ISAIAH 45
Identification of Cyrus verse 1
Thus says the LORD to HIS anointed – to Cyrus
whose right hand I have held
to subdue nation 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
LORD states what HE will do for Cyrus verse 2- 3
I will go before you
and make the crooked places straight
I will break in pieces the gates of brass
and cut in sunder the bars of iron
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and hidden riches of secret places
that you may know that I THE LORD
which call you by your name
am the God of Israel
LORD states reason verse 4- 7
For Jacob MY SERVANT’S sake – and Israel mine elect
I have even called you by your name
I have surnamed you – though you have not known me
I am the LORD – there is none else
there is no God beside ME
I girded you – though you have not know me
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
I form the light – and CREATE darkness
I make peace – and CREATE evil [calamity]
I the LORD do all these things
LORD opens the way verse 8
Drop down – you 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
LORD compares people to clay verse 9- 10
Woe to him that strives with his MAKER!
Let the potsherd strive
with the potsherds of the earth
Shall the clay say to him that fashions it
What make you?
or your work – He has no hands?
Woe to him that says unto his father
What beget you?
Or to the woman
What have you brought forth?
Cyrus to fulfill LORD’S purpose verse 11- 13
Thus says the LORD
the Holy One of Israel and his MAKER
Ask ME of things to come concerning MY sons
and concerning the work of MY hands command you ME
I have MADE the earth – and I CREATED man upon it
I – even MY hands – have stretched out the heavens
and all their host have I commanded
I have raised him up in righteousness – and I will direct all his ways
he shall build MY city – and he shall let go MY captives
not for price nor reward – says the LORD of hosts
Nations will follow the LORD verse 14
Thus says the LORD
The labor of Egypt
and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans
men of stature – shall come over unto you
and they shall be yours
they shall come after you
in chains they shall come over
and they shall fall down unto you
they shall make supplication unto you – saying
Surely God is in you and there is none else
there is no God
Israel in place of honor verse 15- 17
Verily you are a God that hide YOURSELF – O God of Israel
THE SAVIOR
They shall be ashamed – and also confounded – all of them
they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols
BUT Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation
you shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end
LORD can be found by Israel verse 18- 19
For thus says the LORD that CREATED the heavens
God himself that FORMED the earth and MADE it
HE has ESTABLISHED it
HE CREATED it not in vain
HE FORMED it to the inhabited
I am the LORD – and there is none else
I have not spoken in secret – in a dark place of the earth
I said not unto the seed of Jacob
Seek you ME in vain – I the LORD speak righteousness
I declare things that are right
Every nation will acknowledge the LORD verse 20- 25
Assemble yourselves and come – draw near together
you that are escaped of the nations
they have no knowledge that
set up the wood of their graven image
and pray unto a god that cannot save
Tell you – and bring them near – yea
let them take counsel together
Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I the LORD?
and there is no God else beside ME
A just God and a SAVIOR
there is none beside ME
Look to ME – and be you saved – all the ends of the earth
for I am God – and there is none else
I have sworn by MYSELF
the word is gone out of MY mouth in righteousness
and shall not return
That to ME every knee shall bow
every tongue shall swear
Surely – shall one say
in the LORD have I righteousness and strength
even to him shall men come
and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed
In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified
and shall glory
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Anointed – to authorize, or set apart, a person for a particular work or service (Is. 61:1). The anointed person belonged to God in a special sense.
DEVOTION: Amazingly the Lord called Cyrus His anointed. The word “anointed” referred to the relationship Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David, had with God (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:6). Since Israel in exile had no king, Cyrus functioned in a sense as her king (the anointed one) to bring about blessing. Like the Messiah (lit., “the Anointed One”) who would come after him, Cyrus would have a twofold mission: to free the people, and to bring God’s judgment on unbelievers. Besides issuing a decree permitting the captives to return home, Cyrus also avenged God’s wrath on the nations by conquering and judging them accordingly. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1099.
