Daily reading

Today’s reading is: Isa. 44:6-48:11

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Isaiah Chapter Forty-Four

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. The Lord declares His glory, and challenges any pretenders to make their case (Isa. 44:6-8).
  2. Having proven that there are no other gods (only false gods), the Lord describes how worthless idolatry truly is (Isa. 44:9-20).
  3. The Lord promises to not forget Israel, He will only forget their sin (Isa. 44:21-23).
  4. As their Redeemer, the Lord promises to frustrate the plans of the fallen angels, and to restore the fortunes of Jerusalem through a most amazing tool (Isa. 44:24-28; cf. 41:2-4; 45:1-13).
    1. Redeemer is a title that has only human application—no angelic redemption is revealed in Scripture.
    2. The maker of all things is the ultimate rebuke upon the fallen angels.  These creatures viewed themselves as equal to the Creator (Isa. 14:14).
    3. The amazing tool He establishes is named as Cyrus (Isa. 44:28; 45:1).
      1. Cyrus the son of Cambyses of Persia, and Mandane of Media, united the Medes & Persians in 550BC.
      2. Cyrus conquered Babylon in October of 539BC (Dan. 5:28; 6:28), and issued a decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem (2nd Chr. 36:22-23).

Isaiah Chapter Forty-Five

  1. Having introduced Cyrus in chapter 44, the Lord goes on to describe the activity of His Gentile tool (Isa. 45:1-7).
    1. He is the Lord’s shepherd (Isa. 44:28).  The only Gentile to have such a title with reference to Israel.
    2. He is the Lord’s anointed (Isa. 45:1).  As a type of Christ, Cyrus is in fact a christ (anointed one).
      1. He destroys Israel’s enemies.
      2. He orders Israel’s return to the promised land.
      3. He provides for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Temple.
      4. In all these things, Cyrus is a perfect picture of Christ in His second advent.
    3. Cyrus was called to this service in conjunction with his own salvation (Isa. 45:3-4).
      1. Daniel was the most likely evangelist to bring Cyrus to Christ (Dan. 6:28; 2nd Chr. 36:22-23).
      2. Josephus records that Cyrus was saved by reading Isaiah 44 & 45 (Ant. XI i 2.).
    4. The Lord’s work through Cyrus will form a unique witness to Himself for all the world to observe (Isa. 45:5-7).
  2. The eschatological conditions of theocratic kingdom blessing are typologically described through Cyrus’ work in restoring Israel to their land (Isa. 45:8-13).
  3. In the eschatological theocratic kingdom of YHWH, the Gentile nations will forsake their idols (false gods) to serve the one true God (Isa. 45:14-17).
  4. The Lord addressed the Gentile nations, and declares His glory, and the emptiness of Satanic rebellion (Isa. 45:18-25).
    1. It is in this context that the Lord reveals specifically that Gen. 1:2 was not the original state of affairs upon the earth.
    2. The world was originally beautiful & perfect, and the angels sung its praise (Job 38:7).
    3. The formless and void condition of the world in darkness was the result of Satan’s angelic rebellion (Isa. 14:17).

Isaiah Chapter Forty-Six

  1. Isaiah prophesies the captivity of the Babylonian gods Bel & Nebo (Isa. 46:1-2).
  2. God promises deliverance to Israel (Isa. 46:3,4), as the one true God (Isa. 46:5-11).
  3. Pending, imminent judgment is a motivation for believers to repent and bear much fruit (Isa. 46:12-13; 1st Pet. 4:7).

Isaiah Chapter Forty-Seven

  1. Chapter 47 is a call for Babylon to sit silently in the dust (Isa. 47:1,5), and go into darkness (Isa. 47:5).
  2. Speaking symbolically, the Lord speaks of Babylon as a shamed maiden (Isa. 47:2-3).
  3. Babylon had seen herself as an eternal queen (Isa. 47:5,7).  Satan’s favorite lie is to promote the Queen of Heaven as a mother to oppose God the Father (Jer. 7:18; 44:17-19).
    1. Historically, Babylon was the center of these sorceries (Isa. 47:8-15).
    2. Ecclesiastically, local churches must be on guard against these Jezebel sorceries (Rev. 2:18-29).
    3. Prophetically, the Whore of Babylon will continue these sorceries (Rev. 17-18).

Isaiah Chapter Forty-Eight

  1. The Lord rebukes Judah for their failure to listen to His previous warnings (Isa. 48:1-11).
    1. Judah was ultimately accountable to live the Word of God that had been entrusted to them.
    2. God made no secret of the national Divine discipline that Judah would be subject to.
    3. God works for His glory, on behalf of His praise.

(Chapter Forty-Eight continues tomorrow)