Isaiah 41-45

Paul Bukauskas

Isaiah • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Chapter 41-45 Review

Chapter 41

Chapter 41 continues looking at God’s greatness - but also admonishes us to keep from idols and to trust in God. We also saw three pictures of divine intervention from God: human hostility, human weakness and adverse circumstances

Chapter 42

The first of four (4) servant songs. In this song we see that He will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, bring justice and righteousness to the world, He shall be called a servant, ebed, slave

Chapter 43

The familiar courtroom setting. God announces the issue: who of your idol gods could predict the future? The idols are silent and the nations produce no witnesses. God declares His verdict which is total destruction of Israel’s enemies. Verse 25 is the high point of the OT - which reminds us that God forgives our sins and He does it for His own sake not based on our past

Chapter 44

Man’s idol factory: We see the great length that men will go to worship their idols. They chop the wood and make breakfast and whatever is left over becomes the idol. The decision as to which piece of wood becomes an idol is up to man. After breakfast, the man bows down to the wood and cries, “Save Me!”

Chapter 45

Continuation of the story of Cyrus. Isaiah tells us the great things God will do for Cyrus. Isaiah again turns to the subject of Idols

Chapter 41

Overview

God’s Greatness

This chapter continues looking at God’s greatness - but also admonishes us to keep from idols and to trust in God

Elijah’s words

This chapter could be summed up by Elijah’s words

— “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.” (1 ki 18:21)

The Courtroom ( 41:1 )

( 41:1 ) “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.

Come Near

— An invitation to come near

— Coastlands - all the land outside of Judah, the whole world

Silence / Speak

— Isaiah assumes that we be silent before the Lord

— But his is submission to God, not a time to listen to ourselves

Speak

— It is ironic that we are exhorted to speak because the prophet assumes that we will have nothing in response to the question the Lord is asking

The Courtroom > The issue to be settled (41:2-4)

( 41:2-4 ) “Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow? 3 Who pursued them, and passed safely By the way that he had not gone with his feet? 4 Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.’ ”

Q: Who is the one from the East in vv 2-3?

Abraham

The oldest interpretations say this is Abraham

— We don’t think of him as a military hero but he did rescue Lot (Gen 14)

— ( 41:8 ) mentions Jacob

— ( 41:5-7 ) The problem is that describes a world-wide international turmoil that doesn’t fit

Cyrus

Another possibility is Cyrus the Medo-Persian king who was rampaging through the Middle East to the North across to Turkey before turning his attention on Babylon and then conquering it (539 BC). God could even use a pagan king to protect and care for Israel, because God is in control of all world empires and politics

— ( 41:2 ) He came from the East

Quickly

( 41:3 ) By the way that he had not gone with his feet?

— This pictures someone going to fast that his feet don’t touch the ground

— Cyrus conquered his enemies very quickly and with great ease

Doesn’t Matter

Isaiah will name names later when he is ready ( 46:11; 44:28; 45:1ff )

— Here, his point is where is the authority in world events?

— His reply is that everything originates in Heaven, all individuals are steered and guided by the Lord

— All empires rise and fall at His direction

Calling Generations

( 41:4 ) calling the generations from the beginning?

Application

Each generation gets caught up in its own problems, but God’s plan embraces all generations. God worked in the life of your grandparents and will work in the life of your grandchildren. He is the only one who see 100 years from now as clearly as 100 years ago. When you are concerned about the future, talk with God who knows the generations of the future as well as he knows generations of the past (Application bible)

Q: How does God describe Himself in v4?

I AM

( 41:4 ) I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.’

— A Messianic Title

— Originally, this was the Lord’s self revelation to Moses (Ex 3:14)

— Jesus applied this to Himself

— “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many” ( Mark 13:6 )

— Jesus answered the High Priest (Mark 14:62, cf. Luke 21:8, John 8:28,58, 13:19)

Alpha and Omega

— Jesus said the same thing in the last chapter of Revelation of Himself

— “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” ( Rev 22:13 )

The Courtroom > The issue to be settled > The World’s response: the flight to idolatry (41:5-7)

( 41:5-7 ) The coastlands saw it and feared, The ends of the earth were afraid; They drew near and came. 6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” 7 So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”; Then he fastened it with pegs, That it might not totter

International Panic

( 41:5-6 ) This unnamed conqueror from the East causes international panic

Q: To whom do the nations turn to for strength ? vv.-5-7

Turn to each other

( 41:6 ) Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, “Be of good courage!”

— Even though the people saw the works of God and trembled,

— they turned to each other to encourage each other to make new gods, idols

Turn to idols

( 41:7 ) So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith;

They’re blind!

— These people are spiritually blind

— And by mutual consent, they darken the light

— Three (3) pictures of divine intervention from heaven

The Courtroom > The issue to be settled > The World’s response: the flight to idolatry > Three pictures of consolation (41:8-20)

( 41:8-20 ) “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: 10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. 12 You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. 13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ 14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, And make the hills like chaff. 16 You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; You shall rejoice in the Lord, And glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, 20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The First Picture of Divine Intervention: Human Hostility

Q: To whom should Israel turn to for strength (8-10) and why?

To the Lord

— We should turn to the Lord

( 41:8 ) “But you, Israel, are My servant,

— Maybe they thought that God had forgotten them in captivity

— but that is not the case

— Here they are God’s servant, not just individuals like Moses and David, but the whole nation

— First mention of the nation as a servant

Chosen

( 41:8b ) Jacob whom I have chosen,

— Chosen by God

— an intimate love

— “We love Him because He first loved us.” ( 1 John 4:19 )

My Friend

( 41:8c ) The descendants of Abraham My friend

— The only one spoken of exactly this way (Missler)

— Linked to Genesis 18; concept of friendship was to show Abraham what was coming

— Genesis 22 offers Isaac and names the place Jehovah Jira - The-Lord-Will-Provide (Gen 22:15)

— Named it Mount Mira and he knew he was acting out prophecy because 2,000 years later the Romans erected 3 crosses and another Father offered His son (Missler)

— A friend is even higher than a servant

— Carries over to NT

— Jesus said we are no longer servants but friends ( cf. 2 Chr 20:7, James 2:23)

— “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” ( John 15:15 )

— Jesus discloses to His friends things that will take place

Nothing to fear We have nothing to fear

(41:10) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

— Even though God would destroy the nations, Israel had nothing to fear

— He would protect them with His righteous hand

— Israel should not fear; the enemies should be afraid

Application

God chose Isreal through Abraham because he wanted to, not because the people deserved it (Deut 7:6-8; 9:4-6) Although God chose the Israelites to represent the world, they failed to do this ; so God punished them and sent them into captivity. Now all believers are God’s chosen people and all share the responsibility of representing Him to the world. We need not fear because (1) God is with us (“I am with you”), (2) God has established a relationship with us (“I am your God”) and (3) God gives us assurance of His strength, help, and victory over sin and death (Application bible)

Ashamed

( 41:11 ) Israel’s enemies will be ashamed and disgraced

( 41:11b ) They shall be as nothing

Perish

( 41:12 ) You will seek them and not find them

— God will strengthen Israel and her enemies will perish

The Lord’s commitment

( 41:13 ) I will be your God

— I will uphold you

The Second Picture of Divine Intervention: Human weakness

Worm

( 41:14 ) fear not you worm Jacob

— A word of contempt used by the ungodly nations against Israel

— A “worm” is powerless, weak, despised

— Messianic implications

— “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.” ( Ps 22:6 )

— Christ was despised (cf. Matt 27:39-44, Luke 23:35)

Kinsman

( 41:14 ) Says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy one of Israel

— Never alone - always a duet or triplet

— “AND”

— Goel (Hebrew: גואל, lit. "redeemer"); kinsman redeemer

— Ruth, Rev 5, we know that the one who takes the seal is our “Goel” he has to be a kinsman of Adam

— The Kinsman had two roles

(1) A close relative could redeem a family member sold into slavery (Lev 25:47-49)

— restore the name by a levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10) and restore the land to Naomi

(2) He is the avenger of blood

— That will be Christ’s role at His second coming (Missler)

Q: How does God illustrate Israel’s victory over her enemies (vv. 14-16)?

A new threshing sledge

( 41:15 ) Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth

Thresh the Mountains

( 41:15c ) You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small

Winnow

( 41:16 ) You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away

— When the Lord reigns in Jerusalem foreign nations will be ground to nothing

Cross

— At the cross, Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness

— In Christ all believers will be more than conquerors

—Jesus issued a similar promise

— “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—” ( Rev 2:26 )

The Third Picture of Divine Intervention: Adverse Circumstances

Q: How will God provide for His people (vv. 17-20)?

