Isaiah 44-45A. We ended last week as God revealed that Israel would be restored on the basis of grace. At the hands of the Babylonians

Transcription

1 Isaiah 44-45A We ended last week as Gd revealed that Israel wuld be restred n the basis f grace Because the natin culd nt receive Gd s mercy n the basis f merit Their fathers had sinned and their spkesmen had transgressed S thugh grace was cming in a future day, judgment wuld cme first At the hands f the Babylnians The final verse f chapter 43 alluded t that cming judgment Is. 43:28 S I will pllute the princes f the sanctuary, And I will cnsign Jacb t the ban and Israel t revilement. The meaning f v.28 is tw-fld The princes f the sanctuary are the priests wh serve in the temple They are plluted as the Babylnians destryed the temple in 586 BC And Jacb is cnsigned t the ban and revilement They are reviled in the sense that they becme captives f Babyln and are placed int slavery Gd cntinues t link mercy and redemptin with judgment Thugh he brings judgment upn Israel fr its sins, Gd desn t destry the natin and will redeem it ne day Is. 44:1 But nw listen, O Jacb, My servant, And Israel, whm I have chsen: Is. 44:2 Thus says the LORD wh made yu And frmed yu frm the wmb, wh will help yu, D nt fear, O Jacb My servant; And yu Jeshurun whm I have chsen. Is. 44:3 Fr I will pur ut water n the thirsty land And streams n the dry grund; I will pur ut My Spirit n yur ffspring And My blessing n yur descendants; 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Isaiah 44-45A! 2 Is. 44:4 And they will spring up amng the grass Like pplars by streams f water. Is. 44:5 This ne will say, I am the LORD S ; And that ne will call n the name f Jacb; And anther will write n his hand, Belnging t the LORD, And will name Israel s name with hnr. This passage fllws unbrken frm the discussin at the end f chapter 43 Having described the cming judgment, Gd nw says But... I ve chsen yu, frmed yu S dn t fear this judgment And like water n the grund, I will pur my Spirit n yur ffspring And my blessing n yur descendants And they will respnd with faith and dedicatin t the Lrd A generatin that returns t the Lrd will cme up after this generatin Remember, the Babylnian judgment came as a result f Judah s sins under the Old Cvenant and was intended t put an end t idl wrship in Israel Remving idls frm Israel was Gd the Father s way f making a straight path fr His Sn Israel never wrshipped idls again after the captivity in Babyln Even the use f the term Jeshurun was intended t remind the natin f their cvenant This is an endearing term fr Jacb, and it s used in nly ne ther bk f the Bible: Deuternmy, the bk that established the cvenant This prmise f restratin was fulfilled in 536 BC as the next generatin f the natin was released frm captivity by Cyrus The descendants f this generatin respnded t the pprtunity accrding t the leading f the Spirit, just as Isaiah spke wuld happen 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Isaiah 44-45A! 3 Ezra 1:1 Nw in the first year f Cyrus king f Persia, in rder t fulfill the wrd f the LORD by the muth f Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit f Cyrus king f Persia, s that he sent a prclamatin thrughut all his kingdm, and als put it in writing, saying: Ezra 1:2 Thus says Cyrus king f Persia, The LORD, the Gd f heaven, has given me all the kingdms f the earth and He has appinted me t build Him a huse in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Ezra 1:3 Whever there is amng yu f all His peple, may his Gd be with him! Let him g up t Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the huse f the LORD, the Gd f Israel; He is the Gd wh is in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:4 Every survivr, at whatever place he may live, let the men f that place supprt him with silver and gld, with gds and cattle, tgether with a freewill ffering fr the huse f Gd which is in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:5 Then the heads f fathers husehlds f Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arse, even everyne whse spirit Gd had stirred t g up and rebuild the huse f the LORD which is in Jerusalem. The Spirit drve sme number f Israel t return t their