseless as for clay to find fault with the potter. Let us turn God's promises into prayers, beseeching him that salvation may abound among us, and let us rest assured that the Judge of all the earth will do right.  - Matthew Henry

With what are you in labor - No one chooses their parents, no one thinks themselves into being, but all are begotten. We should honor our fathers and mothers, even when they are not so honorable, for God has knit us there, you are part of your father and part your mother, and not by your own design. If you are adopted by faith in Christ to your heavenly father, then pray for your earthly parents that they may come as well. 

31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him, 32and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look, He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You. 33But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”…

…34Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother. Mark 3: 31-35

Will you command Me concerning My children and the work of My hands - They may have not liked God's method or who He chose to use, but He is the Creator, and they are not.

I have stirred him up in righteousness - He has brought Cyrus to this duty, to set Israel free and to help them rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

14-19. Surely God is in you, and there is no other - It happens as prophesied, Cyrus takes the nations, and they know it comes from God.

Truly, You are a God Who hides Himself - Knock and the door shall be open, seek and ye shall find. God uses messengers, He uses kings like Cyrus, but He has made Himself known in His word. To those outside Israel looks forsaken, as if they didn't have a God, but He is always working on their behalf.

…10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”… Romans 3: 10-12

Bultema on Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior: “When he sees how God for many centuries hides His face from Israel, he cries out these words, overcome by rapture and emotion. The LORD hides Himself from Israel during the times of the Gentiles (18:4; 40:27; 49:14; Hosea 3:3-5)… So it is clear that we may not apply these words to a seeking sinner. From such God does not hide Himself. But when in the last days Israel will seek Him, she will find Him.”

He formed it to be inhabited - Man and life was no surprise to God. He carefully designed the cosmos to sustain life on this planet.

Seek me in vain - He has declared Himself, made Himself known to Abraham, brought His children from Egypt, given His Holy Word, and fulfilled the prophecies therein.

…5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.… Hebrews 11: 5-7

20-21. Who told this long ago - Was it the idols? No, it was the Creator, and men may not like it, may hide from it, and even deny it, but the testimony is clear. The future generations in Babylon will know about the furnace, they will see it played out in front of them. They will then know to look forward to the next thing on God's calendar, the coming of Cyrus, and in between God will shut the mouths of lions. 

22-25. A word that shall not return - Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word shall remain.

…10For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.12You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.… Isaiah 55: 10-12

To Me every knee shall bow - Said of Christ the Savior, the Lord, God the Son.

…9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.… Philippians 2: 9-11