# Isaiah 45 š: God Anoints Cyrus
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
[[#Verse 01.]] āThis is what theĀ LordĀ says to his chosen one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings,
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā āI will go before you
and level mountains.
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron barsĀ I will hack through.
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am theĀ Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submitĀ to me.
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā I am theĀ Lord, I have no peer,
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle,Ā even though you do not recognizeĀ me.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā I do thisĀ so peopleĀ will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am theĀ Lord, I have no peer.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā I amĀ the one who forms light
and creates darkness;
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.
I am theĀ Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showersĀ of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb itĀ so salvation may grow,
and deliverance may sprout upĀ along with it.
I, theĀ Lord, create it.āā
### The Lord Gives a Warning
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger,
one who is like a mereĀ shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter,
āWhat in the worldĀ are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!ā
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Danger awaits one who saysĀ to his father,
āWhat in the worldĀ are you fathering?ā
and to his mother,
āWhat in the world are you bringing forth?ā
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā This is what theĀ LordĀ says,
the Holy One of Israel,Ā the one who formed him,
concerning things to come:
āHow dare you question meĀ about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do withĀ the work of my own hands!
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā I made the earth;
I created the people who liveĀ on it.
It was meāmy handsĀ stretched out the sky.
I give orders to all the heavenly lights.
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā It is meāI stir him up and commission him;
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,ā
says theĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies.
### The Lord is the Nationsā Only Hope
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā This is what theĀ LordĀ says:
āThe profitĀ of Egypt and the revenueĀ of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to youĀ and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.
They will bow down to you
and pray to you:
āTruly God is withĀ you; he has no peer;
there is no other God!āā
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā Israel will be delivered once and for all by theĀ Lord;
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā For this is what theĀ LordĀ says,
the one who created the skyā
he is the true God,
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order,
he formed it to be inhabited:
āI am theĀ Lord, I have no peer.
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place.
I did not tell Jacobās descendants,
āSeek me in vain!ā
I am theĀ Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations.
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā Tell me! Present the evidence!
Let them consult with one another.
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, theĀ Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers;
there is none but me.
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā Turn to me so you can be delivered,
all you who live in the earthās remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā I solemnly make this oathā
what I say is true and reliable:
āSurely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm;
[[#Verse 24.]]Ā they will say about me,
āYes, theĀ LordĀ is a powerful deliverer.āāā
All who are angry at him will cower before him.
[[#Verse 25.]] All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by theĀ Lord
and will boast in him.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
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###### Verse 25.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Cyrus is called God's anointed (45:1), the only foreign king given that title in the Bible.
2. The Hebrew word for anointed is *mashiach*, the root of the word Messiah.
3. The Cyrus Cylinder, now in the British Museum, records Cyrus's policy of returning exiled peoples and restoring their sanctuaries.
4. Treasures hidden in darkness (45:3) may refer to the riches Cyrus captured, including the wealth of Croesus of Lydia.
5. Verse 7 teaches that God is sovereign over all things. The word for calamity means disaster, not moral evil.
6. Paul uses the potter and clay image (45:9) in Romans 9:20-21.
7. God says He did not create the earth to be empty but formed it to be inhabited (45:18).
8. Charles Spurgeon was converted in 1850 after hearing a sermon on 45:22.
9. Paul quotes 45:23 in both Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11.
10. The phrase there is no other appears again and again in this chapter (45:5, 6, 14, 18, 21, 22).
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Lord before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess (45:23). Paul applies this verse to Jesus (Philippians 2:10-11). He calls all the ends of the earth to turn to Him and be saved (45:22).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. God called Cyrus by name and used him even though Cyrus did not know Him (45:4). How does God use unlikely people to fulfill His plans?
2. The clay should not argue with the potter (45:9). Why is it hard to trust God when we do not understand His ways?
3. God says, turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth (45:22). How does this verse shape our view of missions?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 7: The Lord forms light and creates darkness; He brings peace and calamity.
- š verse 22: Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.
- š verse 23: Every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Philippians 02#Verse 09.|Philippians 2:9-11]] - Every knee will bow to Jesus.
- š [[Romans 14#Verse 10.|Romans 14:10-12]] - Each will give an account to God.
- š [[Ezra 01#Verse 01.|Ezra 1:1-2]] - The Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus.
- š [[Romans 09#Verse 19.|Romans 9:19-21]] - The potter and the clay.
- š [[Acts 01#Verse 08.|Acts 1:8]] - To the ends of the earth.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Isaiah 45 - SOAP|God Is Not Trying to Hurt You]]
## š Internal Notes