44:24 Moving into this astonishing section, Isaiah is careful to underline that what is to occur is because of the word of God; the prophet seeks further to remind his readers of who that God is and of his relationship to his people. He is the Redeemer, the savior and champion of his people who personally formed them even before their birth. But not only has he made Israel; he has made everything, stretching out the vault of heaven and the wide earth. These verbs are participles, expressing continuing activity and involvement.

44:25 These truths about Yahweh mean that other so-called sources of revelation are necessarily counterfeit; their purported wisdom is false and misleading. Liars and particularly “diviners” (Hb. qosemim) are those who pretend to predict the future but cannot (like Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men in Daniel 2). The wise here are not always wrong; Isaiah’s point is that when they seek to apply human reason to give meaning to the course of history, they are exposed as using totally inadequate criteria.

44:26 By contrast the prophetic word from God is true and reliable. Here his word is not simply a general prediction of the future but specifically a promise of return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah. God indeed will judge Judah, with both city and temple destroyed and the people deported—but that is not the last word.

44:27 The “deep” is probably another reference to the exodus story, specifically the crossing of the Red Sea and later of the Jordan. This also likely is creation language that echoes how the Spirit of God hovered over the great deep as life was made. The Creator is sovereign over his creation; when he chooses, he can dry up seas and rivers and make a way through them.

44:28 Now the conqueror referenced in Isaiah 41:2–3, 25 is named specifically as Cyrus, who will be God’s agent in bringing about these things. The Davidic imagery of “shepherd” (2 Sam. 5:2; Ps. 78:72) is used of him because his activity will pave the way for the true Davidic king eventually to come. The reference to the temple is particularly significant. Malachi will later declare, “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (Mal. 3:1). For this to transpire there must be a temple in which he may dwell, which is the major emphasis of the prophet Haggai.

45:1–2 Again this section begins with a reminder that this is the word of the Lord; the need for such a reminder is not surprising, for if the title “shepherd” applied to Cyrus shocked Isaiah’s audience, how much more would his being called the Lord’s “anointed” (“messiah”), a title used of priests, prophets, and kings of Israel? However, we must not overstate the sense of shock. Saul is frequently called the Lord’s anointed when he is behaving in a godless manner, while even Jehu of Israel and Hazael of Syria are anointed by a prophet (1 Kings 19:15). The Lord is carrying out his purpose, and Cyrus is his appointed agent at this time.

The conquests of Cyrus are to be swift and comprehensive,94 emphasized via vocabulary that shows how God is the one who grants him victory. To “grasp” the “right hand” refers to choosing or protecting (Ps. 73:23). To “loose the belts of kings” suggests weapon belts hanging limply and uselessly as opponents are disarmed. Cities such as Babylon will fall to Cyrus, and their defenses will crumble. All barriers, both natural and artificial, will fall before him, but the real power is Yahweh, who will remove all that stands in Cyrus’s way.

45:3 The “treasures of darkness” refer to that which is hidden. This again is a condemnation of pagan gods, who neither know the future nor understand the past. This may also be an echo of Deuteronomy 29:29, which declares that the secret things belong to Yahweh. The second half of the verse states not that Cyrus will come to a knowledge of the Lord but that the divine purpose will be evident in his career for all who have eyes to see.

45:4–5 The specific raising up of Cyrus is for the sake of Jacob/Israel, who are chosen by Yahweh and called to be his servant. God is Lord of history and chooses whom he will to carry out his purpose, whether or not they know it. The unexpected rise of Cyrus is simply a particular example of God’s absolute sovereignty, and thus it is irrelevant as to whether Cyrus knows him beforehand or later. There is only one primary Cause, whatever secondary causes may exist.

45:6 Ultimately, God will use Cyrus so that the whole world might know that he is the one and only God. This is not because Yahweh is proud but because salvation can be found in no one but him (Isa. 45:22). This is the great truth behind all the condemnation of idolatry in previous sections and the insistence on God’s uniqueness demonstrated through his self-revelation. All this comes to fulfillment in Christ and the apostolic insistence that he is the only way to God and the only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

45:7 “Light” and “darkness” could be the natural rhythms of day and night, standing for the whole course of life, or could refer respectively to times of joy and sorrow. It is likely that both shades of meaning are found here. The latter meaning is spelled out clearly in “well-being” and “calamity.” The exile is probably the immediate calamity and well-being the rescue from it, but the prophet also refers more widely to all of the circumstances of life.

