Day 8 — Isaiah 44:24-45:13 The LORD Names Cyrus
Opening prayer
Sovereign Lord, please enlarge my vision of your rule today. Help me not to limit you to my expectations, but to trust your wisdom, power, and surprising grace. Amen.
Headline
The Lord names Cyrus before he is born, showing that he alone rules history and can use even unlikely people to fulfil his saving purposes.
Isaiah 44:24-45:13
24 “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 fulfills 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.”’
45 “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 armor,
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 honor,
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.
8 “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’
11 “This is what the Lord says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?
12 It is I who made the earth
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.
13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Comment
Yesterday Isaiah exposed the absurdity of idolatry. A person cuts down a tree, burns some of it for warmth, bakes bread over some of it, and then worships what is left as a god. It is tragic and ridiculous.
But today comes a surprise. After such a strong attack on idolatry, God announces that he will use an idolater. His name is Cyrus.
Cyrus was the Persian king who conquered Babylon in 539BC and later allowed the Jewish exiles to return home and rebuild Jerusalem. But Isaiah names him long before those events happen: “who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please’” (44:28).
That is astonishing.
God not only rules history. He announces history before it happens. This is one of the great contrasts between the LORD and idols. Idols cannot speak, save, act, or predict. But the LORD “foils the signs of false prophets” and “carries out the words of his servants” (44:25–26). He is not guessing the future. He governs it.
And what will Cyrus do? He will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid” (44:28). In other words, God will use a pagan king to bring his people home from exile.
The surprise becomes even greater in chapter 45, where God calls Cyrus his “anointed” (45:1). That word was normally used for Israel’s kings and priests. So we can imagine some of the exiles asking, “Has God forgotten David? Has he abandoned his promises? Is Cyrus now the Messiah?”
No.
Cyrus is not the promised Son of David. He is not the suffering Servant. He is not the final Saviour. He is a temporary instrument in God’s hand, used for a particular purpose: to defeat Babylon, release the exiles, and rebuild Jerusalem.
That should humble us. God is not limited to the people we expect, the methods we approve, or the timelines we understand. He can use an emperor, an unbeliever, a political decree, or a global crisis to accomplish his purposes. He can work through the most unlikely people.
But this should also comfort us. God’s people in Babylon may have felt powerless. Their city was ruined. Their temple was destroyed. Their future seemed closed. Yet the LORD was already at work, even in places they could not see, preparing a deliverer whose name they already knew because God had spoken it.
That does not mean Cyrus deserves ultimate honour. Again and again God makes clear that the purpose is his own glory: “so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me” (45:6). Cyrus himself may not acknowledge the LORD (45:4), but his mission will show that the LORD alone is God.
This is why the challenge in verses 9–13 is so important. Who are we to quarrel with our Maker? The clay does not instruct the potter. The child does not lecture the parent about giving birth. God’s ways may surprise us, but they are never foolish, unjust, or out of control.
And, of course, Cyrus points beyond himself. He can release Israel from physical exile, but he cannot solve the deeper exile of sin. For that, we need the true Anointed One, Jesus Christ. Cyrus opens the road back to Jerusalem. Jesus opens the way back to God.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Because I can easily shrink God down to my expectations. I can assume he must work through the people, plans, and possibilities I can already see. But Isaiah tells me that the LORD is sovereign, surprising, and faithful. He rules history, keeps his promises, and can use even unlikely instruments to bless his people. So I do not need to panic when God’s ways puzzle me. I need to trust the Maker, rejoice in his grace, and look to Jesus, the true Saviour who brings me home.
Reflect
- Where am I tempted to limit God to the people, plans, or possibilities I can already see?
- How does God’s naming of Cyrus strengthen my confidence in his sovereignty over history?
- Why is it important to see that Cyrus can bring Israel home, but only Jesus can bring us back to God?
Closing prayer
Sovereign Lord, you are the Maker of all things and the ruler of history. Forgive me for questioning your ways or limiting you to my expectations. Thank you that you keep your promises and work through surprising means. Above all, thank you for Jesus, the true Anointed One, who brings me home to you. Amen.
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