Isaiah 44-46

Isaiah 44

Israel reaffirmed as God’s servant

• Names used:
  • Jacob
  • Israel
  • Jeshurun (יְשֻׁרוּן) “upright one,” 
• God promises help and protection

Promise of the Spirit

• “I will pour water on the thirsty land”
  • Spirit (רוּחַ, rûaḥ)
• Result:
  • New life
  • Covenant identity renewed

Belonging to God: people will identify themselves as belonging to the LORD

God declares“I am the first and I am the last”

• Hebrew:
  • רִאשׁוֹן (rishon)  first
  • אַחֲרוֹן (aḥaron)  last

• No other gods exist 
• God alone:
  • Declares future
  • Controls history
• Israel called witnesses to this truth

Idol passage (9-20)

• Idol creators are spiritually blind
• Human hands create powerless objects
• Process described:
  • Cut tree
  • Burn half for warmth and cooking
  • Use other half to make idol
  • Worship the object made from same material
• People cannot recognize the absurdity

God calls Israel to remember the one true God

• Israel is God’s servant
• God will not forget His people
• He has forgiven:“I have blotted out your transgressions”
  • מָחָה (māḥāh) erase completely

God Names Cyrus as Future Deliverer

• God reminds Israel He alone is Creator
  • Created heavens and earth alone
  • No assistance from other gods
• God invalidates diviners
• Cyrus called “my shepherd”
  • He will rebuild Jerusalem and temple
  • Written before Cyrus lived 
  • Cyrus fulfills this in 539 BC!!!

Isaiah 45

Cyrus called “anointed”

• מָשִׁיחַ (māshîaḥ) anointed one

This is remarkable: A pagan king called God’s anointed

God gives Cyrus authority

• Subdues nations before him
• Opens gates

God controls all reality

• Creates light and darkness
• Brings peace and calamity

God’s Right as Creator 

• God alone controls creation (vs 8)
  • Righteousness and salvation “grow”
• Do not strive with his Maker: Clay cannot question potter

Cyrus raised to accomplish God’s purpose to rebuild Jerusalem and release exiles

Nations (Egypt, Cush, Sabeans) will recognize Israel’s God and Israel saved eternally

 God created the world with purpose

• Creation is not random, earth created to be inhabited

Idols cannot save as they are powerless and lifeless

God invites all nations

• “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth”
• Future universal worship “That to Me every knee shall bow,”

Isaiah 46

 Babylon’s Gods Collapse

• Bel (Marduk): chief Babylonian god
  • Belshazzar:“Bel, protect the king”
  • Bel (בֵּל) means “lord”
• Nebo (נְבוֹ / Nabu):  god of wisdom
  • Nebuchadnezzar: “Nabu, protect my heir/boundary”

Idols are powerless

Babylonian gods	The LORD
Must be carried	Carries His people
Cannot save	Saves
Fall	Endures forever
Constructed	Creator
Immobile	Alive

God alone knows the beginning and the end. There is NO OTHER

God will call a “bird of prey from the east” – Cyrus 

God’s purposes always succeed. His salvation is near. 

Application
Isaiah 44: God alone is Creator and Redeemer; idols are foolish; God will use Cyrus to restore Israel
Isaiah 45: God uses Cyrus; salvation extends to all nations
Isaiah 46: Babylon’s gods fail; the Lord carries His people and guarantees salvation

When life feels uncertain or out of control, it’s easy to place our hope in things that seem strong, like Israel did with idols.Ultimately those things can fail us. Isaiah 44-46 reminds us that God is the only one who can truly carry us, and that even when we don’t understand what He’s doing, we can trust that He hasn’t abandoned us and will continue to help and guide us through whatever we’re facing.