At heart this verse is an exposure of the dualism at the heart of merely human thinking and religion. Paganism is essentially dualistic, as shown in the belief in benevolent and malevolent gods who cause all the good and evil in the world. If the world or a community or an individual is going through bad times, an evil god or gods has thwarted the purposes of a good god or gods. But the Bible will have none of this: all that happens in this world is the result of his will, as seen in the life of Joseph, for example, in which the Lord ordained the good and bad in Joseph’s life in order to carry out his purposes. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,” reflected Joseph (Gen. 50:20). This did not mean that the brothers’ intentions were ever anything but malevolent, but nevertheless God’s good purposes stood above them. (Paul is probably echoing this idea in Romans 8:28 and applying it to all the circumstances of life.) God is totally supreme, and there is no equal, or even a rival, to him. Satan is not an equal power to God; rather, he operates only under God’s permission. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “As the leader or dictator of devils, [Satan] is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael.”95 As Creator, God is ultimately responsible for everything in nature and everything in history; this is a tremendous bulwark to faith.

45:8 These truths about God are ultimately not simply great theology but must lead to doxology—which is always the goal of biblical doctrine. Here both the created order and salvation history are called on to praise Yahweh and join in his purposes. “Heavens” and “earth” again express totality and point to the new creation but also to the foretaste of that blessing in life-giving rain and deeds of righteousness on earth. What God has created must praise him; this language is to be used again at the end of this major section (Isa. 55:12–13).

45:9 In spite of these marvelous truths about Yahweh as Creator and Lord of history, many would still think that God had no right to use such an instrument as Cyrus. After all, at the exodus it was Moses himself who had been God’s chosen leader. Such reasoning explains the tone of anger and disappointment in this section, as a further implication of God’s sovereignty is spelled out: no creature has the right to tell him who to choose or what to do. This is a “woe” oracle showing the seriousness of the charge and the presumption of those who question God’s ways.

Why is this? The “pot among earthen pots” metaphor shows the totally created nature and limitations of all humans. Doubtless, some pots are more skillfully constructed and more beautiful than others, but they are still simply pots. They have no right to question the potter’s intentions or abilities. The phrase “Has no hands [ESV “handles”]” is obscure but probably refers to the potter’s skills. For the people of the time, there would simply be the exchanging of one conqueror for another; in spite of such passages as 2:2–5, the idea that the church would be worldwide had not yet gripped their hearts and imaginations. Indeed, it had still not fully dawned on God’s people at the time of Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:6).

45:10 The metaphor moves from potters to parents but with the same underlying meaning. Childbearing is something that only the parents concerned can understand, and it is not to be subject to inappropriate questions. Oswalt offers an interesting comment on why “woman” rather than “mother” is used here. He points to the physical continuity between woman and child and thus argues that there is a concern here to avoid any hint of mother goddesses or associations with fertility rites.96 In any case, the point remains unaltered: parenthood, like pottery, must not be subjected to presumptuous questioning.

45:11 Both illustrations are now applied. The word “formed” (Hb. yatsar) is the potter’s word; this is followed by reference to children. Yahweh is both potter and parent to Israel, and he has revealed his holiness to them. His control over the future is again emphasized: “Ask me of things to come,” for they are part of his overall control of all that is. Although this is rebuke, it also offers comfort, for Israel/Jacob are still his children and are still fashioned by him; in these truths lies their security.

45:12 By virtue of being the Creator of both the physical and the human worlds, God is in control. He rules the host of heaven—both angels and stars—and is in total command of them. No one on earth is in any position to command him or to ask him to give an account of what he is doing. Human craftsmen have not made him, as they have made idols.

45:13 This section is rounded off with a return to the specific case of Cyrus, who has been “stirred . . . up in righteousness,” referring to behavior in accordance with God’s holiness and right dealing. The level paths will be constructed not by Cyrus but by God. This will be not because God offers payment but because of the irresistible nature of providence. Cyrus’s place in God’s story is not his conquests as such but his role in allowing the exiles to return and Jerusalem to be built.

45:14 Israel is at the center of God’s purposes for the nations, as we have already seen in Isaiah 2:2–5 and will see again in chapter 60. The nations of the exodus are used here to symbolize the nations as a whole. They are powerful nations, with great wealth and ability; they are “men of stature.” The fact that they “come over in chains” suggests not a conquest but a willing surrender, just as bowing down suggests a voluntary action. They come not because of Israel per se but because they recognize that the true God is among the Israelites and that national barriers fade away in the face of spiritual unity. This is what creates a true community of nations.

