April 5, 2019

In this passage, Isaiah is prophesying that Cyrus, King of the Persians, is about to conquer many nations, which will include Israel. This is shown in verses 2-3, 5, and 25. These verses do not state that it will be Cyrus who will conquer many nations. We know that it is Cyrus from history, but for the people of Israel, they had to be afraid when they heard this. I am sure all of Israel was terrified, and while they may have been afraid, there are still many reasons to have hope.

The first reason to have hope is that God is in control. Reread verse 4. Cyrus conquering nations is not by accident. Instead, God is using it for His purpose of history. The end of verse 4 should remind us that God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He has controlled history from the beginning and will continue to control it for eternity.

The second reason to have hope is that God will preserve His people. Verses 8-20 all show that God is with His people, even during these troubling times. God reminds Israel that they are His people (v. 8-9). Then God promises to be with them, protect them, and provide for them (v. 10-20).

I do want to point out that some people in the story looked for answers from other “gods”. Notice verses 7 and 29. These people made “gods” with their hands and ‘they are all a delusion’ (v. 29). They sought after things that could not provide answers.

For us, we might be in a difficult situation in our life right now. It could seem like God is not around to help but let me reassure you that He is. Nothing in life is an accident. We must seek Him and trust in His plans. Do not look to other things for answers, instead keep your focus on God and praise Him for who He is.