In the NT, Jesus Christ is portrayed as fulfilling the three offices of prophet, priest, and king. He is, supremely, God’s Anointed One. “Messiah” is the term for “anointed one” derived directly from the Hebrew word for anointed; “Christ” is the same title derived from the Greek word for “anointee.” The true anointing of Messiah (Ps. 2:2; Dn. 9:25–26) is spiritual; that is, it is done by the Holy Spirit (Is. 61:1; Lk. 4:1, 18–19). That Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Anointed One (Messiah) of OT prophecy was evidenced in his anointing by the Holy Spirit and by the miracles that followed (Jn. 1:32–51; Lk. 4:33–37). By extension, Christians also are said to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, enabling them to understand their faith and to live godly lives (2 Cor. 1:21–22; 1 Jn. 2:20, 27). Tyndale Bible Dictionary, 64.
This anointing is a special empowerment by the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers today! May we not minimize the power of God’s spirit in our daily lives.
CHALLENGE: The Anointing that is real for us as believers enables us to learn and develop in the spiritual activities that the Lord has for us to accomplish here in this world. Take some time to thank the Lord for anointing us to live and be godly servants while here on earth. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (7451 “evil” [ra’] means disaster, war, bad, disagreement, malignant, calamity, distress, wickedness, or trouble.
DEVOTION: This chapter repeatedly tells us that the LORD is the only TRUE God of the universe. HE created man. HE created the world. HE has a plan that HE is working. HE chose Cyrus before he was born to allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild.
This verse makes a contrast between light and darkness. It makes a second contrast between peace and disaster. The children of Israel were going to have peace and the nations who were their enemies were going to have calamity or judgment.
The LORD promises to protect HIS people even through HIS chasten. They have been given everlasting salvation. Does that mean that all Israel is saved? No! The nation is always going to be blessed of the LORD. They are going through a time of chastening but the end result will be blessing.
The LORD creates or makes tranquility happen in our lives but HE also makes calamity happen in our lives.
We know from other Scripture that calamity helps us depend on HIM more. We know that HE chastens and purges our lives though calamity. Why would HE do this to those who claim to be HIS children? To those who have chosen to follow Christ?
It is always for our good. Why is there calamity in our world? It is because the world needs to know that the LORD is in control. They need to realize that sin brings judgment.
There is a final judgment called the TRIBULATION here on this earth. There is eternal judgment in a place called the lake of fire.
This chapter emphasizes an eternal salvation, which is in Heaven. The LORD uses calamities to warn us of HIS presence. The LORD uses calamities to cause the world to stop and think and realize that they are not in control of their lives. Then they must make a choice.
Most will pick to ignore God. The New Testament informs us that “few” take the road to heaven. The majority will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
Our responsibility is to witness to all those in our world. We might be the one who witnesses to the last one necessary to have the LORD return. Tell others about the LORD today!!
CHALLENGE: God never causes us to sin. HE allows us to sin. We can never blame God for any sin we commit. Don’t blame God for not giving you a way to escape any temptation.
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:16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. (3637 “confounded” [kalam] means to be caused to be ashamed, to harm somebody, to insult, to put to shame, disgrace, to treat shamefully, or to humiliate.)
DEVOTION: There are two groups of people in our world. There are those who truly worship the LORD and there are those who worshiper of idols or things they make idols.
The first group is made up of sinner who are saved by grace and try to follow the LORD during their life. They are the ones who confess their sins and try to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD. They fail at times and have to daily confess to the LORD their shortcomings and the LORD forgives them and blesses them.
There is a second group in this world that are not followers of the LORD. Some of them are religious but not genuine believers in the saving word of Jesus Christ. They even go to church and sometimes even go to churches that preach the gospel correctly but they never make a genuine commitment to the LORD.
Most of those who are not follower of the LORD have other things that they worship more than others. There is money, fame, and many other things that get their attention. However, it is the ones who go to church and still don’t worship the LORD that think they are on their way to heaven but have never genuinely given their hearts to the LORD. Sometimes there are deacons and pastors and other leaders who fall into this group.
Confusion doesn’t just reign in the hearts of those who deny the LORD but even ins some that think that they are not denying the LORD.
