God’s Guiding Word: Hope
Introduction
Isaiah 45:1–13: Today’s reading picks up the theme from Isaiah 44:28 in yesterday’s reading. Cyrus, the Persian ruler, is chosen by God to pave the way for the exiled Israelites to return home.
Today’s Key Verse: Isaiah 45:5
[To Cyrus the LORD says:] “I am the LORD; there is no other god. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me.”
Reading
45 The LORD has chosen Cyrus to be king.
He has appointed him to conquer nations;
he sends him to strip kings of their power;
the LORD will open the gates of cities for him.
To Cyrus the LORD says,
2 “I myself will prepare your way,
leveling mountains and hills.
I will break down bronze gates
and smash their iron bars.
3 I will give you treasures from dark, secret places;
then you will know that I am the LORD
and that the God of Israel has called you by name.
4 I appoint you to help my servant Israel,
the people that I have chosen.
I have given you great honor,
although you do not know me.
5 “I am the LORD; there is no other god.
I will give you the strength you need,
although you do not know me.
6 I do this so that everyone
from one end of the world to the other
may know that I am the LORD
and that there is no other god.
7 I create both light and darkness;
I bring both blessing and disaster.
I, the LORD, do all these things.
8 I will send victory from the sky like rain;
the earth will open to receive it
and will blossom with freedom and justice.
I, the LORD, will make this happen.”
9 Does a clay pot dare argue with its maker,
a pot that is like all the others?
Does the clay ask the potter what he is doing?
Does the pot complain that its maker has no skill?
10 Do we dare say to our parents,
“Why did you make me like this?”
11 The LORD, the holy God of Israel,
the one who shapes the future, says:
“You have no right to question me about my children
or to tell me what I ought to do!
12 I am the one who made the earth
and created human beings to live there.
By my power I stretched out the heavens;
I control the sun, the moon, and the stars.
13 I myself have stirred Cyrus to action
to fulfill my purpose and put things right.
I will straighten out every road that he travels.
He will rebuild my city, Jerusalem,
and set my captive people free.
No one has hired him or bribed him to do this.”
The LORD Almighty has spoken.
Reflect
According to verse 1, Cyrus has been chosen by God to be king. The word translated here as “chosen” is the Hebrew word for messiah or anointed one. Cyrus is the only non-Israelite in the Bible to be called the LORD’s chosen messiah, a title usually given only to certain Israelite leaders. According to verses 2–5, what is Cyrus appointed to do and what does God promise him? According to verse 13, what has God empowered Cyrus to do? What does today’s reading teach you about God?
Pray
Sovereign God, you are LORD; there is no other god. You alone are holy, and I praise your greatness. Strengthen me day by day as I journey in faith and grow in knowledge of you. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Isaiah 48:1–22: God’s predictions for Israel are described.