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“This is what the Lord says to his anointed,
    to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
    and to strip kings of their armour,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:
² I will go before you
    and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.
³ I will give you hidden treasures,
    riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
⁴ For the sake of Jacob my servant,
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honour,
    though you do not acknowledge me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
    though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

It’s not about what your right hand can do, but who is holding it! (see verse 1).

”I will strengthen you…” (5b).

Cyrus, this great, mighty, fearsome ruler, is, to my mind, pictured almost like a child with a parent. The youngster, learning to ride a bike, is proud of his/her achievement, but they may not be aware of mum/dad just behind them, holding the bike steady.

Certain things are going to happen ”before” Cyrus (v.1b – note the repetition); but the repeated emphasis in the passage is on ”I, I…I will…I am…” (and I’ve tried to highlight this above). By far, the greater truth is on how God will use this man and work through him.

There are important lessons for us here too. Effective ministry is not so much me doing for God, as God doing through me. If that was true for a Cyrus who did not know God, it is certainly the case for we who do know Him.

 ”Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸ I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” (Rom.15:17-19). Here is Paul, fully involved in preaching the gospel, but recognising that the real ‘accomplishments’ of his ministry are the Lord’s.

We are nothing without the anointing!

who carries out the words of his servants
    and fulfils the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
    of the towns of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,”
    and of their ruins, “I will restore them,”
²⁷ who says to the watery deep, “Be dry,
    and I will dry up your streams,”
²⁸ who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’
    and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.’”

The introduction of Cyrus at this point in the narrative is quite abrupt and shocking.

Why?

After all, we have been introduced to him before (41:2). So in one sense it isn’t a surprise. But, on the other hand, we have just heard the most scathing attack on idolatry, and now we discover that God is going to carry out His decree, through a pagan, idolatrous king. But the fact that God uses someone does not mean He agrees with every detail of their lifestyle. He is free to use those we don’t necessarily approve of, and we should not draw wrong conclusions from their being chosen as His instruments.

‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,’
declares the Lord.
⁹ ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8,9.

Cyrus was going to conquer Babylon and allow the Jews to return to their land (44:28;45:1). He founded the Persian Empire, which defeated Babylon in 539 B.C (Dan.5:30). The next year he would issue his famous decree, allowing the Jews to return to their land and rebuild their temple (Ezra 1:1-6).

Many liberal scholars cannot accept that Isaiah, inspired by God, was actually able to name Cyrus 150 years before He existed. But then you have to ask, ‘What kind of God do they believe in?’ The God of the Bible is the eternal God, to whom all time is present and who knows all things. If we accept His reality why would we stumble over such prophetic utterances.

A few pages further on, we come to the magnificent 53rd chapter. It was written around 700 years before the time of Jesus, yet its depiction of His crucifixion is so graphic, Isaiah might well have been an eyewitness at the foot of the Cross.

Isn’t God’s Word simply marvellous?!!

‘This is what the Lord says –
    your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,
    who spreads out the earth by myself,
²⁵ who foils the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
    and turns it into nonsense,
²⁶ who carries out the words of his servants
    and fulfils the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
    of the towns of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,”
    and of their ruins, “I will restore them,”
²⁷ who says to the watery deep, “Be dry,
    and I will dry up your streams,”
²⁸ who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’
    and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.’”

There is a clear emphasis in these verses on God’s powerful Word.

Verse 26a is about GOD’S ACCURATE WORD. We are face to face with fulfilled prophecy again.

John Piper writes, in ‘A Peculiar Glory’: ‘His predictions are certain, not mainly because he foresees without error, but because he executes without fail’ p.233.

Biblical prophecy is accurate not only because God sees history in advance, but He oversees history. He is Sovereign over it. ‘History is His Story.’

Verses 26b-28b show us GOD’S CREATIVE WORD. My mind travels back to Genesis 1 where God said (decreed it) and it happened. ‘Just one WORD from the King changes everything!’

God spoke through His prophets concerning the repopulation of Jerusalem, and at the right time He brought it about. We might say He spoke it into existence (just as He did with the universe itself).

Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
    shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
    you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    he displays his glory in Israel.

Jesus taught:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16.

Peter writes:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9.