CHALLENGE: God wants us to make a genuine commitment to HIM and each DAY worship HIM in spirit and in truth. This takes work on our part. Only we know if we are genuine or not, as far as, other human beings are concerned. God KNOW the heart of every human being.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. (3467 “Savior” [yasha] means saver, saved one, deliverer, rescue, victorious one, liberator, or to set free.)
DEVOTION: Our world needs a deliverer from all the sins that are facing us. It seems like everywhere we look people are getting further and further away from the LORD.
HE gives Isaiah instructions to confront those who are heathen to give HIM an answer to HIS questions. He wants them to come near and talk with HIM about what is happening in their world.
They are to form a group to decide who declared in ancient times what was going to happen in the world. HE wants them to see if they can find anyone or anything that was said by anyone else regarding the future of the world and got it right.
HE states that HE is the only one who could accurately predict the future. HE states that HE is the only God who is genuine. HE also states that there is no god that comes even close to being as accurate as HE has been. HE is a just God. HE is the only deliverer.
Our present world is looking for the anointed one. They are looking in all the wrong places for this individual. They have a lot of false hope for a brighter tomorrow. We have many who promise to fix all of our problems but seem to only create new problems.
The Bible has had the answer for many generations but most of the people are not listening to the right answer. It is easier to listen to the wrong answers.
CHALLENGE: Which answers are we listening to on a daily basis? It is not what people think that is important it is what God says that is important.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Assemble yourselves and come verse 20
Draw near together verse 20
Every knee will bow verse 23
Every tongue confess verse 23
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 5- 8, 11, 13, 14, 17- 19, 21, 24, 25
LORD holds right hand of Cyrus verse 1
I will go before Cyrus verse 2
make the crooked places straight
I will break in pieces the gates of brass verse 3
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and hidden riches of secret places verse 3
I the LORD will call verse 3
God of Israel verse 3, 15
I have called you (Israel) verse 4
I have surnamed (Israel) verse 4
though you have not know ME
I am the LORD and there is NONE else verse 5
No God beside ME
only True God verse 5, 6, 14, 18, 21, 22
I have girded Israel verse 5
None else verse 6
I form the light and create darkness verse 7
I made peace and create evil verse 7
Creator verse 7, 8, 12, 18
I the LORD have created righteousness verse 8
Maker verse 9, 11, 12
made the earth
created man
stretched out the heavens
all the host have I commanded
Holy One of Israel verse 11
I have raised him up in righteousness verse 13
I will direct his ways verse 13
LORD of hosts verse 13
Savior verse 15, 21
Created the heavens verse 18
Formed the earth and made it verse 18
Established the earth verse 18
I am the LORD and there is none else verse 18
I have not spoken in secret verse 19
I the LORD speak righteousness verse 19
I declare things that are right verse 19
Just verse 21
None beside ME verse 22
Sworn by MYSELF verse 23
Word has gone out of MY mouth
in righteousness verse 23
To ME every knee shall bow
And every tongue shall swear verse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Cyrus verse 1
Nations verse 1, 20
Kings verse 1
Created verse 12
Egypt verse 14
Ethiopia (merchandise of) verse 14
Sabeans (men of stature) verse 14
They have no knowledge verse 20
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Woe verse 10
Makers of idols verse 16
No knowledge verse 20
Graven images verse 20
Pray for false god that cannot save verse 20
Incensed against God verse 24
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Anointed verse 1
Servant verse 4
Elect verse 4
Called verse 4
Peace verse 7
Righteousness verse 8, 13, 19, 23, 24
Salvation verse 8
Raised verse 13
Direct all his ways verse 13
Saved verse 17, 22
Everlasting salvation verse 17
Not be ashamed verse 17
Not be confounded verse 17
In the LORD I have righteousness verse 24
Strength verse 24
Justified verse 25
Glory verse 25
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israel verse 3, 4, 15, 17, 25
Jacob MY servant verse 4, 19
seed of Jacob
Surnamed verse 4
thou have not know ME
Seed of Israel verse 25
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Ask of ME things to come verse 11
Everlasting salvation verse 17
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QUOTES regarding passage
45:5–7. Again the uniqueness of God is stressed. The fact that there is no other is stated in verses 5–6, 14, 18, 21–22 (also see 43:11; 44:6; 46:9). In Cyrus’ day the Lord was not universally acknowledged, but eventually He will be (cf. Phil. 2:10–11). People will realize that all that happens-light (life), darkness (death), prosperity, and disaster (not “evil” as in the kjv; cf. Amos 3:6)—comes from God. As the sovereign Lord of the universe He can do everything. (Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1100). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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“I create peace and I create evil.” What does that mean? Extreme high Calvinists insist that God has foreordained everything that takes place on the earth; therefore that man should sin, in order that He might have opportunity to display His redemptive grace. But that is not what is involved here when He says, “I create peace and I create evil.” It is evil in the sense of calamity. In other words, if there is a thunderstorm and great damage is done, God says, “I take full responsibility for it”; if everything is fair and beautiful God says, “This is from Me”; if there is a great earthquake, God is behind that. Whatever it is, “I the Lord create peace, I create evil.” And so we read, “Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6).
