Isaiah 45
I. (1-39) Condemnation
A. Chapters 1-12 - Prophecies against Israel and Judah
B. Chapters 13-23 - Prophecies against the Nations
C. Chapters 24-27 - Prophecies of the Day of the Lord
D. Chapters 28-35 - Prophecies of Judgment and Blessing
E. Chapters 36-39 - Historical accounts
II. (40-66) Consolation
A. Chapters 40-48 - Israel’s God
1. \\#40:1-31\\ Be comforted by meeting your God
2. \\#41:1-29\\ Be Comforted by Meeting Your Protector
3. \\#42:1-25\\ Be Comforted by Meeting the Servant
4. \\#43:1-28\\ Be Comforted by Knowing Your God’s Desire
5. \\#44:1-47:15\\ Be Comforted by Knowing A Real God - Chapter 45
continues to prove who the real God is.
I. \\#44:1-46:13\\ Be Comforted by Knowing A Real God
A. \\#44:1-8\\ Future Promise of a great Israel
B. \\#44:9-20\\ The weakness of false gods
C. \\#44:21-45:4\\ A challenge to Israel
1. \\#44:27-45:3\\ God describes, in detail, His works.
a. What He has done
b. What He is doing
c. \\#44:27-45:3\\ What He will do
(1) \\#44:27\\ God promises to dry up rivers
(2) \\#44:28\\ God promises to raise up Cyrus - God plainly
promises that Cyrus will rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem.
(3) \\#45:1-2\\ God promises to help Cyrus subdue nations.
(a) "lose the loins of kings" - Make them afraid.
(b) "two leaved gates" - It is not clear whether God
has the gate of a particular city in mind or is
speaking in general of any gate, since hinged
gates were common.
(c) God will go ahead of Cyrus, making the way easier
for Him.
(4) \\#45:3\\ And God will reward Cyrus for he is
accomplishing God’s desire.
2. \\#45:3-4\\ Then God explains His reasons.
a. \\#3\\ "that thou mayest know that I… am the God of Israel"
God has given such power to Cyrus and such detail in prophecy
to prove to Israel that He alone is the real God.
b. \\#4\\ God is talking to Israel (not Cyrus) in this verse.
(1) He has done this "for Jacob… sake."
(2) God again reminds Israel that He has called them by name
to be His.
D. \\#45:5-19\\ A Conversation with Israel
1. \\#5-10\\ "Do not resist Me."
a. \\#5-8\\ God’s declaration
(1) \\#5\\ He is God.
(2) There is none like Him.
(3) There is none beside Him.
(4) He has girded (cared for) Israel even though they have
not acknowledged Him.
(5) \\#6\\ God desires this message be known from the east
to the west.
(6) \\#7-8\\ God creates all things:
(a) \\#7\\ light
(b) darkness
(c) peace - good things
(d) evil - Not that God created sin or the devil as he
is, but God has created justice and judgment which
can seem evil to men.
(e) \\#8\\ righteousness - God’s desire is that
righteousness be as abundant as the rain that
pours from the skies.
b. \\#9-10\\ God’s exhortation - Don’t resist Me.
(1) \\#9\\ Woe (judgment) will come to those who strive
against their Maker.
(2) Doing so is no more sensible than for the clay to strive
against the potter.
(3) \\#10\\ Or for a child to question why he is so.
2. \\#11-19\\ "Let Me prove to you who I am."
a. \\#11\\ "the Holy One of Israel and his Maker" - The use of
the pronoun HIS relates back to Israel, so it makes sense
that God is speaking to Israel in this section.
b. \\#11\\ "Ask me of things" - God has been giving prophecy
of future events to prove that He is the real God. Now He
offers to ask whatever Israel wants to ask.
c. \\#12-17\\ God continues to re-teach Israel who He is, both
by describing what He has done and what He will do.
(1) \\#12\\ He is the Creator of earth, mankind, and the
heavens. After reading chapters 39 to this point, one
would either have to say that God is the Creator or,
by His own Word, He is not God at all.
(2) \\#13\\ He is the Establisher of someone called HIM.
(a) The context of the last few words would argue that
God is talking about Israel \\#5-12\\, but the
verse itself seems better suited to be about
Cyrus \\#1-4\\. This would then move us into the
future again.
(b) God has raised Cyrus to do a righteous work (i.e.
set Israel free).
(c) God will direct Cyrus’ ways.
(d) Cyrus, under God’s direction, will help rebuild
Jerusalem.
(e) Cyrus will not do these things for profit but
because God will put it into His heart.
(3) \\#14\\ He is the Exalter of Israel.
This verse seems to look even further into the future
to see a time when Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sabeans (a
region of Ethiopia) will come to Israel as they
recognize that God has manifested Himself through
Israel. \\#Is 43:3\\ This verse appears to be endtime.
(4) \\#15\\ He is the God that hides Himself. As great and
as good as God is, He is also a Mystery. God has hid
Himself from Israel for thousands of years and every
believer knows the frustration of seeking God but not
feeling as though He is there. God offers no
explanation for this statement. He just makes it.
(5) \\#16\\ He is the God who will execute judgment upon
the world.
(a) This is definitely endtime.
(b) All those who have sought after other gods will be
left ashamed and confused.
(6) \\#17\\ He is the God who will save Israel. This will
happen the last half the tribulation.
d. \\#18-19\\ God makes prophecies because He is the One and
only true God.
(1) "I have not spoken in secret" - And God is not bashful,
but has boldly laid claim to that title and put His
prophecies out where everyone can see them.
(2) "I the Lord speak righteousness …right." - God declares
the things that are true.
E. \\#45:20-25\\ A Conversation with the World - Those who survive the
tribulation.
1. \\#20-21\\ "Assemble yourselves…Tell ye" - God tells these
people to gather and explain.
a. \\#20\\ He is talking to those "that are escaped of the
nations."
(1) The previous verses have moved us into the post-
tribulation period. These have survived the
tribulation.
(2) However, these survivors once worshipped a "graven
image." Some of the unsaved will also survive the
tribulation.
b. \\#21\\ The called-for explanation relates to how they could
have been so wrong.
(1) God has told us all since "ancient time" who He is and
what was going to happen.
(2) The unwritten question is, "Why didn’t you believe Me?"
2. \\#22-23\\ God tells these people that they should be saved.
a. \\#22\\ Everyone should look to Jehovah. He is the One and
only true God.
b. \\#23\\ God has sworn by His own self, meaning it will
surely happen.
c. \\#23\\ Every knee will bow before Him and confess that He
is God. They may do it while on this earth and be saved or
they will do it once departed and be damned.
3. \\#24-25\\ God tells these people that He can be their strength
or their destruction.
a. \\#24\\ God gives righteousness and strength to those who
will come to Him.
b. \\#25\\ God will justify and glorify Israel.
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