"God over All" May 22 Readings: Isaiah 45-48

Today's Reading -  Isaiah 45-48

Background

This passage is a watershed in our theology. It is the reason that many do not believe that Isaiah wrote the latter chapters of the book. Isaiah wrote in the 8th Century BC, before the fall of Israel in 722 BC. But here we see the name of Cyrus, the Persian king who decreed, sometime after 538 BC, the return of Israel to Jerusalem.

If you believe in a God who can give an 8th-century prophet accurate predictions of the name of the Persian king who would grant the people the right to leave their captivity and return to the Promised Land, then this passage provides no real problems. If you do not believe in the supernatural nature of Scripture, then you must believe that someone other than Isaiah wrote this after the work of Cyrus and pretended it was the great prophet's words.

Devotional - God over All 

It is a remarkable assertion in the prophecy of Isaiah. Ancient religions all had their gods who were cosmic champions, fighting in the spiritual realm on their behalf. When Egypt faced Assyria in mortal battle, the gods of Egypt also came against the gods of Assyria. The army that won on earth was the army whose gods were the greatest in the heavenlies.

But Isaiah made a stunning assertion. Persia was now the ruler of the world and Israel was a vassal, a devastated nation enslaved and humiliated in Babylonian Captivity. But in his prophecy, Isaiah did not bow to the sovereignty of the gods of Babylon or Persia. Isaiah asserted that the God of Israel was governing the actions of the most powerful man in the world. He didn't have some kind of cosmology in which the gods of other nations were fighting Yahweh for supremacy. No, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the One, True God of all the earth.

Isaiah 45:1 says,

The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and disarm kings,
to open doors before him,
and even city gates will not be shut.

God runs this world - not false gods, not demonic forces, and not powerful men. We may not understand his works and often we may be baffled by what God is doing. But this world is operating according to the plans and purposes of the God of Israel, the one who sent Jesus, his only Son, as our Savior and Lord.

This is an astounding assertion of God's sovereign authority and it is as true for the details of your life as it is for the affairs of great nations. God is working in the circumstances of your life to accomplish his purposes in you and through you in this world.

Father, I acknowledge your sovereign authority and power at work in this world Forgive me for my fear and self-reliance. May I depend on you in all things. 

Think and Pray

Consider circumstances of your life that have you fearful or stressed.
Remember that God is in control and regardless of what it seems, he is at work to accomplish his purposes in you and through you.