God takes the responsibility for everything that occurs, but it is not always that He is working directly Himself, but that He permits others to work. For instance, He permitted Satan to try Job. But the point here is that there are not two great powers in the universe in conflict with each other, both of whom are God, a good God and an evil god; but there is one God, though there is an evil power working against Him. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 264–265). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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7. The foregoing review of the career of Cyrus is summed up in this magnificent statement of the Sole Energizer of history. Light … darkness stand here either as metaphorical, the delightful as contrasted with the threatening aspects of life, or as literal, the ordered sequence of day and night. Either way is true: the Lord is executively behind all life’s experiences and the sustainer of its regularities (Gen. 1:16; 8:22; Jer. 31:35; 33:20). Prosperity … disaster: the older, literal rendering ‘peace … evil’ caused unnecessary difficulties. Can the Lord ‘create evil’? Out of about 640 occurrences of the word ra‘, which range in meaning from a ‘nasty’ taste to full moral evil, there are about 275 cases where it refers to trouble or calamity. Each case must be judged by its context and niv has done so correctly here. Cyrus was ‘bad news’ to the kings he conquered and the cities he overthrew. But Isaiah’s (and the Bible’s) view of divine providence is rigorous—and for that reason full of comfort. Sinful minds want the comfort of a sovereign God but jib at saying with Job (2:10), ‘Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble (ra‘)?’ But when we make it our confession that the God who ‘made all things’ (44:24) does all things (45:7), we find it ‘full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort’. (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, pp. 323–324). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press)
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The general assertions of absolute monotheism in vv.5–6 are underlined by the specific affirmations of v.7. There are three in all, the first related to the universe as such, the second to human society and the third summing up. Genesis seems to imply—if it does not expressly teach—the creation of darkness as well as light by God (Gen 1:1–5). Although it is said in Genesis that the light is good, there is no suggestion that the darkness is evil, for it too has its function (cf. Ps 104:19–24). The words šālôm and rāʿ (rendered “prosperity” and “disaster”) are, literally, “peace” and “evil.” The latter is well interpreted in terms of Amos 3:6. So the God who created darkness that is not itself evil—though it is sometimes used to symbolize it—and who brings disaster as a punishment for sin, is supreme over all. Isaiah has already shown that God brings calamitous judgment on men because of their sins (cf., e.g., 10:5–12). Westermann (in loc.) roundly declares, “If the creator of evil and woe is God, there is no room left for a devil.” But this is to go far beyond what the verse says. It is an attack on polytheistic dualism, in which there is at least division of labor and often conflict among the deities. It probably does not confront Zoroastrian dualism directly, for there is no clear evidence that Cyrus shared this belief with some of his successors. (Grogan, G. W. (1986). Isaiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 271). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Ver. 7. I form the light, and create darkness, &c.] Natural light, or that light which was produced at the first creation, and of which the sun is the fountain and source; or day which is light, and night which is darkness, the constant revolutions of which were formed, appointed, and are continued by the Lord, Gen. 1:3, 4, 5 and 8:22 moral light, or the light of nature, the rational understanding in man; spiritual light, or the light of grace, by which things spiritual and supernatural are known; the light of joy and comfort from Christ, the sun of righteousness; and the light of eternal glory and happiness: this is all from God, of his producing and giving; and so darkness is his creature; that natural darkness which was upon the face of the earth at the beginning; what arises from the absence of the sun, or is occasioned by the eclipses of it, or very black clouds; or any extraordinary darkness, such as was in Egypt; or deprivation of sight, blindness in men; and, in a figurative sense, ignorance and darkness that follow upon sin; judicial blindness, God gives men up and leaves them to; tempora afflictions and distresses, and everlasting punishment, which is blackness of darkness: I make peace, and create evil; peace between God and men is made by Christ, who is God over all; spiritual peace of conscience comes from God, through Christ, by the Spirit; eternal glory and happiness is of God, which saints enter into at death; peace among the saints themselves here, and with the men of the world; peace in churches, and in the world, God is the author of, even of all prosperity of every kind, which this word includes: evil is also from him; not the evil of sin; this is not to be found among the creatures God made; this is of men, though suffered by the Lord, and overruled by him for good: but the evil of punishment for