land and t rebuild the temple But sme f Isaiah s descriptins are nt cnsistent with that restratin frm Babyln Verse 4-5 describes a natin reppulating easily And the entire natin calling n the Lrd And the name f Israel will becme a name f hnr These aren t descriptins cnsistent with the return frm Babyln S these details leave us t cnclude that the true fulfillment f this passage awaits Israel s restratin frm spiritual Babyln fllwing Tribulatin When Babyln is defeated, the Spirit is pured ut n Israel and the Millennium begins In which case, we wuld see Israel s return frm Babyln as prefiguring the future restratin f Tribulatin Gd the Father nw returns t emphasizing He is unrivaled in all creatin 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Isaiah 44-45A! 4 Is. 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King f Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD f hsts: I am the first and I am the last, And there is n Gd besides Me. Is. 44:7 Wh is like Me? Let him prclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recunt it t Me in rder, Frm the time that I established the ancient natin. And let them declare t them the things that are cming And the events that are ging t take place. Is. 44:8 D nt tremble and d nt be afraid; Have I nt lng since annunced it t yu and declared it? And yu are My witnesses. Is there any Gd besides Me, Or is there any ther Rck? I knw f nne. Gd the Father cntrasts Himself t idls in three ways First He is the first and last In ther wrds, He is an eternal Gd Gd the Father uses this term t describe Himself three times in Isaiah And Gd the Sn uses the same term three times t describe Himself in Revelatin The intersectin f the Father and the Sn as eternal tgether cme tgether at the end f this sectin in chapter 48 - a clear OT teaching f the trinity Secndly, in v.7 the Father is the Gd f all histry All the natins f the earth were established by Gd And their histry was written and dictated by Gd Third, in vs.7-8 Gd is a Gd f the future, declaring prphecy He says He declare what wuld happen And He annunced it lng ag All f these facets f Gd s svereignty stand apart frm idls, wh can demnstrate nne f these abilities 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Isaiah 44-45A! 5 Nw the Father ffers a lnger passage explaining the futility and stupidity f idl wrship Is. 44:9 Thse wh fashin a graven image are all f them futile, and their precius things are f n prfit; even their wn witnesses fail t see r knw, s that they will be put t shame. Is. 44:10 Wh has fashined a gd r cast an idl t n prfit? Is. 44:11 Behld, all his cmpanins will be put t shame, fr the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them tgether be put t shame. Is. 44:12 The man shapes irn int a cutting tl and des his wrk ver the cals, fashining it with hammers and wrking it with his strng arm. He als gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks n water and becmes weary. Is. 44:13 Anther shapes wd, he extends a measuring line; he utlines it with red chalk. He wrks it with planes and utlines it with a cmpass, and makes it like the frm f a man, like the beauty f man, s that it may sit in a huse. Is. 44:14 Surely he cuts cedars fr himself, and takes a cypress r an ak and raises it fr himself amng the trees f the frest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grw. Is. 44:15 Then it becmes smething fr a man t burn, s he takes ne f them and warms himself; he als makes a fire t bake bread. He als makes a gd and wrships it; he makes it a graven image and falls dwn befre it. Is. 44:16 Half f it he burns in the fire; ver this half he eats meat as he rasts a rast and is satisfied. He als warms himself and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire. Is. 44:17 But the rest f it he makes int a gd, his graven image. He falls dwn befre it and wrships; he als prays t it and says, Deliver me, fr yu are my gd. Is. 44:18 They d nt knw, nr d they understand, fr He has smeared ver their eyes s that they cannt see and their hearts s that they cannt cmprehend. Is. 44:19 N ne recalls, nr is there knwledge r understanding t say, I have burned half f it in the fire and als have baked bread ver its cals. I