(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Isaiah 45:1-25)
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right hand,
To subdue nations before him
And to undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have not known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no one else;
There is no God except Me.
I will arm you, though you have not known Me,
6 So that people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
7 The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.
8 “Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”
11 This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12 It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ordained all their lights.
13 I have stirred him in righteousness,
And I will make all his ways smooth.
He will build My city and let My exiles go free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains
And will bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘God certainly is with you, and there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,
God of Israel, Savior!
16 They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.
18 For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited):
“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
In some dark land;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
Declaring things that are right.
20 “Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge,
Who carry around their wooden idol
And pray to a god who cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be justified and will boast.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Whom I have taken by the right hand,
To subdue nations before him
And to undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have not known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no one else;
There is no God except Me.
I will arm you, though you have not known Me,
6 So that people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
7 The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.
8 “Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”
11 This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12 It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ordained all their lights.
13 I have stirred him in righteousness,
And I will make all his ways smooth.
He will build My city and let My exiles go free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains
And will bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘God certainly is with you, and there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,
God of Israel, Savior!
16 They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.
18 For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited):
“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
In some dark land;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
Declaring things that are right.
20 “Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge,
Who carry around their wooden idol
And pray to a god who cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be justified and will boast.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I love verse 11 - where God tells us that we can ask Him questions! Anyone in authority, who truly cares and is knowledgeable, is not afraid to be asked questions, because they will know the answers. When we sincerely ask the Lord to show Himself to us and show us truth, He will answer this prayer!!! And in verse 22 - God has not just chosen the nation of Israel, He calls everyone from every nation! There is only one God, and He created all of us with a purpose to live with Him in righteousness!
The Lord created all things, with a desire that it be perfect, but mankind disobeyed and brought sin into the world and so now we live in a fallen state and a broken world. Therefore, God ALLOWS natural disasters and consequences to become our tests, trials and temptations. He also blesses people and allows good to happen in people's lives, even when they don't deserve it. We might not understand why God allows things to happen or not happen, but we can know that He is sovereign, fair and just.
God is also love, and He cares! He wants everyone to know Him personally as their heavenly Father, but it is our decision to make. No one is without excuse. We can find evidence of this by just listening to our conscience or looking at nature! (Romans 1:18-20) And in this passage, verses 8 uses creation as an allegory to describe salvation. When we become a child of God, He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us in His righteousness and strength. And as we firmly plant ourselves in His word and live in His will, we will grow, mature and bear fruit, which demonstrates His righteousness and strength.
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