45:3 I will give you the
treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other...
Is God speaking to Cyrus? It
certainly appears that way but did Cyrus ever read this? Did Daniel or his
friends or anyone else in the know ever send it to him or make him aware that a
Jewish prophecy penned over 150 years before his birth named him and predicted
his conquest of Babylon? We aren't sure and likely will never know on this side
of heaven but it's interesting to think about.
However as interesting as it
might be and as prone to speculation as we tend to be, it is not the point of
this passage. This message wasn't aimed at Cyrus. It was written to the Jews.
It was written to stretch their minds, challenge their prejudices, and take
them out of their carefully walled box. God was not local and national. He
didn't belong to the Jews. His power, influence, and care did not begin and end
at their borders. This should not have been news to them. He saved Rahab and
her family from Jericho and she became an ancestor of Jesus. He pulled Ruth
from Moab. Balaam the prophet was not a Jew. There was no nation prior to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet God was present and active. God created the
whole world, not just Israel.
While we're on the topic of
Israel what does it mean again? It means the overcomers? Where did the name
come from? God gave it to Jacob on the night Jacob gave up on himself and
refused to let go of God. Isn't that what Ruth did? Didn't she insist on
staying with Naomi? Didn't she say "your God will be my God"? And
while we're at it didn't Rahab also become an Israelite when she confessed and
professed to the spies the greatness and God and asked that He extend His care
and protection to her family?
Overcomers. Israelites. People
who give up on themselves and whatever ideas, gods, situations, and
circumstances they have been holding onto and place themselves fully in the
hands of the Unseen One.
The message in Isaiah 45 is for
them. It's for us. It's for all who believe He can do the impossible.
"I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that
there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other..."
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