rast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest f it int an abminatin, I fall dwn befre a blck f wd! Is. 44:20 He feeds n ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannt deliver himself, nr say, Is there nt a lie in my right hand? Hardly much f an explanatin required here Gd reveals the weaknesses f thse wh create idls Suggesting that the creatin must be even weaker than it s creatr And then the humr f hw the idl creatr ignres the cntradictins f his behavir 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Isaiah 44-45A! 6 This is the reality f idl wrship Frm the same lg, we burn wd fr preparing a meal and save the rest t call ur gd Be careful f calling any distractin frm fllwing Gd an idl There are many unprfitable patterns but that desn t make them idls And idl is any graven image we view t be gd Again Gd ffers mercy and grace... Truly a substitute r replacement fr Gd Smething we pray t and seek assistance frm Is. 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacb, And Israel, fr yu are My servant; I have frmed yu, yu are My servant, O Israel, yu will nt be frgtten by Me. Is. 44:22 I have wiped ut yur transgressins like a thick clud And yur sins like a heavy mist. Return t Me, fr I have redeemed yu. This cntinues the repetitin f the theme f this sectin Idl wrship is flish, it will be judged But in it s place, Gd will supply mercy and grace And the mere mentin f that grace gives ccasin fr anther cry f praise by Isaiah Is. 44:23 Shut fr jy, O heavens, fr the LORD has dne it! Shut jyfully, yu lwer parts f the earth; Break frth int a shut f jy, yu muntains, O frest, and every tree in it; Fr the LORD has redeemed Jacb And in Israel He shws frth His glry. Nw the Lrd declares hw He intends t prvide that redemptin in the near term fr thse held in bndage in Babyln 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Isaiah 44-45A! 7 Is. 44:24 Thus says the LORD, yur Redeemer, and the ne wh frmed yu frm the wmb, I, the LORD, am the maker f all things, Stretching ut the heavens by Myself And spreading ut the earth all alne, Is. 44:25 Causing the mens f basters t fail, Making fls ut f diviners, Causing wise men t draw back And turning their knwledge int flishness, Is. 44:26 Cnfirming the wrd f His servant And perfrming the purpse f His messengers. It is I wh says f Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited! And f the cities f Judah, They shall be built. And I will raise up her ruins again. Is. 44:27 It is I wh says t the depth f the sea, Be dried up! And I will make yur rivers dry. Is. 44:28 It is I wh says f Cyrus, He is My shepherd! And he will perfrm all My desire. And he declares f Jerusalem, She will be built, And f the temple, Yur fundatin will be laid. Gd the Father calls Himself Israel s redeemer Gd als declares He is the ne making fls f diviners, turning the knwledge f wise men int flishness Gd is always wrking t shw the fruitlessness f relying n men and the ccult fr pwer and wisdm And t the main pint, He declares 150 years in advance hw He will redeem Israel Remember, this is being written nearly 100 years befre they even g int captivity Lng befre the Med-Persians rise t pwer Lng befre Cyrus is even brn Gd names the man and declares what he will d fr Gd Give this passage careful thught and ask yurself what svereignty means Did Gd ask Cyrus what Cyrus wanted t d? 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Isaiah 44-45A! 8 N, Gd decided lng befre that Cyrus wuld be His instrument t accmplish a very specific purpse And if Gd declares it, it will happen Daniel, the prphet, was ne f thse in Israel taken int captivity by Babyln And when Med Persians cnquered Babyln, Daniel eventually fund his way int the curt f Cyrus the King f Persia The Jewish histrian Jsephus wrte in AD 75 that Daniel shwed Cyrus this passage frm Isaiah 44 where Cyrus name was recrded Imagine Cyrus surprise when he saw his wn name recrded in a text that was 150 years ld One that predicted perfectly His arrival and destructin Jsephus ges n t say that this event directly led t Cyrus allwing the Jews t return t Israel Tribulatin D yu think Gd might have expected Daniel t shw this text t Cyrus? And when Cyrus saw his wn name in chapter 44, we wuld