Water

( 41:17 ) The poor and needy seek water

Shade

( 41:19 ) I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree

Wilderness

Two (2) great needs of the traveler in the wilderness is

— Water

— Shade

— The Lord will provide both

Spiritual

— A spiritual thirst that the Lord will satisfy in the Millennium

— Israel will be well watered (cf. 12:3, 35:6,7; 43:19-20; 44:3,4; 48:20-21)

People will notice

— God’s people will notice what He has done

— They will be awakened to conviction

( 41:20 ) That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The Courtroom > The issue to be settled > The World’s response: the flight to idolatry > Three pictures of consolation > God’s beauty contest (41:21-29)

( 41:21-29 ) “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. 22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. 23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. 24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination. 25 “I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay. 26 Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’? Surely there is no one who shows, Surely there is no one who declares, Surely there is no one who hears your words. 27 The first time I said to Zion, ‘Look, there they are!’ And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings. 28 For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word. 29 Indeed they are all worthless; Their works are nothing; Their molded images are wind and confusion.

Present Your Case

( 41:21 ) “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob

— Like a beauty contest, the Lord says, Let’s see what you have

— You think your idols are better than me? Let’s see

King of Jacob

— Then, like a beauty contest, God gets in line along with the other contestants

— Let’s just call Him the King of Jacob

Come out Ladies!

( 41:22 ) Let them bring forth and show us what will happen

Q: What does God challenge the idols to do to prove they are gods (vv22-23)?

Predict the future

— God challenges the idols to prove they are gods by predicting future events

( 41:22b ) Let them show the former things, what they were

— Former things is God’s track record of predicting things that are certain to take place

Cyrus

— The rising of Cyrus from the East to destroy Babylon ( 41:2 )

Assyrians

— The defeat of the Assyrian army when they attacked Jerusalem ( Isa 3, 6, 37 )

Sun Dial

— Moving the sun dial backwards and healing Hezekiah ( 38 )

God Knows

— God lays out History in Detail

— He declared that Isreal would be regathered in the Land

— He predicted the exact day that Jesus Christ would present himself as the Messiah and Jesus held the scribes accountable to know that day (Missler)

Predict ?

( 41:23 ) Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods

— Can they predict the future?

— not only can they discern the flow of event but also control the flow of events?

Do Something!

— God says, do something! Good, bad, it doesn’t matter

— Instead all we get is silence

Nothing

( 41:24 ) Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.

— You are not free to choose your God

— But if you do choose any other than the true God, you’ve chosen an abomination

Q: How does God describe the one whom He predicted to come (v 25)?

From the North

( 41:25 ) I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come

Cyrus

Cyrus, the king of Persia

— East of Babylon, attacked Babylon from the North

— First, he attacked Media then went South to Babylon

Call on My name

( 41:25c ) From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name;

Interesting Phrase

— This is an interesting phrase, “he shall call on My name”

— This was fulfilled when Cyrus took power and made a proclamation recorded in Ezra 1:1-4

— God stirred up his spirit

— God works sovereignly in the lives of the king

— “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” ( Prov 21:1 )

Josephus

The Jewish writer and historian Flavius Josephus - when Cyrus saw his name in Isaiah, he was so astonished that he gave the command to return the Jews

Q: God makes these predictions in vv26-27 for a reason. What is it?

Discredit the Idols

— ( 41:26 ) The answer to God’s question of “who” is - no one!

Q: What does God conclude about idols (vv28-29)?

Can offer no advice

( 41:28 ) Idols can’t give any advice

— When I asked they were mute

— They are worthless

Paul’s advice

— Paul’s advice regarding the subject, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” ( 1 Cor 10:14 )

Charles Spurgeon

“If you love anything better than God you are idolaters: If there is anything you would not give up for God it is your idol: If there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God, that is your idol, and conversion means a turning from every idol”

Chapter 42

Overview

The first of four (4) servant songs. In this song we see that He will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, bring justice and righteousness to the world, He shall be called a servant, ebed, slave

Servant Songs

The first of four (4) servant songs

— 42:1-4

— 49:1-6

— 50:4-7

— 52:13 - 53:12

Servant

Hebrew: (עֶבֶד, ebed, servant, slave

Greek: (douloß, Doulos, Servant)

God’s servant

— This chapter is about God’s servant

— But who is God’s servant?

— In the last chapter, God called Israel my servant

— “But you, Israel, are My servant” ( 41:8 )

— God is giving Israel to the world as a light

— The covenant and the light are not just for Israel, but the world

Christ

Others see this as a reference to Christ, as God’s servant

— He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles ( 42:1 )

The Servant’s task and success (42:1-4)

( 42:1-4 ) “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Matthew

— The next four verses are quoted in Matthew 12:18-20

— Jesus applies these to Himself

Q: Isaiah 42:1 introduces the servant, what do we know about him? vv1-2?

Elect / Chosen

— He was chosen by the Lord

— Earlier Isaiah said He would give us the Messiah and this is the sign

— “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” ( 7:14 )

— Matthew quotes this section in Matt 12:18-21

— The Greek phrase translated I have chosen ( from hairetizō, αἱρετίζω ) indicates a firm and determined decision and is used nowhere else in the NT

— The Father had irrevocably chosen His beloved Son to be His divine Servant, the only One qualified for the task of redemption

— And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ( Luke 9:35 )

Spirit

— The spirit of the Lord would rest on Him (cf. Isa 11:2)

— Fulfilled at His baptism

— “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” ( Matt 3:16 )

— But this is not when Christ was indwelt by the Holy Spirit

— Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit ( Matt 1:20 ); and if John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from His mother’s womb ( Lk 1:15 ), how much more so was Jesus

Justice for the Gentiles

( 42:1c ) He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles

— Paul said it was fulfilled

— “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” ( Acts 28:28 )

— The Jews resented Jesus giving attention to the Gentiles, and especially His treating them equally with the Jews

— When Paul was defending himself before a large group of Jews in Jerusalem, he managed to keep their attention up to the point that he told them God told him to go the Gentiles

— At that point, the crowd wanted to kill him ( Acts 22:21-23 )

Meekness

( 42:2 ) He will not cry out

— He will come in meekness, quiet and submissive demeanor (cf. Matt 11:28-30, 1 Peter 2:23)

Q: Where does the NT quote Isaiah 42:3-4? To whom does it apply? What does it mean?

( 42:3 ) A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth

Reed

— Used by shepherds to use as an instrument

— Useless if cracked or broken

— Isaiah said the Messiah would be so tender a shepherd that He would not throw away the little flute that did not play the perfect song

— Instead, He would restore the melody and bring back the song

Smoking Flax

Smoldering was no good to give light

— He will not break them

— They are deemed useless to the world, but He shows them compassion

— He bears our weakness

— We stumble but God doesn’t cast us out as if we were worthless

— He bears with us, makes us stronger

The 2nd coming

( 42:4 ) establishes justice

— At His first coming He was meek, gentle

— At His second coming He will establish justice

Jews Fixation

The Jews were so fixated on the conquering King who would throw off the yoke of Rome that they missed the Suffering Servant

— The meek and gentle servant

The Servant’s task and success > God confirms the servant’s task (42:5-9)

( 42:5-9 ) Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Q: What do we notice about His second coming in v4-6

Justice

He will rule the world with justice and an “iron rod” (Ps 2:8,9, Rev 2:27)

Creator

( 42:5 ) Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:

— God as creator

— Because He is creator, we have assurance that He will do what He now says

You

( 42:6 ) “You” God speaking directly to the Messiah, the servant

Q: What will His servant do vv6-7?

A light

( 42:6 ) He will be a covenant and a light to all the nations, but especially the Gentiles

— The redemption of the world has always been a part of God’s plan

— He did not call Abraham in order that only he and his descendants but “all families of the earth shall be blessed” ( Gen 12:3 )

— God’s chosen people were called to be a light to the Gentile nations to draw them to righteousness ( cf. Isa 42:6; 49:6; 60:3; 62:1-2; Acts 13:47 )

Simeon

— Simeon saw this fulfilled

— “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” ( Luke 2:32 )

Hold our hand

( 42:6c ) And will hold Your hand

— The Lord does not call us and then leave us to our own devices

— He will carry out His plan

— This is directed to the “You” but demonstrates that God doesn’t just start something and let it go

— Some fancy God as a watchmaker who started the universe and sits back and observes but is hands off. Not so!

