Isaiah with Training Wheels: 44:24-45:8

This is the beginning to two great sections.
44:24- ch.48  is our temporal deliverance / salvation
49-53 is our spiritual salvation

(A1) Cyrus: Rebuild Zion (44:24-28)

(A2) Cyrus: Irresistible Conqueror (45:1-8)

(B1) Israel: Despite complaints, Lord asserts his right to rule, has Cyrus as builder (45:9-13)

(B2) Israel still at center of Lord’s plans (45:14-25)

(B1′) Israel: Despite complaints, Lord asserts his constant care, Cyrus as Savior (46)

(A2′) Babylon: Conquered  (47)

(A1′) Babylon: Captives Liberated  (48)

24 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

(A) 45:1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

5 ¶ I am the Lord, and there is none else,

there is no God beside me:

I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

Notes:

Who was Cyrus historically?

Cyrus the Great (around 558–530 BC) was the founder of the Persian Empire, historically famous for conquering Babylon in 539 BC. He introduced enlightened and tolerant policies toward the peoples he ruled. Unlike previous empires that forced assimilation, Cyrus encouraged religious freedom, allowed conquered peoples to retain their cultures, and even promoted returning exiles to their ancestral lands. In Daniel’s vision, he would have been the breast of silver.

For Jews specifically, Cyrus is best remembered for issuing the edict (recorded in Ezra 1:1–4) that allowed the Jewish exiles held captive in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. He also permitted them to rebuild their Temple, thus ending the Jewish captivity and beginning a new chapter of religious and cultural revival.

Isaiah’s prophetic text (Isaiah 45:1–8) remarkably mentions Cyrus by name, calling him “anointed” (Hebrew: ????????, mashiach, “messiah”), even though he was a non-Israelite king. This is a strong title. Christ isn’t exactly the same as Messiah, but there isn’t a lot of difference either. The Jews would not have been thrilled that salvation didn’t come in the form of an Israelite.

Does Cyrus have a modern counterpart?

This raises an intriguing question: could there be a modern parallel or counterpart to Cyrus today?

Historically, Cyrus was a political leader who did not share the faith or background of those he liberated, yet his policies directly enabled their political and religious revival. A modern “Cyrus figure” might similarly represent a secular or even non-religious leader whose actions leader to temporal deliverance or religious freedom.

45:7 evil – create disaster

45:8 the Dead Sea Scrolls and LXX, instead of “pour down” have “shout aloud”