ISAIAH LESSON 52


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 45:1 " Thus saith the LORD to
his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue
nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open
before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;"

     God has chosen Cyrus to do a job for Him. To speak of a heathen
as His annointed is strange. We usually think of men, such as Moses,
as being annointed of God. All of mankind are the creation of God,
whether they are Israelites, or not. Mankind chooses whom he will
serve, but all are God's creation. This verse explains why God has
annointed him. It is so that he might subdue the nations. When God
opens the gates and sends you through those gates, you cannot fail.
The right hand has to do with the spiritual side. The whole world will
know, that the victories Cyrus has are of God. There will be no doubt
that God is God.

     Isaiah 45:2 "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places
straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder
the bars of iron:"

     God has called him to this path. It is God who will clear the way
for him, also. Historians tell us that the gates of Babylon were of
pure brass. Perhaps, that is what is meant here. The bars of iron were
hinges they opened with. The doors were, probably, wooden covered in
bronze to make them appear to the world to be very strong. God could
move any gate He chose, however strong.

     Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and
hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the
LORD, which call [thee] by thy name, [am] the God of Israel."

     The "treasures of darkness", to me, mean the treasures of the
people who are living in darkness. The treasures of the unsaved might
be another way of putting it. They, probably, had places of hiding for
their wealth, as many people have safes today. Even though Cyrus is
not an Israelite, he is going in the name of the God of Israel. God
wants Cyrus to know beyond a doubt who He is. Notice the fact, that
God called him by his name. The LORD, He is God.

     Isaiah 45:4 "For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect,
I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou
hast not known me."

     It is a strange thing for God to call someone who is not an
Israelite to win the battles for Him. Again I say, God created us all,
and He can choose whomever He wants for any task. The statement "thou
hast not known me" tells us that He was not a Hebrew. The main lesson
in this verse, is that God loves all His creation. He loved this man
so much, that He individually surnamed him.

     Isaiah 45:5  "I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there
is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:"

     Cyrus did not know God, and how could he know there were no
other?  The LORD leaves no doubt who is calling Cyrus to this job.
One of the benefits Cyrus will get from this, is to know the One True
God.  I believe this is repeated several times to show the importance
of who is sending Cyrus, and preparing him for this job. Who are we to
question God about who He calls for any job?

     Isaiah 45:6 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and
from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and
[there is] none else."

     From this verse, it appears that God wants all the heathen, as
well as the Israelites, to know who has done this thing through Cyrus.
God will manifest Himself in this and settle the issue that He is, in
fact, God and there is no other.

     Isaiah 45:7 "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace,
and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]."

     Notice in this, that the light already exists and is being
manifest in whatever way God chooses. Darkness is the absence of
light, so anytime the light is removed, you have darkness. Jesus is
the King of Peace. The absence of peace is evil. Everything positive
in this life is good. The negatives of life are on the dark side, or
evil. Negatives, of this nature, are the absence of a positive. God is
Creator of all things. Possibly, these people thought there were two
gods, who each controlled good, or evil. Many people believe something
similar to that today. They give too much power to Satan. Satan's
power is limited to what God allows him to have. Satan is under the
power and authority of God. God controls everything, because He is the
LORD.

     Isaiah 45:8 "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies
pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth
salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have
created it."

     Righteousness and salvation are not a product of mankind. They
are a gift from God. This righteousness pouring down from heaven is
like a spiritual awakening that comes to the people. Our land is in
great need of a spiritual awakening now. When Israel went into
idolatry and got into trouble, they would cry to God for forgiveness.
God heard their prayers, and forgave them, and poured out His
blessings upon them. They must receive God's righteousness by
accepting His salvation. Righteousness and salvation are products of
each other.  Just as righteousness is a gift to mankind from God, so
is salvation. Man cannot save himself, God must give it to us.

     Isaiah 45:9 "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the
potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say
to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no
hands?"
     The Israelites thought they were the only ones to be used of God.
They did not understand God using a heathen man for this job. Who are
they to question the God who made them? We might ask ourselves the
same question. Who are we {the created} to question God who created
us? It is a very dangerous thing for the created to question the
Creator. "Potsherd" means pottery made from the earth. Every man was
formed from the dust of the earth, whether Hebrew, or heathen. The God
who formed you has control of you. He can make you into whatever He
wants you to be. It is not our place to question.

     Isaiah 45:10 "Woe unto him that saith unto [his] father, What
begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?"

     A person should not disrespect their father and mother, because
they are the two of them. The father and the mother are one flesh in
the child they produce.

     Isaiah 45:11 "Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and
his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning
the work of my hands command ye me."

     The word "Holy" is the key word in this Scripture. It goes so
far, it is hard to explain. It is not enough to say without fault. It,
also, means beyond temptation. It means perfect, upright, righteous,
sacred both ceremonially and morally. Even this is not enough, but our
vocabulary and knowledge is too small to explain the fulness of the
word Holy. To call Him, the Holy One, sets Him aside from all mankind.
Look, with me, at who the sons of God are. Romans 8:15 "For ye have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."  Galatians 4:6
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."  Those of us who call Jesus
Christ our Saviour are the sons of God. Jesus is the Only Begotten
Son, but we are the adopted sons. Since God is the maker, He can do
with Israel as He wishes. Jesus did all the work for all of mankind on
the cross.  We are the works of His hands.

     Isaiah 45:12 "I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I,
[even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host
have I commanded."

     Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth." This is the opening statement to the creation. If you do not
believe this statement to be true, then you are wasting your time
reading the Bible. God is the same in every book of the Bible. The
last book verifies this. Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  God is the Maker or
Creator of it all. God prepared the world for the habitation of
mankind. His last and greatest creation was mankind in His image. God
spoke the whole thing into existence. John 1:1 "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:2
"The same was in the beginning with God." John 1:3 "All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
                          Isaiah 52 Questions


1.  What was strange about speaking of Cyrus as God's anointed?
2.  All men are God's creation, each of us chooses whether we will
    ________ _____, or not.
3.  The whole world will know that the victories Cyrus has are of
    _____.
4.  The gates were of _________.
5.  The bars are of _______.
6.  What was, probably, false about the brass doors?
7.  What does the author believe the "treasures of darkness" to be?
8.  For whose sake did God call Cyrus to battle?
9.  What statement lets us know he is not a Hebrew?
10. What is one benefit Cyrus will get from this?
11. What is meant by, from the rising of the sun, and from the west?
12. Who formed the light?
13. What is darkness?
14. Negatives of this nature are an absence of the __________.
15. What false idea do some people have about Satan?
16. Righteousness and salvation are not a product of ___________.
17. They are a ________ from God.
18. What was the righteousness being poured down from heaven like?
19. They must receive God's righteousness by accepting His
    ____________.
20. Woe unto him that striveth with his __________.
21. What is a "potsherd"?
22. What is one good reason to respect your father and mother?
23. What is the key word in verse 11?
24. What does it mean?
25. Quote Romans chapter 8 verse 15.
26. How are the Christians sons of God?
27. What is the special name that only those who believe in Christ can
    call Him?
28. What is the work of His hands?
29. What is a statement that we all must believe, if we are to benefit
    from the Bible?
30. Quote John chapter 1 verses 1 through 3.