Blind

( 42:7 ) To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house

— Jesus literally fulfilled these words

— Miracles of physical healing and spiritual blindness (Matt 11:5, Luke 4:18)

Ministry

— Jesus kicked off His ministry by reading a combination of Isa 42:7 and 9:1,2 ( Luke 4:16-19 )

Luke 4:16–19 NKJV

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Captives

— Jesus applied this to Himself

— He went to the temple and read this portion of scripture

— They understood the meaning but could not accept that He, the son of a carpenter, was the Messiah

Q: What does v8 say about God?

My Name

( 42:8 ) I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

— Name = LORD all Caps, Yaweh

LORD (Hebrew:יהוה • (YHVH) m

— all that God is, His essential nature

— A summing up of all that God is - His holiness

— Not a title like Lord (adoni) but His name

— We saw this back in Isaiah 6

Glory

( 42:8b ) And My glory I will not give to another

— That is, I will not allow my glory to be diminished

— It would as if God did not keep His promises, He will not fail, He is trustworthy

— Only God has the right to be worshipped ( 42:8, 48:11, Rev 19:10, 22:9; Matt 4:10)

Satan

Satan tries to diminish God’s glory

— He bestows it on men and false gods

— If this is how God feels about competing idols, how must He feel about nothingness?

— Evolution, randomness?

— He must be incensed (Missler)

The Servant’s task and success > God confirms the servant’s task > Summons to the world to sing (42:10-12)

( 42:10-12 ) Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord, And declare His praise in the coastlands

A New Song

( 42:10 ) Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

— A new song! The gospel - a new song never sung before

— A new manifestation of God’s grace

— It will match the newness of conditions created by the Servant’s work of redemption for which everyone will sing praise (cf. 2:2, 26:1; Rev 4:11; Rev 5:9)

— The “new song” is mentioned six times in Psalms (Ps 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1)

Thomas

— But in Isaiah 42:10 the word has fuller content, deeper sense of new things

— That deeper sense is that however great the glories of the things in the past,

— those will dim in comparison of the things to come

— Rev 5:9 we see the new song (Thomas, Rev 1-11, p398)

Creation will sing

— The bondage of corruption will be over

— Creation will sing a new song ( Rom 8:19ff )

— Christ has been revealed to the earth

— Sent by the Father in order to relieve the miseries of His church,

— to restore her to perfect order, as it were, to renew the whole world

The Servant’s task and success > God confirms the servant’s task > Summons to the world to sing > The ground of the song: the acts of the Lord (42:13-17)

( 42:13-17 ) The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. 14 “I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools. 16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.’

Dispel doubt

Isaiah dispels any doubt that the Lord will accomplish this

( 42:13 ) The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies

— Mighty man

— Champion (NIV)

— Warrior (NRSV)

— Like a giant

Q: God says he remained silent but now it is time to act (v14). What is he planning to do (vv14-16)?

Restrained

( 42:14 ) I have held My peace ...and restrained Myself

— He remained silent until it was time to step into history

— He will send His servant “in the fullness of time” ( Gal 4:4 )

The Good and the Bad (14-16)

The Bad

Held my peace

( 42:14 ) God remained silent until the time was right to intervene

— Now I will cry like a women in labor

— A women singularly loves the child, even though the child was brought forth in great pain

— At just the right time Christ entered the world ( Gal 4:4 )

Lay waste

( 42:15 ) I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation

The Good

The Blind

( 42:16 ) I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them

— Those who were spiritually blind God will now lead them by a way they did not know

— He will show them the way of life and happiness by Jesus Christ

— “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” ( John 14:6 )

Crooked

( 42:16c ) And crooked places straight

— He will make their paths straight and level

— The yoke will be easy

— “The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just.” ( 26:7 )

— upright = straight, weigh = make level

Application

— Sometimes the path of righteousness doesn’t seem smooth

— life doesn’t get easier when you are a Christian

— God is there to lead us, guide us, comfort us in difficult times

— He provides us relationships, family, and the church

— He gives us wisdom with His Holy Spirit, He comforts us and gives us Faith to trust him

— He makes the crooked straight

Face his enemies

— The Lord promised to prevail, destroy his enemies (13)

— ( 42:17 ) Here, He faces His enemies

— ( 42:17 ) Those who trust in idols are enemies of the Lord and they will be turned back, ashamed

— They know the tenderness of the Lord:

— ( 42:2 ) smoking flax, broken reed - how He shows compassion

— ( 42:16 ) how He leads the spiritually blind but His enemies will make their own choice, they cling to their gods

— They will bring about their own destruction

The Servant’s task and success > God confirms the servant’s task > Summons to the world to sing > The ground of the song: the acts of the Lord > Israel, the blind servant (42:18-25)

( 42:18-25 ) “Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see. 19 Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord’s servant? 20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.” 21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable. 22 But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!” 23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come? 24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law. 25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart.

Q: How does God describe His people who continue to practice idolatry (vv18-20)?

( 42:18 ) “Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see

Deaf

— hear, you deaf

Blind

— and look, you blind, that you may see

Servant

( 42:19 ) Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord’s servant?

— This servant is Israel ( 41:8 )

— Notice the small “s” but large “S” in 42:1 when it refers to the Messiah

— In a sense just as blind and deaf as the Gentile nations

Saw but did not see

( 42:20 ) Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”

— Seeing but did not see

— Hearing but did not hear

— Deaf to the voice of God

— Blind to spiritual reality

— The Lord said it would be like this

— ”And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’” ( 6:9 )

— Jews in Jesus’ time saw many proofs but they did not observe

— Jews opened their ears to Jesus but they did not understand, obey, heed

— It was as if they never heard His words

Despite

Despite Israel’s blindness, deafness, God will uphold His righteousness

( 42:21 ) The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable

— The Lord acts in ways only know to the godhead, but it pleases Him

— The Lord is willing and inclined to deliver His people to magnify His law and magnify His righteousness

Q: But how does God describe His people (vv 22-23)?

( 42:22 ) But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”

Robbed / Plundered

( 42:22 ) But this is a people robbed and plundered;

Snared

( 42:22b ) All of them are snared in holes

Hidden

( 42:22c ) And they are hidden in prison houses

Prey

( 42:22d ) They are for prey, and no one delivers;

Plunder

( 42:22e ) For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”

Helpless

— Israel is in Exile, dispersed

— Like a caravan in the desert, attacked unmercifully by bandits

— They should have brought nations to the Lord but they became adulterous

— The song of the vineyard (5:1-7) became a reality

— As far as robbed / plundered / snared / hidden - that cannot even begin to describe life in Babylonian captivity

The Lord

( 42:24 ) Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law

— Who delivered Israel to Babylon?

— Why is Israel in this situation?

— The answer to that question: For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law

— It was the Lord because "we have sinned,” we were not obedient - even this would not change your heart (48:22)

— Isaiah like Daniel identifies with his people as sinners

Not Why but Who

— In difficulties we ask Why not Who

— The true question is Who

God’s anger

( 42:25 ) God’s anger burned He poured out his fury, anger yet he did not take it to heart

Chapter 43

Overview

God’s servant

In 41-42 we saw Israel as God’s servant. They have a role to play, to bring the spiritually blind to the truth

The Problem

— The problem is that Israel herself is blind and deaf

— Israel can see what’s happening:

— The fall of Jerusalem

— The rise of Cyrus

— But, they can’t really see

Goldengay

“Once again you can hear the protests behind the prophet’s words - you have allowed us to be plundered by the nations and taken into captivity. Yes, I have says YAHWEH, and you still don’t understand why!”

If we were God

If we were God, we would probably just start over

— But chapter 43 opens up with God doubling down on His love for Israel,

— almost like repeating wedding vows

Regathering

— And then He illustrates that just like He brought Israel our of Egypt

— He will regather His people from all over the earth

Spectacular

— Near the end of the chapter, the Lord says He’ll bring them back and it will be even more spectacular than when they came out of Egypt

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed (43:1-7)

( 43:1-7 ) But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Theme: Comfort

Q: What promise did God give Israel 43:1-4?

Be with them

( 43:2 ) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you

— Not if but when you go through trouble

— God doesn’t insulate us, but He loves us through difficult times

Many Perils

—water, river, fire: symbolize the many perils Israel has endured and continues to endure

Water

— Red sea crossing (Ex 14:21-22)

River

— Crossing the Jordan (Josh 3:14-17)

Fire

— Preservation of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace (Dan 3:23)

McGee

It’s easy to sing The Rock of Ages when you are high and dry on the rock

— He is saying, when you get in the water that is when you know that I am going to be with you

( 43:3a ) For I am the Lord your God

— Not the God that you choose, but the God that chose you

Ransom

( 43:3-4 ) For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life

McGee

I used them to discipline you. Now I will judge them - that is what he means

— “The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the unfaithful for the upright.” ( Prov 21:18 )

— in order to preserve you, I destroyed them

— The Assyrian king Sennacherib was threatening Jerusalem but he had to withdraw because Egypt and Ethiopia were threatening him

— That gave Jerusalem some breathing room (37:8)

— Why did God allow that enemy to cross your path?