sin, God’s sore judgments, famine, pestilence, evil beasts, and the sword, or war, which latter may more especially be intended, as it is opposed to peace; this usually is the effect of sin; may be sometimes lawfully engaged in; whether on a good or bad foundation is permitted by God; moreover, all afflictions, adversities, and calamities, come under this name, and are of God; see Job 2:10; Amos 3:6: I the Lord do all these things; and therefore must be the true God, and the one and only one. Kimchi, from Saadiah Gaon, observes, that this is said against those that assert two gods, the one good, and the other evil; whereas the Lord is the Maker of good and evil, and therefore must be above all; and it is worthy of observation, that the Persian Magi, before Zoroastres, held two first causes, the one light, or the good god, the author of all good; and the other darkness, or the evil god, the author of all evil; the one they called Oromazes, the other Arimanius; and, as Dr. Prideauxn observes, “these words are directed to Cyrus king of Persia, and must be understood as spoken in reference to the Persian sect of the Magians; who then held light and darkness, or good and evil, to be the supreme Beings, without acknowledging the great God as superior to both;” and which these words shew; for Zoroastres, who reformed them in this first principle of their religion, was after Isaiah’s time. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 262). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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7. I form the light, and create darkness. Light, in the Bible, is the emblem of knowledge, innocence, pure religion, and of prosperity in general; and darkness is the emblem of the opposite. Light here seems to be the emblem of peace and prosperity, and darkness the emblem of adversity; and the sentiment of the verse is, that all things prosperous and adverse are under the providential control and direction of God. Of light, it is literally true that God made it; and emblematically truer that he is the source of knowledge, prosperity, happiness, and pure religion. Of darkness, it is literally true also that the night is formed by him; that he withdraws the light of the sun, and leaves the earth enveloped in gloomy shades. It is emblematically true also that calamity, ignorance, disappointment, and want of success are ordered by him; and not less true that all the moral darkness, or evil, that prevails on earth, is under the direction and ordering of his Providence. There is no reason to think, however, that the words ‘darkness’ and ‘evil’ are to be understood as referring to moral darkness; that is, sin. A strict regard should be had to the connection in the interpretation of such passages; and the connection here does not demand such an interpretation. The main subject is, the prosperity which would attend the arms of Cyrus, the consequent reverses and calamities of the nations whom he would subdue, and the proof thence furnished that Jehovah was the true God; and the passage should be limited in the interpretation to this design. The statement is, that all this was under his direction. It was not the work of chance or hap-hazard. It was not accomplished or caused by idols. It was not originated by any inferior or subordinate cause. It was to be traced entirely to God. The successes of arms, and the blessings of peace were to be traced to him; and the reverses of arms, and the calamities of war to him also. This is all that the connection of the passage demands; and this is in accordance with the interpretation of Kimchi, Jerome, Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Calvin, and Grotius. The comment of Grotius is, ‘Giving safety to the people, as the Persians; sending calamities upon the people, as upon the Medes and Babylonians.’ Lowth, Jerome, Vitringa, Jahn, and some others, suppose that there is reference here to the prevalent doctrine among the Persians, and the followers of the Magian religion in general, which prevailed all over the East, and in which Cyrus was probably educated, that there are two supreme, independent, co-existent and eternal causes always acting in opposition to each other—the one the author of all good, and the other of all evil; and that these principles or causes are constantly struggling with each other. The good being or principle, they call light; and the evil, darkness; the one, Oromasden, and the other Ahrimanen. It was further the doctrine of the Magians that when the good principle had the ascendency, happiness prevailed; and when the evil principle prevailed, misery abounded. Lowth supposes, that God here means to assert his complete and absolute superiority over all other things or principles; and that all those powers whom the Persians supposed to be the original authors of good and evil to mankind were subordinate, and must be subject to him; and that there is no power that is not subservient to him, and under his control. That these opinions prevailed in very early times, and perhaps as early as Isaiah, there seems no good reason to doubt (Hyde, de Relig. Veter. Persar, xxii) But there is no good evidence that Isaiah here referred to those opinions. Good and evil, prosperity and adversity, abound in the world at all times; and all that is required in order to a correct understanding of this passage is the general statement that all these things are under providential direction.