45:15 This verse’s statement could be offered by new worldwide converts or by Israel herself—or both, in view of the amazing work of God. Paul, after outlining the amazing plan of God to bring Jew and Gentile into one family, exclaims that God’s judgments are unsearchable and his ways past finding out (Rom. 11:33). God is reaching out to the nations and by doing so fulfills his ancient promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3). Isaiah is to say later that God’s thoughts and ways are not ours (Isa. 55:8), and thus we must not be presumptuous, carrying on the theme of chapters 11–12. “Savior” is a great exodus title and is to be realized fully in the incarnation (Matt. 1:21).

45:16–17 The idols are human inventions, and their worshipers will be ashamed and humiliated when their inability to save is revealed (cf. Isa. 46:1–2). This is inevitable, for there is only one God, and in him alone is full salvation. This salvation is “everlasting”; no events even of the magnitude of the exile can set it aside. Israel here is all the people of God across time and space, who will in the end be vindicated for all eternity. Again, Paul speaks of this when he declares, citing Isaiah 28:16, “Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” (Rom. 9:33; 10:11). Whatever the hardships of the journey, the destination is certain.

45:18 “For” (Hb. ki) shows the connection with the preceding verses. Worldwide salvation flows naturally from the fact that God is the Creator. The verbs show the comprehensiveness of this fact: “created” (originating in himself), “formed” (as a potter shapes material), “made” (completed the task), and “established” (made it firm and stable). All of this was not tohu, which suggests somewhere dark, meaningless, and empty (Gen. 1:2), but was made to be filled with people who were created to love, serve, and obey.

45:19 God’s words were not unnecessarily hidden but were spoken to be understood by those who had ears to hear. Cyrus has very much fallen into the background as God speaks of the perspicacity of his word, which like creation itself is given for the purpose of revealing God and declaring his truth (cf. Psalm 19). The words are similar to those spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11–14. The Lord’s word is not deliberately misleading or unnecessarily complicated but is there for those who will seek it and obey.

45:20 Another court summons is addressed to “survivors of the nations,” but it is possible that this refers to those who have come to Israel to escape the fate of idolaters. The magi in Matthew 2 could be such people. The idols carried about have no power to save and are signs of ignorance rather than knowledge.

45:21 Once again evidence, especially relating to predictions of the future, is called for. The whole section from Isaiah 41 onward has focused on history and the ability of Yahweh to foretell it since he has planned all things and in his own time will fulfill what he has promised. All these events, beginning with the exile itself, were foretold long ago—that is, the original words of Isaiah spoken around 700 BC would indeed be “long ago” to the people returning from exile in 539 BC. Thus this truly remarkable verse sums up the relevance of God’s position as the Lord of history. When the prophet wrote these words, possibly in the dreadful days of Manasseh, it would be clear that exile was coming and that the curtain would fall on a depopulated land. The faithful remnant of that time would find reassurance that judgment was not the final word and thus it was worth persevering in faithfulness to the Lord. Those later generations, as the exile came to an end, would recognize the truth of these words and thus see that their God was indeed supreme. This God is “righteous,” suggesting that he always acts in keeping with his holiness and his just plans for the world. These plans are for salvation, and he alone can save.

45:22–23 In light of the stern condemnation of idolaters and idolatry, there is now a call for them to forsake their idols and turn to the only God who can save them. If Yahweh is the Creator and Lord of history, then no other god matters; he alone is the Savior of the world. The reality that Yahweh is God not only of Israel but of the whole earth has run through the book, from 2:2–5 onward, and will be emphasized again at the end (66:1–18). Although Yahweh is doing “new things” (42:9), the phrase “By myself I have sworn” comes from the promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:16 and thus is a reminder that the events about to unfold have been God’s purpose from the beginning. The word of God is spoken “in righteousness,” suggesting a totally reliable utterance that will fulfill its purpose and “not return” until it has done so (cf. Isa. 55:11). Paul echoes the final part of Isaiah 45:23 in Philippians 2:9–11, where the words are applied to the exalted Lord Jesus, who will judge the world on the last day.

45:24–25 These final verses speak of the security of all who believe and are saved. Their only hope is in the Lord himself, because only in him is “righteousness”; this word is plural here in Hebrew because all that is true and just is concentrated in him. His strength in this case is particularly to deliver, that is, to be true to his promises, in contrast to the gods, who are totally impotent. This is recognized by those who confess their sin, who are ashamed of their former life, in which they rebelled against God. Now there is justification for “all the offspring of Israel,” which includes all who are saved by Israel’s God and who, however imperfectly, reflect his glory. “Offspring” anticipates Isaiah 53:10, where the servant “shall see his offspring,” who will be saved by his mighty acts of the new exodus (Luke 9:31).