— To bring you into line

Q: God will regather His people. How is that described in vv5-7?

Compass

( 43:5-6 ) East…West…North…South end of the earth

— Isaiah is about to return to Babylon in a few verses (14) but he is not talking about coming out of Babylonian captivity

— You don’t need 4 points of the compass to say that

— Looking at the millennial kingdom,

— the Lord will regather His faithful remnant from the 4 corners of the earth

The Remnant

( 43:7 ) Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory;

A courtroom

— The remnant are regathered in the millennium

— Isaiah’s favorite literary form - a courtroom

Perseverance

— The Reformers called this the perseverance of the Saints

— Recurring (cf. 43:1-7; 45:17; 49:14-16 ; 51:6 )

— John pictured these saints in Rev 14:12

— Saved during the tribulation by the two witnesses (Rev 11:3-13) and the 144,000 (Rev 7:1-8)

— They will endure unimaginable tribulation but not lose Faith

— God sustains their faith no matter what happens

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled (43:8-9)

( 43:8-9 ) Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

Remnant

( 43:8 ) Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears

Blind have eyes

— Restored Israel, the blind have eyes, the deaf hear (cf 29:18)

— Spiritual eyesight in the millennium

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced (43:9c-f)

The Judge

(43:9c ) Who among them can declare this

— The voice of the presiding judge himself who among the idolaters of the nations could predict the former things

— The things already fulfilled

Witnesses

( 43:9d ) Let them bring out their witnesses

— The nations had no witnesses

Let them hear

( 43:9f ) Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

— The nations have nothing to say

— The nations are an obstacle to accepting the truth that they refuse to hear

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced > The Lord’s witnesses (43:10)

( 43:10 ) “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.

Servant

— Israel is His servant

— Israel has the responsibility to be His witness and they will be in the millennium

— God’s intention was that they would know and believe Me

— and understand that I am He

God of pagans

( 43:10 ) Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me

— Idols often spoken of as “being formed”

— God was not formed

I am

— Jesus is who is and who was and who is to come

— “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” ( Rev 1:8 )

— We might rephrase ( 43:10 ) as

— I am He (is); Before Me there was no God formed (was); Nor shall there be after me (is to come)

The only saviour

( 43:11 ) I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.

— Interesting that of all the religions of the world, only Christianity has a savior

— Jesus said the he alone is the savior (John 14:6 , Acts 4:12)

— “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn 14:6 )

God’s honor robbed

God’s honor is robbed when some of His glory is given to the Pope, or St. Paul, or St. Peter.

— The RCC boasts of worshiping God alone, but when we come to what belongs to God, they distribute His power and and authority to Saint - this - or that

— God in name only

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced > The Lord’s witnesses > The issue settled (43:12)

( 43:12 ) I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God

Like Egypt

— Just like in Egypt, God said what he would do and then He did it

— Were foreign gods there? No!

— And you are my witness

( 43:13 ) Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”

Verdict

— God is eternal and existed before the first day of creation

— He will do His purpose and will

— (43: 13 ) out of My hand

— God’s actions are irreversible and can never be frustrated

— He is sovereign in determining the course of events

Inevitable

God’s eternal wrath is inevitable, no one can hinder or prevent it from coming (Macarthur)

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced > The Lord’s witnesses > The issue settled > The Verdict > Redemption from Babylon: a new exodus (43:14-21)

( 43:14-21 ) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives— The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” 16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, 17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise

Q: What will God do to the Babylonians (14)?

Bring them down

( 43:14 ) And bring them all down as fugitives— The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships

— Babylon is mentioned and its overthrow is promised ( 14-15 ); It is compared to the exodus ( 16-21 )

— Shows His sovereignty over people and affairs ( 14-15 ) and over nature ( 16-21 )

— He is the God who takes as his own all the needs of the people, hence For your sake

— Chaldeans/Babylon - reference to Chaldeans is poetic;

— Babylon is not specifically linked to Ships in the OT,

— but note Jer 50:38; 51:13, 36 where the Lord says He will dry up the waters of Babylon

— The city has fallen, ships are full of refugees

— The city will fall to the Medes/Persians (41:25; 44:28)

— This probably sounded strange to the readers of Isaiah because Babylon would not become a world power for another 100 years

Encouragement

— God reminds the people in captivity that He is their redeemer

— He is the Holy One of Israel

Holy One of Israel

— A special title for God used by the prophet

— Used 25 times in the book of Isaiah

— already used 16x prior to this verse!

— (1:4; 5:19,24; 10:20; 12:6; 16:20; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14; 43:3,4; 43:14)

— (45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14)

Q: God gave them assurance that He will overthrow the Babylonians - He reminded them of the Exodus (vv16-19). What specifically does He say?

Red Sea

— ( 43:16 ) He made a way through the Red Sea

Missler

Matthew Fontaine Maury as a young man read this and set out to find the “pathway in the sea” He devoted his life to gathering data, merchant ships of all types gathered temperatures; he pulled all the data together and mapped the currents of the sea. Today regarded as the father of oceanography

Drowned Egyptians

— ( 43:17 ) He drowned the Egyptian army. He put them out like a wick

More Amazing

— ( 43:19 ) What he will do this time will be even more amazing

Q: Who or what will honor God? (vv20-21)

Animals

— ( 43:20 ) the beasts of the fields: jackals and ostriches

Nature

— ( 43:20 ) Water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert

— “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (cf. Rom 8:22)

My People

— ( 43:21 ) My people shall declare my praise

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced > The Lord’s witnesses > The issue settled > The Verdict > Redemption from Babylon: a new exodus (14-21) > Sin exposed (43:22-24)

( 43:22-24 ) “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. 24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities

Q: Even though God chose Israel, they have wearied Him. How have they failed to honor God (vv22-24)?

Not called upon Him

— ( 43:22 ) But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob

— The personal side, the relational side

— Spend time with God in prayer and communion

— If Jacob will not call on the Lord, who will?

No Sacrifices

— ( 43:23 ) Not honored me with burnt offerings

— or literally, “Burnt offerings, but not for me”

No Fat

— ( 43:24 ) Not giving Him the fat, not giving him the best

— Instead you burdened Him with your sins (lean and used up cattle)

No Money

( 43:24 ) You have bought Me no sweet cane with money

— Sweet cane used to make incense, perfume and holy oil

— but the people were not willing to buy it and bring it to the Lord

Satisfied

—( 43:24 ) have not satisfied me

— true religion should not satisfy us, but satisfy God

Contrast

— you haven’t brought me any homage

— What you brought me was your sins and iniquity

Disaster reversed: Israel redeemed > The Court is Assembled > The issue announced > The Lord’s witnesses > The issue settled > The Verdict > Redemption from Babylon: a new exodus > Sin exposed > Can forgiveness be justified? (43:25-26)

( 43:25-26 ) “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. 26 Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted

High Point

— The high point of Grace in the OT

— God will forgive their sins, grant righteousness without compromising His holiness

I, even I,

— ( 43:25 ) The repetition is for emotional intensity

— This makes it a divine attribute of God

— blots out - to wipe clean, He will permanently remove the sin

— Sin blots our character and the Lord sees the mark that it leaves

— Even more amazing in light of ( 43:24 ) we have burdened and wearied Him with our sins and He still choose to forgive us

Q: Have you ever apologized to someone? I’m glad that we got that out of the way, but you wonder if they still think about that?

— God promises to permanently remove our sins

— God can take that thing that we think can never be forgiven and take it away

Transgressions

— Rebellions, willful disobedience

For My own sake

— God pays no attention to anything we have done or any merit

— It is prompted solely by His own goodness otherwise He would be a debtor and forgiveness would not be free

Will not remember

God will not remember our sins

— Even if Satan were himself to dig up our past and bring it before God he would be foiled by God’s inability to remember our sins

Don’t dwell

God doesn’t look backwards

— Don’t dwell on the past

— God doesn’t look back at your sins

— Those that look at their works, their worthiness are always in despair

— Unless they are deceived by hypocrisy, they will always feel unworthy

— They will doubt that God loves them

Word Picture

— ““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” ( 1:18 )

— “Come, let’s settle this “ (NLT)

— Whatever that secret is, what are you ashamed of, that thing you have been hiding, let’s deal with it

— Two colors, scarlet and crimson, are they the same word?