I make peace. I hush the contending passions of men; I dispose to peace, and prevent wars when I choose—a passage which proves that the most violent passions are under his control. No passions are more uncontrollable than those which lead to wars; and nowhere is there a more striking display of the Omnipotence of God than in his power to repress the pride, ambition, and spirit of revenge of conquerors and kings:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the people. Ps. 65:7.
And create evil. The parallelism here shows that this is not to be understood in the sense of all evil, but of that which is the opposite of peace and prosperity. That is, God directs judgments, disappointments, trials, and calamities; he has power to suffer the mad passions of men to rage, and to afflict nations with war; he presides over adverse as well as prosperous events. The passage does not prove that God is the author of moral evil, or sin, and such a sentiment is abhorrent to the general strain of the Bible, and to all just views of the character of a holy God. (Barnes, A. (1851). Notes on the Old Testament: Isaiah (Vol. 2, pp. 149–150). London: Blackie & Son.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground, and we must be on our guard at all times.”;— from The Bumps Are What You Climb On. Warren Wiersbe
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Exodus 10
Pharaoh’s will hardens.
INSIGHT
God does not compromise. Moses asks Pharaoh to let the nation of Israel go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh refuses but says the men can go. But those are not God’s instructions.
Pharaoh pays the price. But, while God does not compromise, He does forgive. With the hand of judgment on him, Pharaoh begs God for forgiveness. God withdraws the judgment. Have you compromised in your walk with God? He will not accept it. But He will forgive and restore you if you ask Him. (Quiet Walk)
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OUR SECURITY IN GOD
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28
There is nothing uncertain about my acceptance with God, nor about my forgiveness, nor about my sonship. When I realize that I have been brought into God’s plan, I know that nothing can frustrate this.
Now there are many people who talk about the Protestant Reformation and the influence it had upon the world. You find that certain statesmen do this. They say you cannot explain the history of England apart from the Protestant Reformation. Neither, they say, can you explain the United States of America apart from these things, because they all had their origin in that Reformation. But how little do these people really see what it all means and what it really represents, which is that these great truths are absolute and certain. Do you know why the Pilgrim Fathers made that attempt and succeeded in crossing the Atlantic? What was it that enabled men to do things like that and to do things that were even more hazardous? It was that they believed in what is called “the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints”; it was because they had seen themselves in the plan of God that cannot be broken and that cannot fail. It is as absolute as God Himself; He knows the end as well as the beginning. “Neither shall any man, “ said Christ, “pluck them out of my hand.” It is unthinkable.
If God has done all this for us in Christ, and especially in His death, we can be certain that He will carry on with the work until it is completed. That is Paul’s argument: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). God, who is sufficiently concerned about me to send His Son to die on the cross of Calvary for me, is not going to let me down when any difficulty or temptation faces me.
A Thought to Ponder: God is not going to let me down when any difficulty or temptation faces me. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 63-64, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Adding to God’s Word
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18)
This very sober warning right at the end of the Bible was given by Christ Himself (note verse 20) to indicate that the written Scriptures were now complete, and it would be a serious sin for some pseudo-prophet to come along presenting some alleged new revelation from God. That this warning applies to the entire Bible, not just to the book of Revelation, should be obvious but is made especially clear when it is remembered that Jesus promised His chosen disciples that the Holy Spirit “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,” and furthermore, that “he will guide you into all truth: . . . and he will shew you things to come” (John 14:26; 16:13).