As with Israel in the Old Testament, so it is the call of the church in the New to shine. This we do by reflecting Jesus, who is ‘The light of the world.’ I think of our calling in terms of being ‘moons’. We have no light of our own, but we reflect the rays of the One who is ‘the Sun of Righteousness’ (Malachi 4:2). It is because we are in a definite relationship with Him that we are enabled to be ‘lesser lights’ (see Genesis 1:16). It is his glory on display in us. That’s why when people see our good deeds the result is that they glorify God. They are experiencing something God-given, and not man-made.

Thought: Am I a quarter-moon, half-moon, three-quarter moon, full moon – or just a sliver?!

Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
    shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
    you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    he displays his glory in Israel.

I have been enormously helped, at times, by the writings and teaching of Dr. R.T. Kendall. I think it would be fair to say that no book by him impacted me more than ‘Thanking God’.

Barry Webb points out that although, in this verse, creation is called upon to praise ‘…surely, of all created things, it is those made in God’s image who ought to praise him most, and, of them, the redeemed most of all. And those who do will find that the battle is won; it is impossible for idolatry to get a foothold in a joyful, praising heart.’ ‘Isaiah’, p.1821.

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

”The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.” – Warren Wiersbe

”Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.” – Tim Keller

“Remember these things, Jacob,
    for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
    Israel, I will not forget you.
²² I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
    your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
    for I have redeemed you.”

Barry Webb writes that there is need for ‘constant vigilance, for the danger of idolatry in one or another of its enticing forms is always with us. Remember, Isaiah says, remember the truth (21). Our eyes and ears are constantly bombarded with lies about God, and attractive alternatives to serving him, and we will be swamped by them unless we constantly call the truth to mind. This is where meditation on Scripture is such a strengthening thing for us, for it is full of the greatness and glory and faithfulness of God. But what if we do stray, and slip into idolatrous patterns of thought or behaviour (and which of us does not from time to time)? Return, says Isaiah, to the one who redeemed you (22). We are all going to need a lot of forgiving on our way to our final rest, and the great news of the gospel is that it is available to us. The one condition is that we return and seek God for it when we stray.’ ‘Isaiah’, p.181.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9.

Where we live, in Coverdale, from time to time we see a morning mist hovering over the river valley. Though it can linger for a time, it can also dissipate quickly. It is there one hour, and gone the next! What a heart-warming picture is painted in verse 22a. Our besetting (and depressing?) sins vanish as we authentically confess, repent and trust in the blood of Jesus. If we still see them, we don’t have to. God doesn’t.

Amazing grace!

¹² The blacksmith takes a tool
    and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
    he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
    he drinks no water and grows faint.
¹³ The carpenter measures with a line
    and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
    and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
    human form in all its glory,
    that it may dwell in a shrine.
¹⁴ He cut down cedars,
    or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
    or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
¹⁵ It is used as fuel for burning;
    some of it he takes and warms himself,
    he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
    he makes an idol and bows down to it.
¹⁶ Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
    over it he prepares his meal,
    he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
    “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
¹⁷ From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
    “Save me! You are my god!”
¹⁸ They know nothing, they understand nothing;
    their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
    and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
¹⁹ No one stops to think,
    no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
²⁰ Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
    he cannot save himself, or say,
    “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

‘Israel learned in Babylon the futility and folly of idolatry. How easy it is to trust something other than the Lord, including the things we manufacture.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.479.

This long passage is one of the greatest take-downs of idolatry to be found anywhere in Scripture. In its detailed description of how a god is made it shows the whole thing is a farce; it is laughable, absurd, stupid. Whoever would worship an idol?

We also see the delusion behind idolatry. But as Paul writes in Romans 1, this is a lie people want to believe rather than accepting the obvious and inconvenient truth about God:

 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:18-23.

In verse 25 he adds:  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Furthermore, he says in verse 28:  …they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God…

People may feel it is more convenient to hold on to a lie than turn to the true and living God and be changed, but the consequences are ultimately disastrous.

All who make idols are nothing,
    and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
    they are ignorant, to their own shame.
¹⁰ Who shapes a god and casts an idol,
    which can profit nothing?
¹¹ People who do that will be put to shame;
    such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
    they will be brought down to terror and shame.