— The word for scarlet is the word red

— The word for crimson is worm

Worm - if you had a light garment and you wanted to dye it red, you would find a towla ( coccus illicis ) word and you would crush it

— The dye was permanent

— Once you stain a white garment, it can never be undone

— The people of Isaiah’s day were stained with sin and they knew there was no way to get it out

— God says although you are stained with red towla dye, I will make them white as wool

APPLICATION

God’s love can change what we believe is unchangeable. Is there anything you are holding back from God’s love and forgiveness?

The only shame that he can’t cover is the things you keep secret to yourself and holdback. Whatever you are dealing with, however it started, whatever someone did to you, or you did to someone else, bring it to me!

State your case

( 43:26 ) The familiar courtroom

— Come, tell me why I should pardon you

— State your case, that you may be acquitted

( 43:27-28 ) Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches

Q: How does God describe the people’s sins (vv27-28)

Abraham sinned

— ( 43:27a ) The first father, Abraham was a sinner

— He couldn’t claim personal merit

— He told his wife to say she was his sister (Gen 12:11,12)

Priests

— ( 43:27b ) Even intermediaries like the priests were sinners

— Counter evidence is overwhelming! But God freely forgives

Chastisement now

— ( 43:28 ) Israel will be chastised now but future blessings will come

Chapter 44

Overview

Encouragement

— Chapter 44 continues the theme of encouragement which started in the last chapter

— Chapter 43 ended with a verdict of total destruction!

— Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches ( 43:28 )

— But God wants to remind us that the legal verdict is not the end of the matter

The Word of the Lord (44:1-4)

( 44:1-4 ) “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses

— Isaiah starts chapter 44 with the same word that He started chapter 43 with

— The NIV translates it “But Now” (w atta)

— The Lord has more to say.

— There is no need for fear

Q: How did God illustrate what He promised to do for Israel ? (44:1-4)

Hear

( 44:1 ) “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen

— used antiphonally; Jacob is Israel. Not two people, two sides of the same nature

— I have a word for you My servant Jacob, if you will only hear

— Usually when a name is changed it sticks (like Saul of Tarsus changed to Paul)

— Jacob’s name used when referring to his old nature; scheming, lying, conniving, calculating

— We should take great comfort in the fact that Jacob is justified (Rom 8:30)

( 44:2 ) Do not fear

— It is not judgement that is on the way

Covenant Relationship

— Israel is called Jeshurun- the upright one

— They are also called My servant

— Those that serve Him, He will stand by

Chosen

They are chosen, He will stand by His choice and put them under His protection

Pour water

( 44:3 ) For I will pour water on him who is thirsty

— Pouring out of the Holy Spirit

— Prophesied in Joel 2:28ff

Imparted New Life

— He blotted out our sins ( 43:25 )

— Here He is imparting new life and we see it displayed

( 44:4 ) They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses

(44:3b ) I will pour My Spirit on your descendants

— Jesus clarified this in ( Jn 7:38-39 )

John 7:38–39 NKJV

38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Living Water

— Salvation as living Water

— “Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation” ( 12:3 )

— “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.” (55:1 )

— But the Lord also promised blessings of physical conditions in the new kingdom (43:19 - 20)

The Word of the Lord > The Glad Response (44:5)

( 44:5 ) One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ And name himself by the name of Israel

Contrast

— What a contrast to the silence of 43:26

— When the people were invited to respond to the Lord in their defense, “state their case”

— In the future, to be a follower of Jesus will be an honor, a badge of honor to be worn without fear

The Word of the Lord > The Glad Response > The Lord and His people (44:6-8)

( 44:6-8 ) “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”

Q: What is the Lord saying about Himself in v6?

King

— Describes himself as the King of Israel

— When we receive Christ, we accept Him as both Lord and King of our lives

MacArthur

The Bible doesn’t recommend, prefer, or even discuss democracy. The ancient world had kings. No other form of government appears either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Kings were a common grace. We talk about God giving common grace; and government is common grace to bring order to society, we understand that. But do you also understand that the most common common grace of governmental character is a monarchy; in fact, so common were kings that we find in the Old Testament no nation under any other kind of government. So normal was it to have a king that the epic tragedy of Israel in the Old Testament was that they wanted a king like all other pagan nations.

Verse 8 of that same chapter He says, “Is there any God besides Me? I know of none.” So the King of Israel is the one God. In Isaiah 33:22 we read, “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.”

That was the confession of the people. Listen to the response from heaven. Isaiah 43:15, “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” And in Malachi 1:14 God says, “I am a great King.” So great a king was He that He was feared among the nations.

Lord Almighty

— All powerful, all encompassing

— Father / next-of-kin

— Redeemer

— King

— Lord

— Here is the devastating exclusivity of biblical monotheism

— God smashes all other gods (small “g”) which are nothing more than man-made, Satan controlled idols

Credentials

— As if to again establish His credentials, the Lord attacks the foolishness of idols (44:9-20), His longest attack

Q: God adds one more credential, a power that He alone possesses. What is it (vv7-8)

A Challenge

— This is a challenge followed by what conditions you would have to meet to be compared to God

— “You” being the idol gods (small “g”)

( 44:7) And who can proclaim as I do?

Proclaim (יִקְרָ֗א Vgara, “proclaim it or call it”)

— as in 40:26 of detailed control of the physical universe

— and as used in 41:4, detailed control of historical events

— Here in (44:7) Idea of Executive in Charge

Declare it

( 44:7b ) Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me

— Give an account, you idol gods

— in order : tell me about an event and place into a coherent plan of history that you directed - you idol gods

People/Shall Come

( 44:7c ) appointed … people … are coming… shall come

— Can idols foretell that are coming and shall come?

— Let them predict accurately as the Lord has

Show

( 44:7d ) Let them show these things

— Let’s see you do these things!

— This is a challenge to the Edward Caseys and Jean Dixons of the world who claim to know the future

My witness

( 44:8 ) you are my witnesses

— The Jews had seen the great miracles

— The great prophecies fulfilled

— They are His witnesses

Gods purpose

To contrast God against all their idols, to show His glory and therefore, the security of Israel in trusting the Lord

— There is no reason to fear or tremble

The Word of the Lord > The Glad Response > The Lord and His people > The Idol Factory (44:9-20)

( 44:9 -20 ) Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. 10 Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing? 11 Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together. 12 The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint. 13 The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house. 14 He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. 16 He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Man Made Idols

— Outside of the Lord, all other gods are man-made gods

— Not just idols, but other objects of worship

Hinduism

— Hinduism: worship “One Being of Ultimate Oneness” (Brahman)

— Also believe in multiple gods and goddesses

New Age

New Age: your own personal deity

— You are god

Buddhism

Buddhism: don’t worship god

— Seek spiritual enlightenment

— They don’t direct prayers to God, they focus on themselves

— Buddha is an example who successfully attained this higher self awareness

Islam

Islam: believe in a monotheistic god called Alah

— Works orientated religion

— They claim many similarities to the OT but Deny Christ as saviour

— Deny the trinity

— Misrepresent much of the OT

— Not the Lord / Yaweh of the bible

— Hate the chosen people of God, Israel

— Believe in a powerful but unknowable God

Q: How does God describe those who make idols (vv 9-11)?

( 44:9 ) Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

Useless

— all of them are useless

Unprofitable

— (44:9b ) Made of precious things like gold, silver but it would profit the idol makers nothing

— wealthy people

— But their idol worship brings them nothing

Chief Object

— Our chief object is to acknowledge and worship God

— We should prefer that to all things,

— even more than silver and gold

— so that we should direct all our thoughts and prayers to God

Witness

( 44:9c ) They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed

They (idols)

— “They” could refer to the idols themselves

— They are their own witness that they are powerless

They (men)

— “They” the worshippers of idols

— Their conscience is a witness of how foolish and useless the idol is

— therefore, they tremble, never find peace and rest

Witness

— Believers will be witnesses of God’s great power, mercy and faithfulness

— idol worshippers will also be witnesses of their

— foolishness

— profitless

— worthlessness and be ashamed

Intention

( 44:10 ) Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?

— His intention was to form the divine

— Instead, he achieved just the opposite

— He created the material

— “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols? “ ( Hab 2:18 )

Workman

( 44:11b ) And the workmen, they are mere men

— These men are merely human and they are going to create the divine?

