Isaiah 45)
1 Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus (= the sun. "The Persian", the founder of the Persian empire - see 2 Chron. 36:22,23. Dan.6:28; 10:1,13 - was a Persian of the royal family Achæmenidæ. When he grew up to manhood his courage and genius placed him at the head o the Persians. His conquests were numerous an brilliant. He defeated and captured the Median king. He defeated Crœsus, and the kingdom of Lydia was the prize of his success. Babylon fell before his army, and the ancient dominion of Assyria were added to his empire. The prophet Daniel's home for a time was at his court. Dan.6:28. The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the temple, 2 Chron. 36:22,23. Ezra 1:1-4; 3:7; 4:3; 5:13,17; 6:3, was in fact the beginning of Judaism; and the great changes by which the nation was transformed into a church are clearly marked. His tomb is still shown at Pasagadæ, the scene of his first decisive victory. In the Cuniform Cylinder account of the capture of Babylon, Cyrus states:- "I am Cyrus the king...the great king, the mighty king, king of Tintir [Babylon], king of Sumir, and Akkad, king of the regions of the earth, the son of Chambyses the great king, king of the city of Anzan, grandson of Cyrus, the great king, king of the city of Anzan, great-grandson of Teispes, the great king of the city of Anzan, of the ancient seed of royalty, whose dominion [reign, i.e. of Cyrus himself] Bel and Nebo had exhaled according to the beneficence of their hearts" [E. Wallis Budge, "Babylonian Lfe and History", p.87]. Here we have the statement of Cyrus that his father was know as Cambyses, his grandfather as Cyrus, and his great-grandfather under the name [or title], common to the Behistun Inscription and the Cylinder alike, of Theispes.), whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings (Idiom for weakening. Cp. Job 12:21. The opposite of "girding" [v.5]), to open before him the two leaved gates (i.e. of Babylon, as described by Herodotus. See "Records of the Past", Part V,p.162; and cp. Jer. 51:30,31); and the gates shall not be shut; (they were found open, and Gobryas and the soldiers of Cyrus entered Babylon without fighting)
2 I will go before you, and make the crooked places level: I will shiver the gates of brass (Herodotus [i.180] tells us that the gates leading to the river were of brass), and smash the bars of iron:
3 And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Which call you by your name (only 4 named by Divine prophecy before birth: Isaac [Gen. 17:19]; Solomon [1 Chron. 22:9]; Josiah [1 Kings 13:2; and Cyrus, 137 years before his birth), 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 surnamed you (Cyrus was the additional name Divinely given. His Persian name is said to have been Agradates [Strabo, xv.3,6]), when you did not know Me.
5 I Am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded you (contrast "loose" v.1, and see 8:9), when you did not know Me
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me (see 5:8). I Am the Lord, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and bring about disturbances (God brings calamity about as the inevitable consequence of sin): I the LORD do all these things.
8 Drop down, all you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation (when the earth opened up before it brought destruction [Nu.16:32; 26:10 and Ps.106:17), and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.
9 Woe to him that strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the ground (i.e. here, clay). Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, ‘What do you make? or your work, ‘He has no hands?’
10 Woe to him that says to his father, ‘What do you beget?’ or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”
11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy (Set Apart) One of Israel, and his Fashioner, “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command you all of Me.
12 I have made the earth (see Gen. 1:1), and created mankind (or, humans) upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. (This is your Father. He is the Creator of all and Father of all. In His hands is the power to create the universe.)
13 I have raised him up (i.e. raised Cyrus up) in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways:
he shall build My city (Nehemiah rebuilt only the walls. See Neh.7:4. The city was not rebuilt until after the return under Zerubbabel, and the emancipation by Cyrus), and he shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward,” says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord, “The labor of Egypt (fig., put for that which is produced by it), and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, ad they shall come over to you, and they shall be yours: they shall come after you; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down to you, they shall make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely GOD is in you; and there is none else, there is no God.’ ”
15 Verily You are an GOD that hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
K U¹ 45:16-25. The nations. U² 46:1-13. Babylon's idols. U³ 47:1-15. Babylon. Doom.
U¹ V a 16. Idolaters. Their shame and confusion.
b 17. Israel. Saved
c 18-. Earth. Its formation.
d -18. None besides Yahaveh.
e 19-. The oracles of God. Plain.
f -19. Call to the seed of Jacob.
W 20-. The escaped Nation. Called.
V a -20. Idolaters. Their ignorance.
b 21. Israel's Savior
c 22-. Earth. Call to.
d -22. "None besides Elohim".
e 23. The oath of God. Sure.
f 24,25. Call to the seed of Israel.603-588 B.C.
16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of images.
17 But Israel shall be saved in the Lord (Yahaveh) with an everlasting salvation (see "ancient" people 44:7): you all shall not be ashamed nor confounded the ages of futurity.
18 For thus says the Lord the Creator of the heavens (note how these expressions are heaped together to impress us with the fact that the One Who created all ought to be able to tell us, better than ignorant man, how He created it.); God (Elohim) Himself the Former (or, Fashioner) of the earth and the Maker of it; He has established it, He created it (it did not come of itself by evolution. See Gen.1:1) not in vain (Heb. tohu. The same word as in Gen.1:2 ["without form"]. Therefore it must have become tohu: which is exactly what Gen. 1:2 declares [see note there]. In Gen. 1:1. we have "the world that then was" [cp. 2 Pet. 3:6]; and in v.2 we have the ruin into which it fell. We are not told how, when, or why, or how long it lasted. When geologists have settled how many years they require, they may place them between vv.1 and 2 of Gen. 1. In Gen. 1:2-2:4, we have :the heavens and the earth which are now" of 2 Pet. 3:7. Both are set in contrast with the "new heaven [age] and the new earth [age] of 2 Pet.3:13), He formed it to be inhabited (by His children, and you can find dinosaurs in Alaska with butter-cups in their mouths. He created it beautiful, He did not create it in void, a lumpy mass of nothingness, as some would have you believe): I Am the Lord;
and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: (If God declares things that are right, then why should there be dissensions, disputes? All you have to do is listen clearly to what the Father says. He did not create the earth in a chaotic form - It became that way because of Satan's rebellion. See 2 Pet.3:5-10,13)
I said not to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek you all Me in vain:’ (Heb. tohu. Repeated from v.18. Yahaveh did not command His People to seek Him in a pathless and trackless waste, where there was no indications of how He is to be found; but in His Word, where He has revealed Himself clearly and distinctly: not "in secret" or "in darkness". See Deut. 30:11. See 24:10) I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, all you that are escaped of the nations:
they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray to a god that cannot save. (God doesn't keep dark secrets. He has made known the salvation available by His hand and Jesus Christ. That salvation is available to all who will believe on Him.)
21 Tell you all, and bring them near (i.e. the "image" and "god" of v.20); 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 God (Elohim) else beside Me; a just GOD (El) and a Savior; there is none beside Me.
22 Look to Me, and be you all saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am GOD, and there is none else. (Don't waste your time praying to a stick that can not save. Worship your Father, believe on His Son and be saved.)
23 I have sworn by myself (quoted in Rom.14:11; and Phil.2:10. See Gen.22:16), the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (ascribed to Christ in the quotation above)
24 ‘Surely,’ shall one say, ‘in the Lord have I righteousness and strength:’ even to Him shall one come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed.
25 In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.’ (see "give light" 13:10)