naturally expect Cyrus might ask Daniel what else des the text say And then Daniel wuld lead Cyrus t the next chapter, where Gd speaks directly t Cyrus thrugh Isaiah s wrds Gd gives Cyrus sme specific instructins... Is. 45:1 Thus says the LORD t Cyrus His aninted, Whm I have taken by the right hand, T subdue natins befre him And t lse the lins f kings; T pen drs befre him s that gates will nt be shut: Is. 45:2 I will g befre yu and make the rugh places smth; I will shatter the drs f brnze and cut thrugh their irn bars. Is. 45:3 I will give yu the treasures f darkness And hidden wealth f secret places, S that yu may knw that it is I, The LORD, the Gd f Israel, wh calls yu by yur name Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Isaiah 44-45A! 9 Is. 45:4 Fr the sake f Jacb My servant, And Israel My chsen ne, I have als called yu by yur name; I have given yu a title f hnr Thugh yu have nt knwn Me. Is. 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is n ther; Besides Me there is n Gd. I will gird yu, thugh yu have nt knwn Me; Is. 45:6 That men may knw frm the rising t the setting f the sun That there is n ne besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is n ther, Is. 45:7 The One frming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD wh des all these. Gd addresses Cyrus as His aninted, taken by the hand by Gd t subdue the natins The wrd fr aninted is actually the Hebrew wrd fr messiah Cyrus isn t the actual messiah, f curse, but he becmes a type fr Christ in the way he leads Israel ut f bndage And Cyrus prefigures the redemptin f Israel frm Tribulatin Gd says He will make Cyrus pwerful a invincible wrld pwer And Gd ges befre him t ensure he will be successful Many f these details align perfectly with histry Cyrus was famus fr the ease with which he cnquered previusly impregnable cities like Sargus and Babyln Babyln itself was said t have ver 100 gates in the city walls, each made f brass with irn bars Gd says Cyrus will cut thrugh thse drs easily Gd prmises Cyrus great wealth in secret and dark places When Cyrus invaded Lydian empire, he came upn the well-defended city Sargus King Cresus was s famus fr his riches, that he came t be knwn as the king with the glden tuch 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Isaiah 44-45A! 10 Anther name fr King Cresus was King Midas Why des Gd allw Cyrus this success? He hid mst f his gld in undergrund vaults and tunnels in the city When Cyrus invaded, Gd ensured that CYrus men wuld learn the lcatin f the gld, making Cyrus easily the richest man in the wrld in his day Cyrus was raised up fr tw purpses In v.4 Isaiah says it will happen fr the sake f Jacb Gd intends t use Cyrus t free Israel frm Babyln And as we knw, Cyrus was s impressed t learn all this thrugh Daniel, that he fllws thrugh and frees Israel as we saw in Ezra Ntice in that same verse Gd says I have called Cyrus fr these things thugh he has nt knwn me Again in v.5, Gd has girded r equipped Cyrus even thugh he wasn t aware f Gd Cyrus was an evil, destructive frce in the wrld And that destructive frce was made strnger by Gd s hand but ultimately fr gd purpses accrding t Gd s plan That leads t the secnd reasn Gd did this fr Cyrus that the wrld might knw that the Gd f Israel is the true Gd The way Gd carried thrugh n these prphecies prves He is the ne and nly true Gd V.7 makes the pint succinctly...gd is bth the ne creating light and darkness All things in creatin cme frm Gd s decree and accrding t His purpse A pwerful verse t cntend with thse wh see Gd as nly half a Gd, nly in cntrl f half f creatin 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Isaiah 44-45A! 11 Is. 45:8 Drip dwn, O heavens, frm abve, And let the cluds pur dwn righteusness; Let the earth pen up and salvatin bear fruit, And righteusness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. Is. 45:9 We t the ne wh quarrels with his Maker An earthenware vessel amng the vessels f earth! Will the clay say t the ptter, What are yu ding? Or the thing yu are making say, He has n hands? Is. 45:10 We t him wh says t a father, What are yu begetting? Or t a wman, T what are yu giving birth? Is. 45:11 Thus says the LORD, the Hly One f Israel, and his Maker: Ask Me abut the things t cme cncerning My sns, And yu shall cmmit t Me the wrk f My hands. Is. 45:12 It is I wh made the earth, and created man upn it. I stretched ut the heavens with My hands And I rdained all their hst. Is. 45:13 I have arused him in righteusness And I will make all his ways smth; He will build My city and will let My exiles g free, Withut any payment r reward, says the LORD f hsts. Isaiah inserts anther ne-verse sng f praise in v.8 Then in vs.9-13, fr thse wh read the previus sectin and scff at the idea f Gd causing calamity r wrking thrugh pagan men wh d nt knw Him Gd prepares this wake up call He says there will be we t thse wh quarrel with his Maker What kind f quarrel is He talking abut? Isaiah defines questining Gd s way f wrking in creatin as a quarrel The best captured in the fund at the end f v.9 The ne being frmed by the Maker will lk up at the Maker and declare, Yu have n hands. If the ne frming yu by his hands desn t have hands, then yu dn t exist Likewise, if yu believe that Gd bserves sme kind f bundary r restraint in hw far He influences His creatin, yu are arguing against yur wn existence 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Isaiah 44-45A! 12 Mre imprtantly, yu are quarreling with Gd It must be that Gd can calls it a quarrel t questin His right t d what He will in creatin because yu refuse t accept the cunsel f Scripture n the matter Fr example, t the issue f Cyrus and his suitability as an instrument f Gd Gd chse the man, equipped him and called him t a task...though HE DIDN T KNOW GOD In ther wrds, Cyrus will and knwledge was irrelevant t Gd Gd was perfectly capable f causing Cyrus t d exactly as Gd wishes withut Cyrus awareness, much less his agreement What des this say abut free will Is there such a thing in the traditinal sense f thse wrds? Des man have a will in the face f Gd s decrees and purpses Nw cnsider the next time in the Bible this same passage is used We find it in Rmans 9: Rm. 9:16 S then it des nt depend n the man wh wills r the man wh runs, but n Gd wh has mercy. Rm. 9:17 Fr the Scripture says t Pharah, FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH. Rm. 9:18 S then He has mercy n whm He desires, and He hardens whm He desires. Rm. 9:19 Yu will say t me then, Why des He still find fault? Fr wh resists His will? Rm. 9:20 On the cntrary, wh are yu, O man, wh answers back t Gd? The thing mlded will nt say t the mlder, Why did yu make me like this, will it? Rm. 9:21 Or des nt the ptter have a right ver the clay, t make frm the same lump ne vessel fr hnrable use and anther fr cmmn use? Rm. 9:22 What if Gd, althugh willing t demnstrate His wrath and t make His pwer knwn, endured with much patience vessels f wrath prepared fr destructin? Rm. 9:23 And He did s t make knwn the riches f His glry upn vessels f mercy, which He prepared befrehand fr glry, 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Isaiah 44-45A! 13 Paul references the same verses frm Isaiah t make the same pint As Gd decides, sme men are set n a path t destructin while thers are set n a path t glry This is the right f the creatr, and when we dubt His authrity and wrk in this way, we are quarreling with Gd And this quarrel will bring us we, Isaiah says Just like the child wh might questin his earthly father r mther cncerning hw they gave birth t a child Remember, understanding it is nt a prerequisite t accepting it Returning t Isaiah, lk at vs.11 Gd s wrd declares it t be s And the example f Cyrus prves that this is hw Gd chses t wrk in His creatin He says if yu ask me abut what will happen t my sns And nce Gd tells us what will happen, we will have cmmitted Gd t carry it thrugh because He never fails t keep His wrd Gd calls the future itself, the wrk f My hands Gd is at wrk creating the future as He prefers it t be Finally, Gd reasserts His authrity t wrk thrugh Cyrus He created all things And He will wrk thrugh Cyrus in righteusness t make him cnquer S that his decree and wealth will lead t the city being rebuilt And the Jewish peple set free And these things will happen withut any payment r ransm being paid fr Israel Gd will have prvided the way alne 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.