This special revelation to the “apostles and prophets” of the New Testament would constitute the “foundation” of the church, and would be complete when the last of these “holy apostles and prophets” were gone. (Study carefully Ephesians 2:19–3:11.) When John completed the Apocalypse, he was very old; all the other apostles and prophets of the New Testament had already died (all by martyrdom), so God’s written Word was now complete. No new revelation would be needed before Christ returns. We shall do well if we just learn what we already have received from His holy apostles and prophets.
Note also the emphasis on “the words,” not just the concepts. God was able to say what He meant, and we are wise if we take His words literally. Jesus warned about “false prophets” who would come after He left (Matthew 24:24), and there have been many of these through the centuries. The Bible as we now have it is sufficient for every need. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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A couple of years ago, Jeremiah Johnson and his wife binge- watched the HBO series “The Man in the High Castle.” The series is set in a world where Nazi Germany and Japan won World War II and now occupy the United States.
It’s a world where euthanasia is mandatory, and the ashes of victims fall on passersby. In other words, it’s a world without Christianity, not to mention Judaism.
After watching the series, Johnston’s wife told him that he needed to write about what they had just watched. He did, and the result is his outstanding book, “Unimaginable: What the World Would Be Like Without Christianity.”
But Johnston’s book is not about a fictional world like the “The Man in the High Castle.” His book is straight out of history, about the real world that Christianity replaced—a pagan world that is showing signs of a comeback in this post-Christian age.
Johnston introduces us to the world in which Christianity was born, and eventually transformed. He tells the story of Hilarion, an otherwise-unremarkable Roman citizen who had traveled to Egypt. He writes to his pregnant wife that he may not make it home in time for the birth. So he wishes her “good luck” and then tells her what to do when the child is born: “If it is a boy, keep it; if it is a girl, throw it out.”
As I said, there was nothing remarkable about Hilarion or his attitude towards his soon-to-be-born child. As Johnston tells us, “…in the first-century Roman world . . . killing an unwanted child was no big deal.” He quotes the philosopher Seneca, who wrote: “Unnatural progeny we destroy; we drown even children who at birth are weak or abnormal.”
Into this world came Christianity, whose teaching and practice was 180 degrees from that of the surrounding societies. The early second century Christian document known as “the “Didache” told Christians “Do not murder a child by abortion, nor kill it at birth.” The Epistle of Barnabas, which dates from a few decades later, similarly said “Do not murder a child by abortion, nor, again, destroy that which is born.”
Believe it or not, infanticide is just one example of the cruelty and callousness that characterized the ancient world. Anyone who wasn’t a nobleman—emphasis on the “man”—was a potential, and often actual, victim of this same kind of cruelty: infants, women, slaves, and the poor to name but a few.
Against this backdrop, Paul’s declaration that “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” had the potential to turn the world upside down.
And that’s exactly what it did. It took time, and there were fits and starts, but Christianity made the world we now take for granted, possible.
As Johnston tells readers, the West’s rejection of Christianity threatens to undo this world. For those who scoff at such an idea, he lays out the recent historical record, which isn’t pretty. Evils such as scientific racism, which posits that some groups are inherently inferior to others, eugenics, and its ultimate expression, the Third Reich, all have their origins in worldviews that rejected Christianity.
He reminds us that these literally godless worldviews have left a body count in the hundreds of millions: the Holocaust, Stalin’s victims, the killing fields of Cambodia, and the estimated seventy million Chinese who died under Mao.
Given this historical record, it is unimaginable that we should want to revert to a world prior to Christianity. Or at last it should be unimaginable. That’s why I can’t recommend the book “Unimaginable” highly enough. It’s a book that every Christian interested in worldview, and, especially those who aren’t, should have in their library. And this month, it’s our gift to those who make a donation to BreakPoint and the Colson Center. Just come to BreakPoint.org.
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