Isaiah 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25
Chapter 45
I form the light and create the dark; I usher in prosperity and bring calamity. I, the Lord, do all this.
Let the heavens send righteousness like dew and the clouds rain it down. Let the earth open and salvation blossom, so that justice also may sprout; I, the Lord, have created it.
Yes, this is what the Lord says, he who created the heavens, – for he is God, who formed and shaped the earth, – for he himself set it: “I did not let confusion in it, I wanted people to live there instead” —for I am the Lord and there is no other.
Let them present their arguments take counsel together and tell me: Who announced this from the beginning, who foretold it in the distant past? Is it not me, the Lord? There is no other God besides me, a Savior, a God of justice, there is no other one but me.
Turn to me and be saved, all you from the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other.
By my own self, I swear it, and what comes from my mouth is the truth, a word I say will not be revoked. Before me, every knee will bend, by me, every tongue will swear,
saying, “In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.” All who have raged against him will come to him in shame.
But through the Lord, there will be victory and glory to the people of Israel.
Commentaries
Investiture of Cyrus.
God calls Cyrus, a pagan king who does not know Him, and anoints him for a special mission that elevates him: to give freedom to His people, Israel. In ancient times, these peoples believed their military strength reflected the power of their gods. Before Cyrus, God revealed himself as the only God, the creator, and the supplier of rain and fertility. This subtly warns the Israelites not to return to the idolatry of the Baals. Just as the Assyrians and Babylonians served as instruments of God to punish His people, now the Lord demonstrates His saving power through Cyrus in Israel’s history.
“I Am the Lord.
This poem displays unprecedented poetic and theological strength, weaving together themes of monotheism and God’s sovereignty over all nations. With irony, the Lord depicts Himself as the only creator in contrast to those who make idols. The image of the potter serves as a call to allow oneself to be shaped and remade by Him (cf. Jer 18:1-11).