— We are to believe that human strength will suddenly produce something of super human, self sustaining strength?

Arm of the Lord

— Instead, we should rely on the Arm of the Lord (30:30; 59:16; 63:5)

Q: Describe the making of an idol (vv12-14)?

( 44:12 ) The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint

Fashions

— The prophet pulls back the curtain

— Shows us how sausage is made

— Takes away all the glamour

— Hot fire, dirty coal, tools, strength of arms, sweat of the brow, muscle and brawn

— Tiring work

— He hungers, strength fails, he’s thirsty, and is faint

— It isn’t the idol that provides him the water or the food if he gets hungry

Lust

— Despite their hunger, they continue working

— They rush forward with such fury that we might compare that zeal to the love of a harlot

— Desire is compared to the love of a harlot by which men are bewitched and almost blinded

— They don’t yield to reason ( 1:29 )

Carpenter

( 44:13 ) We see the manufacturing process

— Beginning - stretches out his line

— Work - makes an outline, roughs it out, marks it

— Finally - shapes it

Like a Man

The carpenter has no idea what God looks like, so he picks the only thing he knows!

— The glory of Man. Man in all his glory!

A Tree

( 44:14 ) He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak

— He cuts down cedars and oak

— It doesn’t matter what kind of tree

— It’s just a tree

For himself

— He does it for himself

— It is his job

— He does it for profit

— No thought of religion

Very Sarcastic

— Isaiah becomes very sarcastic in his attack of idols. Very funny actually

Q: What does the man do with the wood that is left over from making the idol (vv 15-17)?

Makes breakfast

( 44:16 ) He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

— With half (1/2) he makes breakfast

— makes a roast

— he even warms himself

( 44:17 ) And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

— The decision which piece of wood becomes a god is up to the man

— He uses whatever piece is left over, now that piece is all important; the piece with no utility is used to make a god

— To that piece that man cries, Save me! , “Deliver me”

Deception

( 44:18 ) They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand

— What the idolater does is hard enough to believe (14-17)

— But that he fails to see it himself is astonishing

— The only way to explain it is deception of the heart

Heart

This is the OT way of saying the mind, reasoning

— In the OT emotion is related to the bowels - although some new translations which are not word for word, take liberty and modernize the language, make the passage easier to understand

— example, “Minds are closed” (44:18, NIV)

Q: Who is the “He” in this verse and what does has He done? (v18)

— God, has made them (idolaters) spiritually blind in 6:9

— He told Isaiah, go preach to this people but they will refuse to see or hear

— God allowed the god of this age to blind them (cf. 2 Cor 4:4)

God also uses Satan

— God uses Satan ( 2 Thess 2:9-10 )

2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 NKJV

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Mighty Acts

— Satan will do mighty acts pointing to himself

— His whole operation is deceptive and deception

— Idols are empowered by Satan

— And everyone who worships Satan will perish

— God uses Satan as His tool, this is judgment

“He” is God and will not allow them to be deluded

— He will shut their eyes and ears as judgment

— “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” ( 2 Thes 2:11 )

The same God

— The God of Isaiah is the same God of the NT

— He will hand over to idols all who reject His revelation in creation, His testimony by His Word

— He offers forgiveness

No Knowledge

( 44:19 ) no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say

— No one stops to think because there is no knowledge, the facts are not there

— ( 44:19 ) No discernment either - no one considers in his heart

— Bereft of reason

Judgment

Again, here is judgment on those who turn from God and pray to man-made idols

— They worship the piece of wood they did not burn

— This is madness ! Paul says as much

— “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” ( Rom 1:28 )

— He takes away the light of scripture and lets their lusts run loose so that no reasoning can restrain them

( 44:20 ) He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

— Both the idol and the ashes are the same thing!

— Like eating ashes which provides no nourishment

— idolatry is a deception from which the sinner gets nothing but judgment (cf. Prov 15:14; Hos 12:1)

Demon Worship

— To worship any idol is demon worship (Deuteronomy 32:17; Ps 106:37; 1 Cor 10:20)

— “ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.” ( Ps 96:5 )

— The Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT, often abbreviated as 70 LXX) renders Ps 96:5 as “All the gods of the peoples are demons”

A lie

( 44:20b ) Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Hendriksen

— Paul tells us in Romans ( Rom 1:24-25 ) that one of the reasons for God’s wrath on man is because we exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator

— This verse in Romans could be translated as

— … since they had indeed exchanged God, (who is) the truth, for a lie

— … the true God

— That God, the Creator, should be called “the truth” is not strange ( John 14:6; Ps 31:5; Is 65:1 )

— Neither is it strange that an idol, that an an object of worship should be called “a lie”

— In this passage Isaiah describes a sculptor, who has made himself a “god”

— He reached out and takes hold of it, but fails to ask himself, “Is there not a lie in my right hand”

— The idol is “a lie” because it promises much; however, it provides nothing!

Missler

— The coming world leader (Zech 11: 17); one in contrast to the good shepherd

— Is it possible that he has a head wound and withered hand? Followers take a mark on forehead or hand (identify with their leader) (Missler)

— Chuck Missler said, “It wouldn’t be a Missler bible study unless we went out into left field at least once”

The Word of the Lord > The Glad Response > The Lord and His people > The Idol Factory > The blessedness of Israel in the redeeming Lord (44:21-23)

( 44:21-23 ) “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! 22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” 23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.

Q: What has God done that His people do not worship idols (21-22)?

Remember

( 44:21 ) Remember these, O Jacob

— A deliberate action on our part

— We must remember WHO the Lord is and WHAT the Lord has done for us

— “Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? “ ( Ps 78:19 )

Q: What institution did the Lord institute in the NT to remember Him?

The Lord’s Supper

— He gave us the Lord’s Supper (cf. Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:219-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26 )

Formed Us

( 44:21b ) I have formed you, you are my servant

— He formed us and made us His servant ( 44:2; 44:21; 44:24 )

— The Servant was witness to all that God had done

— And he has the assurance of the future - and will not forget him (41:22c)

Blotted out Sins

( 44:22 ) I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

— He blots out our sins

— Said the same thing in ( 43:25 )

— Despite our unworthiness, He forgives our sins

— He cannot compromise His holiness

— He will accomplish this through His Servant (61:10) and that is why He can say:

( 44:22c ) Return to me, for I have redeemed you

Before the Cross

— God provided redemption before the cross

— It involved “turning to God,” repentance, but it still involved the cross, trusting in God alone

— God calls on His people to repent SO THAT they can receive the promised redemption

— (cf. Neh 1:9; Jer 4:1, 24:7; Joel 2:12; Zech 1:3; Mal 3:7; Matt 3:2, 4:17; Rom 3:25-26; Heb 9:15)

Creation Shouts

(44:23) Creation will also shout and sing when Israel’s redemption as a nation is realized at the second coming of Christ,

— Nature will also be redeemed (cf. Rom 8:19-22)

The Word of the Lord > The Glad Response > The Lord and His people > The Idol Factory > The blessedness of Israel in the redeeming Lord > Cyrus (44:24-28)

( 44:24-28 ) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; 25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; 26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places; 27 Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’; 28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Q: What does God do to prove who He is (vv24-27)?

The work of creation

( 44:24 ) Again, God states He is the God of creation

Frustrates

( 44:25 ) Frustrates sinners, drives diviner's mad

— When God overthrew Babylon, the diviners and the King didn’t see it coming

— It caught them by surprise

— They were actually having a party (cf. Dan 5, Nebuchadnezzar’s father was King Belshazzar)

Knowledge

( 44:25b ) And who makes their knowledge foolishness

— Astronomers looks into the heavens and see the grand design and then say we came from nothing! Random chance

— Everywhere you look you can see where knowledge is foolishness (1 Cor 1:26)

Missler

— Or molecular biologists who discover DNA and discover that it is a “software molecule” which is coded with an error correcting digital code and underlies all life which proves it came from the same “software house”

— see also, Darwin’s Black box, Michael J. Behe

Restore Jerusalem

( 44:26c ) Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built

— 100 years before the fact, Isaiah says Jerusalem will be inhabited (by the Babylonians)

— The city fell in 586 BC by the Babylonians

— God promised to restore the city after 70 years with the help of the Persians ( 41:2 )

Q: What man in particular did God call by name, and what would he do (v28)?

