Isaiah45

Isaiah 45 declares the LORD's absolute sovereignty, specifically in raising up Cyrus, a pagan king, to fulfill His purposes for Israel. God proclaims Himself as the sole Creator and only God, asserting His power over all things, including light and darkness, peace and calamity. The chapter contrasts the futility of idol worship with the everlasting salvation offered to Israel and a universal call for all to look to the LORD and be saved.

God Anoints Cyrus for Israel's Sake

1
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: ​
2
“I will go before you, and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of brass in pieces, and cut apart the bars of iron. ​
3
I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel. ​
4
For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have given you a title, though you have not known me. ​
5
I am the LORD, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me; ​
6
that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no one else.
7
I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am the LORD, who does all these things. ​
8
Distil, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may produce salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.

The Creator's Authority Cannot Be Questioned

9
Woe to him who strives with his Maker— a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands?’ ​
10
Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’ or to a mother, ‘To what have you given birth?’”
11
Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands! ​
12
I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and I have commanded all their army.
13
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says the LORD of Hosts. ​

Israel's Everlasting Salvation

14
Thus says the LORD: “The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They will go after you. They shall come over in chains; and they will bow down to you. They will make supplication to you: ‘Surely God is in you; and there is no one else. There is no other god. ​
15
Most certainly you are a God who hidden yourself, God of Israel, the Savior.’” ​
16
They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together.
17
Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting.

The Lord, the Only God and Savior

18
For thus says the LORD who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD; and there is no other. ​
19
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t 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. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can’t save. ​
21
Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, the LORD? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior; There is no one besides me.
22
“Look to me, and be saved, all the 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 will not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. ​
24
They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in the LORD.’” Even to him shall men come; and all those who were incensed against him shall be disappointed.
25
In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 45

Verse 1

The term 'anointed' (*mashiach*) is applied here to Cyrus, a pagan king. This is unique in Scripture and demonstrates that God uses any agent, regardless of their knowledge of Him, to fulfill His sovereign historical purposes.

Verse 2

God promises to remove all obstacles for Cyrus’s conquest, specifically mentioning 'gates of brass' and 'bars of iron,' likely referring to the formidable defenses of Babylon, which history records fell unexpectedly.

Verse 3

The purpose of Cyrus’s success and the acquisition of wealth is theological: so that he (and the world) might recognize that Yahweh, who calls him by name, is the true God of Israel.

Verse 4

Cyrus’s election is not for his own merit but entirely for the sake of Jacob/Israel, God’s elect servant. God uses the powerful Gentile ruler as a means to restore His covenant people.

Verse 5

This reiterates the core theme of Second Isaiah: absolute monotheism. God equipped ('girded') Cyrus with strength and authority, even though Cyrus did not acknowledge Him, confirming God's supremacy over all national deities.

Verse 7

God asserts His ultimate sovereignty over all creation and experience. The word 'evil' (*ra'*) here means calamity, distress, or disaster, emphasizing that God is the source of all conditions, contrasting with dualistic systems that posit two equal opposing gods.

Verse 9

This 'woe' is directed at the exiles who question God’s mysterious plan, particularly His decision to use a pagan king (Cyrus) to deliver them. The analogy of the potter and the clay asserts God’s absolute right to define His purpose.

Verse 11

The phrase 'command ye me' is a rhetorical challenge, highlighting the arrogance of humanity attempting to dictate terms or understand the mysterious ways of the Holy One of Israel concerning His people.

Verse 13

God ensures that Cyrus will execute the restoration of Jerusalem and the release of the captives 'not for price nor reward,' emphasizing that the return will be an act of divine grace, not a political payoff.

Verse 14

This verse looks beyond the immediate return from exile to the final, glorious salvation, where powerful nations (Egypt, Ethiopia) will willingly submit to Israel, recognizing that God dwells among them.

Verse 15

This verse is a profound confession of faith. Even when God’s methods (like using Cyrus) or timing seem confusing, He is still the ‘God that hidest thyself’—His power is veiled, yet He remains the ultimate Saviour of Israel.

Verse 18

God appeals to creation as evidence of His character. He created the earth purposefully, 'not in vain,' but 'to be inhabited,' assuring Israel that His covenant promises are equally purposeful and reliable.

Verse 20

This is a global summons for all nations to assemble for judgment. The prophet mocks the ignorance of idolaters who rely on gods made of wood that 'cannot save,' contrasting them with the living God.

Verse 22

This is a universal call to faith. The salvation promised to Israel is extended to 'all the ends of the earth,' confirming Yahweh’s desire to be recognized as the sole God and Savior of humanity.

Verse 23

God swears by Himself, guaranteeing that universal submission will occur. This prophecy is quoted in the New Testament (Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10–11) to affirm the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ.

Verse 25

The final outcome of God’s sovereignty is the justification and glory of His people. Israel’s restoration is the means by which God’s righteousness and faithfulness are demonstrated to the world.

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