As we have seen, the opening verses of this chapter proclaim a glorious future for Israel. But they will not arrive there in a straight line, as it were. There will be twists and turns along the way, and idolatry will offer considerable temptations on route

John Calvin said: “Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.”

The people of Israel were expressly forbidden to have anything to do with idolatry (see Ex.20:1-6).

”Idolatry is the worst sin of all, because it moves God to the periphery of our lives and puts something else in his place. It gives to something else the glory that should be God’s alone. Chameleon-like, it constantly disguises itself so that we are scarcely aware of its presence, even when we are most in the grip of it…The modern world is no less given over to idolatry than the ancient one; it is just that its cruder forms were more prevalent then.’ Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’ p.180.

Webb goes on to point out that idolatry always held a ‘fatal attraction’ for Israel because it seemed to work. When nations like Egypt, Assyria and Babylon stormed across the world, conquering and capturing peoples, they believed (and their prey tended to do so also) that it was because their gods were greater than the deities of those nations they trampled. The people of Israel had been captives in Babylon for a long time. They were vulnerable to the temptation that Babylonian idolatry had real power. However, today’s passage underlines the truth that idolatry is worthless (9a) and powerless (10).

As we will see in 44:17:

”…he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
    “Save me! You are my god!”

The clear implication is, ‘It can’t’! In spite of appearances to the contrary, idols are impotent.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you are the living God – that we can speak to you and you hear and answer; you rescue and save. How grateful we are.

THOUGHT: ”The human heart is an idol factory that takes good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our hearts deify them as the centre of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfilment, if we attain them.” Tim Keller

“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,
    Israel, whom I have chosen.
² This is what the Lord says—
    he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
    and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
    Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
³ For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴ They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
    like poplar trees by flowing streams.
⁵ Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;
    others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
    and will take the name Israel.

Just one further thought on this glorious passage. It comes from Barry Webb’s commentary on Isaiah in ‘The Bible Speaks Today’ series (p.180):

‘All this, of course, is exactly what was promised to Abraham: a great name, many descendants, blessing overflowing to all the families of the earth. How remote the fulfilment of that promise must have seemed to the small, humiliated remnant in Babylon. The purpose of this passage is to remind them, when they had reached the depths of that bitter experience, that God had not forgotten his promise to Abraham, or with drawn his call from their descendants. Beyond the dark days of exile they would flourish again and become the blessing to the nations that he had always intended them to be. The final word of encouragement to Israel rests upon the bedrock of God’s faithfulness, and strongly reaffirms his commitment to fulfilling his promises to them and through them. There would be many twists and turns in the road ahead, but it would not be a dead end. All God’s promises would eventually find their resounding ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ, to the glory of God.’

(See Gen.12:1-3; 2 Cor.1:20).

Writing a diary piece in last week’s ‘Spectator’, Richard Dawkins wrote:

‘If anyone merits a good biography, it’s Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Her autobiography, Infidel, chronicles her extraordinary life, from childhood in the Islamic hell (for women) of Somalia, her escape to the Netherlands where she swiftly learned Dutch and became an MP; then the all-too-credible threat from the jihadist murderer of her colleague Theo van Gogh, in a note pinned with a dagger to his corpse. After moving to America, this valiant, charming intellectual warrior became a stalwart of the atheist movement, on a par with Christopher Hitchens, Dan Dennett and Sam Harris. But now, in an astonishing volte-face, she has announced her conversion to Christianity. Imagine the Pope suddenly becoming an atheist – or, worse, an Orangeman – and you’ll get an idea of the fluttering in atheistic dovecotes caused by Ayaan’s tergiversation.”

Although, in the next paragraph, he seems to question how fundamental Ayaan’s Christian beliefs her, his love and admiration for her shine through.

It reminds me, that by the power of the poured out Holy Spirit, many can be/will be converted. God is still fulfilling this great Scripture. It can even happen to Richard Dawkins. We should pray it does.

I seem to remember there was this guy named Saul, from Tarsus…

Hmm…it makes you think, doesn’t it?

(FOR FURTHER ENCOURAGEMENT: I can highly recommend this podcast series, hosted by Justin Brierley, and based on his recently published book: ‘The surprising rebirth of belief in God.’)