Background

— Nabopolassar’s son (King) was Nebuchadnezzar

— Babylon lays three sieges on Jerusalem (1) sends them into captivity (2) king rebels; replaces the King (3) Levels the city (587)

— The Babylonian empire predicted to lasted 70 years; 490 years from Saul to 586 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sacked Jerusalem

— 490 Years / 7 = 70 years (Lev 26:34 -35; 2 Chron 36:21)

Career of Cyrus

— Cyrus II is the son of Cambyses I and his mother Mandane of Media. His mother is the daughter of Astyages of Media (corrupt & weak)

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Cyrus

According to the best histories, Cyrus was reared by a shepherd after his grandfather, Astyages, king of Media, ordered that he be killed. Apparently, Astyages had dreamed that Cyrus would one day succeed him as king before the reigning monarch’s death. The officer charged with the execution instead carried the boy into the hills to the shepherds.

Missler

Father

— His father dies and Cyrus becomes King of Anshan

— the first thing he does is consolidates the empire and decides to attack his grandfather

Grand Father

— Astyages wrongs his “key” general so that when Cyrus attacks he joins Cyrus;

— key battle results in the Medes & Persians

— He conquers Astyages without a battle and that becomes his pattern

— he will do the same thing against Babylon 11 years later

— The king of Lydia was very wealthy and did not acknowledge Cyrus, so took all his wealth

Nabonidus

— Babylon for 14 years had a king (Nabonidus) that had no interest in ruling the nation;

— never visited the capital, left his son in charge (Belshazzar)

— Belshazzar grows arrogant while the Medo-Persian threat grows

— According to one historian they have chariot races on the walls which are 50 miles long and 87 feet wide.

— The Euphrates river went through the city and feed the moat that went around the double walls of the city

— Cyrus conquers a city on the Tigris by the name of Opis which gives him control of the canal system

— then conquers the next city, Sippar, without a battle.

— The King of Babylon ( Nabonidus ) who had been hiding there fled

— While Cyrus is moving all the chess pieces to invade Babylon Belshazzar is throwing a party (Dan 5)

— A thousand people at the party, decides to use the gold and silver cups taken from the temple to drink from

— He tells his aides to go to the museum just North of the palace and get them so he can desecrate them (big mistake)

— Dan 5:7 third ruler - because Belshazzar was a co-regent he was number 2. This confirms that an eye-witness wrote Daniel

— Dan 5:10 when the Queen mother address the King she she uses Eastern protocol, may you live forever

— Dan 5:17 Daniel dispenses with any protocol, keep your gifts!

— While all this was happening Cyrus’s general diverted the water, lowered the river and went under the gates into the city

— For some reason the gates were not shut

— No battle

— The Persians just took over

— When Alexander the Great conquered Babylon he didn’t destroy it

— Thus, the destruction of Babylon in Isiah 13 & 14 is a future Babylon

— Cyrus enters Babylon 16 days later and Daniel gets an audience and shows him a dusty old scroll of the book of Isaiah that was written 150 years earlier

— He listens as the book is read starting at Isaiah 44:27 (Missler)

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Cyrus

Cyrus’ military exploits have become legendary. However, he is best remembered for his policies of peace. His famous decree in 539 B.C. (2 Chron. 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4) set free the captives Babylon had taken during its harsh rule. Among these prisoners were the Jews taken from Jerusalem in 586 B.C. They were allowed to return to rebuild the temple and city. Along with this freedom Cyrus restored the valuable treasures of the temple taken during the exile. Since the Jews had done well in Babylon financially, many of them did not want to return to the wastes of Judah. From these people Cyrus exacted a tax to help pay for the trip for those who did wish to rebuild Jerusalem.

River

( 44:27 ) Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!’ And I will dry up your rivers

— When Cyrus’s army diverted the canal system of the Euphrates river the water was lowered

Cyrus

( 44:28 ) Now God answers the question of “How” He will restore Jerusalem

— He will use Cyrus

— Very specific prophecy 200 years before Cyrus. Amazing

— Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem (cf. Ezra, Nehemiah)

— The Lord brought him to world-rule (Ezra 1:2-4)

— Cyrus did not convert but he did have a divine purpose

Chapter 45

Overview

Continuation of the story of Cyrus. Isaiah tells us the great things God will do for Cyrus. Isaiah again turns to the subject of Idols

A Continuation

This chapter really starts as 44:28 that introduced Cyrus

— It is said that a monk by the name of Robert Stephanus in the Middle Ages rode his donkey thru the Alps

— Every-time the donkey stopped, he would lean forward and mark a chapter

— That is a fable but this chapter and 52:13 are examples of where the chapter breaks are incorrect

— The NT also has similar examples

Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed: interlocking purposes (45:1-8)

( 45:1-8 ) “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.

Cyrus

— God’s instrument

— He calls Cyrus anointed

— in (44:28) He called him Shepherd

Anointed

( 45:1 ) “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,

— Set apart for the Lord’s service

Active

( 45:1b ) To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held

— The Lord Himself will actively lead Cyrus, He will hold his hand, so to speak

Young

— The act of clasping the king by the hand suggests that he is under Yahweh’s control

— He has been raised up by the Lord, who holds him that he will not fail, nor will any be able to thwart him

— His life is in the hand of Israel’s God

— What his right hand decides to do, it does only because it is directed by God

— Cyrus is not the master of his fate, even though he may think that such is the case

Judge

( 45:1c ) 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:

— He is also God’s anointed judged of the nations, i.e. loose the armor of kings

Young

— It is the hand of God that makes the enemy kingdoms weak so that they cannot stand before the Persian monarch

— The gates were not shut and Cyrus’s army went under the gates when the river was lowered

Aid/Assist God would aid and assist Cyrus

( 45:2 ) ‘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

— I will go before you

— Make the roads straight, the path easy, break the gates, cut the bars of iron

Q: What did God promise to give Cyrus (3)?

Treasures

( 45:3 ) I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places

— I will give you the treasures of darkness

— darkness - hidden away

— Treasures that had not seen the light of day for many years

— The riches of many nations had been carried off to Babylon

For the Purpose

— For the purpose that Cyrus would know the God of Israel

( 45:3 ) That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel

— Cyrus would know that God was the God of Israel

— No indication that he became a believer

— But Cyrus knew that the God of Israel was working all these things to happen

— He allowed the people return to the land and rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem ( Ezra 1:1-4 )

Q: Why would God do this? Why go to all the trouble (v4) ?

For Jacob’s sake

— The second reason God is using Cyrus

— For Jacob’s sake ( 45:4 )

— What he does he does not do for his own sake but for the people of God

Q: If you were Cyrus and you saw your name in these sacred scriptures, would you be impressed?

Missler

Yes

And History records Cyrus’ response

— He gave them financial incentive to return and aided to the rebuilding

— Nehemiah goes to Artaxerxes and the King gives the authority for the city to be rebuilt

— Dan 9 the angel says that it is 173,880 from that point (decree of Artaxerxes) until the Messiah would present himself

— March 14, 445 BC to April 6 32AD is exactly 173,880 days and Jesus himself wept over the city because you didn’t recognize this day you will be blind to the truth (Luke 19) until Paul says (Rom 11:25) until the fullness of the Gentiles (Missler)

Sovereignty

— God’s sovereignty does not require the willing or knowing co-operation of those He uses

—Cyrus did not acknowledge God: He has not known me

Elect

( 45:4 ) And Israel My elect

— God chose Israel like He chooses us individually (1 John 4:19; John 15:16)

Gird up Cyrus

( 45:5 ) I will gird you, though you have not known Me

— Even though Cyrus did not know Him, God would give Him strength

The World notices

( 45:6 ) The whole world from the rising to the setting sun would know it

— They would acknowledge that there is no other God. That there is none besides Me

The Good/Bad

( 45:7 ) I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’

— Whether Good or bad, we should accept it

— The Lord allows it for His purpose

— “But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (c Job 2:10 )

Light / Darkness

— I formed the light and create darkness

— Metaphors for pleasant and unpleasant

Peace / calamity

— I make peace and create calamity

— The Lord is behind prosperity / peace but also allows calamity (the consequences of sin)

— Older translations had “I create evil”

— create disaster (NIV)

Calamity (Hebrew: רַע Ra )

— can mean nasty taste to full on moral evil (640 times)

— Context determines

— Here, the people will experience the calamities of Cyrus when he attacks Babylon- where they are living

J. Alec Motyer

“ This God, who is solely and sovereignly, determinatively and executively, in charge of everything and is the God who made all ( 44:24 ), and makes all ( 45:7 ) is the Holy One and fashioner of Israel ( 44:24 ) the redemptive next-of-kin ( 45:1 ) of His people “

A Prayer ( 45:8 ) A prayer for righteousness

— Rain down - fertilize the earth

— Flower - righteousness springs up

Righteousness will prevail in the World

— The prophecy of Hosea will be fulfilled

— “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you” ( Hosea 10:12 )

Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed: interlocking purposes > The potter and the parent (45:9-11)

( 45:9-11 ) “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?’ ” 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.

Q: How does God illustrate the folly of striving against God’s plans (vv9,10)?

( 45:9 ) “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’?

How Absurd

( 45:9 ) Absurd for the clay to argue with the potter

( 45:10 ) Foolish for a child being born to the Father or Mother giving birth

Greeks

The Greeks had a saying: “The Dice of the gods are loaded”

— Don’t gamble with God

— That is a bet that you are going to lose every time

Seek Me

( 45:11 ) Ask me

— I will tell you what will happen

Made the Heavens

( 45:12 ) I have made the earth, And created man on it.

( 45:12b ) My hands—stretched out the heavens

Red Shift

We know that the universe is expanding

— The so called “red shift” effect was discovered in 1912 by Vesto Slipher

— But it was actually measured, the rate, by Edwin Hubble

— The Universe was stretched by God and it is still stretching

Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed: interlocking purposes > The potter and the parent > Divine acts beyond question (45:12-13)

( 45:12-13 ) 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

Future Promise

( 45:13 ) Cyrus will rebuild the city and allow the Babylonian captives to return to Jerusalem

— Only a small number did (50,000)

— The rest stayed in Babylon

Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed: interlocking purposes > The potter and the parent > Divine acts beyond question > Gentile submission, Israel’s glory (45:14-17)

( 45:14-17 ) 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

The Big Idea

( 14-17 ) The world turning to Israel, world-wide submission to Israel

( 21-25 )The world turning to the Lord

— The big idea is that those who would enjoy the truth must first be received among those who already possess it, i.e. Join the Church

— In Isaiah’s time the church is represented as nations, nations surrender, submit

Gentiles Come

( 45:14 ) The Gentile nations in the future will submit to Israel

Real Submission

— They will be yours

— Submission is real, not feigned

Voluntary Subject

— They will come over in chains - they will voluntarily, free will, subject themselves to Israel

Bow down

— They will bow down

— They will acknowledge God of Israel as the only God

— All nations will acknowledge the one real God is among His people Israel ( 49:23, 60:14 )

— The Faithful Church Philadelphia is an interesting contrast

— Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere (Rev 3:9-10 )

— Exact opposite of what Isaiah predicted about Israel in the kingdom

— This pictures the future repentance of Israel and respect towards the church

Salvation of the Gentiles

( 45:14g ) They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.’ ”

Preach the Word

— Paul expanded on this that we should choose preaching the Word over the gift of tongues, so that a person who visits the church will recognize that God is surely in you or among you (cf. 1 Cor 14:24-25 )

Hide

( 45:15 ) Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!

— In captivity, it would appear as if the Lord were hiding

— His purposes were hidden

Shame vs Salvation

( 45:16 ) The makers of idols would be ashamed, confused

( 45:17 ) But Israel would find salvation

— Israel would not be ashamed or confused

— Don’t judge God by the present

— Don’t envy the prosperity of the wicked (Ps 37:1-2)

Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed: interlocking purposes > The potter and the parent > Divine acts beyond question > Gentile submission, Israel’s glory > Gentile Salvation, Israel’s glory (45:18-25)

( 45:18-25 ) 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

Meaning

( 45:18 ) God created the world

— He gave it meaning

Not Secret

(45:19 ) I have not spoken in secret

— Unlike false Gods, the Lord did not speak in secret

Q: What does God again challenge idol worshippers to do and what claims does God make (vv20-21)?

( 45:20 ) “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.

Assemble Together (court room )

—Again, the courtroom (What to say in defense of themselves and their idols)

— The idol worshippers are to come together and appear before the Lord

— Now He also includes those non-Jewish people who have also escaped from Babylon: You who have escaped from the nations

Ridicule

— They carry a god on their shoulders and they expect this god to carry them?

— He can’t even stand up without their help

Our God Carries us

In contrast, our God really does carry us

— “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.” ( 40:11 )

— “Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” ( 46:4 )

Tell Me

( 45:21 ) Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together

— He again challenges them to make their case

— If they are still not convinced that the God of Israel is the true God, He gives the Gentiles every opportunity to state their case

— For believers, their arguments only strengthen our faith

He Claims He alone is God

No other God

( 45:21 ) There is no other…there is none

— The Lord restated the same truth expressed by Moses

— “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.” ( Deut 4:35 )

Q: Since He alone is God, what does God affirm that people should do (vv 22-25)?

Look at Me!

( 45:22 ) Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other

— The world is invited to be saved

— Be saved — in the imperative

— If you do it, it will happen You salvation will be certain without a doubt

— Here the Lord is directing this to the whole world - the Gentiles. The Lord invites all to come to Him, having broken down the partition wall (Eph 2:14) which separated the Jews and Gentiles

Rick Cambra

“I mentioned here that I liked the idea that God desires that we turn to Him and be saved as opposed to turn to Him and be in absolute subjection, require worship, etc. It tells us a lot about God’s heart, one of His many attributes.”

Charles Spurgeon

This is the verse that Charles Spurgeon heard and was saved

MacArthur

Charles Haddon Spurgeon grew up in a Christian home, but as a boy he attended church only because it was the proper thing to do. He was not immoral or rebellious but was basically satisfied with his life and was not seeking any more religion than he had. One New Year’s morning, when he was fifteen years old, he decided he ought to attend the service at his church. When the snow and cold wind became too fierce for him, he ducked into a little storefront type of church, as much to get out of the cold as anything.

“When I could go no further”, he writes of the event, “I turned down a court and came to a little Primitive Methodist church. The preacher who was to have conducted the service never got there because he was held up by the weather, and quickly one of the officers had to be brought forward to conduct the service with the congregation of perhaps fifteen people. The man was really stupid. His text was, ‘Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.’ And he just kept repeating it because he had nothing else to say. But something about Spurgeon caught the man’s eye, and he said, “Young man, you look very miserable. And miserable in life and miserable in death you will be if you don’t obey my text.” He then shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus! Look, look, look!” “I looked,” said Spurgeon; “and then and there the cloud was gone and the darkness rolled away and that moment I saw the Son.”

General Call

— The general invitation for all sinners to come (Is 45:22, 55:6; Ezek 33:11; Matt 11:28, 22:14, 23:37; Luke 14:16-24; John 7:37; Rev 22:17)

Often Rejected

The general invitation is often rejected

— c.f. Matt 12:14; Luke 4:16-19;28-30; Acts 4:13-18, 5:17-18, 5:26-28; 33-40, 7:54-58; 2 Cor 2:15-16)

Internal Call

The call that awakens our will

— Imparts spiritual life

— Enables us to embrace the gospel by Faith

— cf. John 5:21, Acts 16:14; Eph 2:5, John 6:44

He adds an oath

( 45:23 ) I have sworn by myself

— The Jews might have found it hard to believe that Gentiles were included

— But God removes all doubt He adds an oath

He makes it firm

( 45:23b ) The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return

— He has commanded it to be published

— It did not proceed rash or hurriedly

— And it will not return - it will continue to work until the job is done

— until all the ends of the earth are saved

Every Knee shall bow

( 45:23d ) That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath

— In the millennium, all nations will worship the one and true God

— Knee = worship

— Tongue = confession

— Paul quotes this verse in Romans

— ”For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” ( Ro 14:11 )

— And He says the same thing in Phil 2:10-11

Judgment Seat

— But the NT expands this to apply to believer’s accountability to God when He evaluates their works

— Talking about the judgment seat of God before which every believer will stand

Descendants

( 45:25 ) In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.’ ”

— Spiritual descendants not physical descendants

— Turning to the Lord (22) confers birthright (cf. Gal 3:7, 29)

Additional Resources

J Vernon McGee Isaiah 41-42: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/thru-the-bible-with-j-vernon-mcgee/listen/isaiah-41-42-754475.html

McGee Isaiah 43-44: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/thru-the-bible-with-j-vernon-mcgee/listen/isaiah-43-44-754476.html

McGee Isaiah 45-46: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/thru-the-bible-with-j-vernon-mcgee/listen/isaiah-45-46-754477.html

Chuck Missler Isaiah 40-43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC8AcYkphJg

Chuck Missler Isaiah 44-45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lysMbN4T8&t=15s

John MacArthur, Isa 44:6 : https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-101/our-king-will-not-be-mocked

MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.

Spurgeon, Charles. www.PrinceOfPreachers.org

William Hendriksen. Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995.

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