Only God Foretells the Future
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Isaiah
38. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 41
We have read of Assyria and its king recently in the
book of Isaiah. Not only is there prophecy concerning this empire, but we have
learned some of its history, particularly that which relates to its invasion of
Judah. Isaiah foresaw the Babylonian Empire and he spoke of the satanic
influence upon it.
A
message to the nations
In this chapter, Isaiah begins to prophesy concerning
Cyrus of Persia and we will learn much of him in the following chapters. He
becomes a prominent figure, who is even named by Isaiah in 44:28 and 45:1, long
before his birth (see also 41:2, 25; 45:13; 46:11). In the books of Ezra and
Nehemiah, he has much to do with the return of the Jews to their land and the
rebuilding of their temple.
The prophecies of Isaiah must be heard beyond the
borders of Israel. Even in the Old Testament, God’s word was to reach the
Gentile nations, as well as the Jews. The Holy One of Israel is the Creator of
heaven and earth. This is a message especially for the Mediterranean territory,
which will come under Persian rule. The proper and reasonable reaction, when
God speaks, is to give rapt attention, in awe and reverence, and the prophets
demand it from all earth’s peoples. “Let
all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab.2:20) and “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord” (Zec.2:13). That is as it
should be and it is a law to be observed throughout all ages. Because the world
population drowns in rebellion, His word is ignored and they wander aimlessly
in chaos.
Because of His nature, it is in His heart to give the
people the opportunity to approach him and to speak. How do we explain this
willingness to allow the unrighteous people to bring their strongest arguments
and present them in His presence? (v.1) I think this is amazing, given His
infinite majesty. You will not find this consideration from those who rank
highest on the earth, because they are mere human beings, bound by their own
limitations. The opportunity was given to His people in chapter 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, says the
Lord”. The God of Israel is omnipresent and His ear is open to all who
sincerely desire an audience.
Cyrus,
the coming conqueror
The conquests of Cyrus the Great are described,
defeating the Babylonians and establishing the Persian Empire. The Lord credits
Himself for raising up this king and lauds him in a particular way, because of
his sympathy with the Jews. Cyrus brings the kings of the nations to utter
destruction, including the ones that this prophecy is now addressing (v.2). It
is all future, not to take place for almost 200 years.
Verse 3 tells of the ease, with which Cyrus will conquer
new territory. The Lord declares His involvement with Cyrus and His absolute
sovereignty over the political world: “Who
has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the
Lord, the first, and with the last; I am
he” (v.4). When this takes place, the coast lands and islands of the
Mediterranean are to take their eyes off the human vessel and focus on the One,
Who raised him up. This is the title that God gave Moses to transmit to his
people: “I am has sent me to you” (Ex.3:14). He alone is eternal,
dwelling in the everlasting present. Notice the final three words in verse 4 and
then remember Christ’s declaration in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am (He).”
The messianic element enters as the instigator and solution to the
situation, described by prophecy. The answer always lies in the Messiah.
God spoke, demanding the attention of the nations, for
their own good, calling to them as the Sovereign, who was behind the human
power that He had raised up. Isaiah sees that they are in fear and trembling
before the coming conquest. They join to one another in mutual encouragement
and turn to their idols for help. Here are the two common characteristics of
the heathen world… strength in unity or human alliances and spiritual help from
self-made idols. They try to solidify their religious creations, instead of
turning to the true and living God, who revealed Himself to them (v.5-7).
The
consolation of Israel
We have studied His call to the nations and seen their
reaction to it. Then, He turns in contrast to Israel, as in the spirit of
prophecy, they are captives in Babylon: “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom
I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend” (v.8). These are the chosen ones on earth, called
into His service. There is history in His relationship with this people,
beginning with a wonderful friendship with their patriarch, Abraham. Warmth and
intimacy emerges in the prophecy, as the purpose and the heart of God is
revealed. It is at the roots of the formation of Israel and carries into the
New Testament, when the Messiah, the incarnate God, calls to Himself beloved
disciples. They become His friends and all future disciples, among all nations,
come into the same relationship.
In order to form His nation, God called Abraham and
Sarah out of Ur of the Chaldeans. Their offspring has fallen into captivity in
the same land, from which their forefather had come, but His plan is not
frustrated, as under the instrumentality of Cyrus, He brings them back to their
own land. The prophecy does not stop there, but reaches a greater fulfillment
in our times, when Israel is called “from
the ends of the earth… from its farthest corners”. God accomplishes His
purposes through Israel, so it is still His servant. He confirms His
everlasting covenant with them: “I have
chosen you and not cast you off” (v.9).
I continue to quote the prophet directly, as a
well-known assurance is guaranteed to His people: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I
will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand” (v.10). Does God want His own to feel secure in His care? There can
be no doubt about it. He will not have them living in fear of their enemies; He
will have them know His presence with them. Cyrus will not be Israel’s enemy,
as he is to the rest of the world, but a friend raised up for them by the Lord.
A few chapters later, we will read, “No weapon that is fashioned against you
shall succeed” (54:17), and Paul declared, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Ro.8:31). The Lord
promised that weapons would be used on David’s descendants, but they were meant
for discipline and not for destruction. “My
steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul” (2
S.7:15). Late in Old Testament history, Jeremiah spoke to the Jewish trunk,
into which Gentile Christians have been grafted: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued
my faithfulness to you” (Jer.31:3). We inherit these unspeakable blessings,
when we recognize that we have come under the favor of the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
The
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel
God is as a near-relative to His people (Ruth 4) and
an enemy to their enemies. Those who hate them and battle against them will be ashamed
and confused; not only that, they will perish and become non-existent. We know
already that this was literally fulfilled concerning Babylon. In contrast to
the gods of the nations that are compassionless idols, God treats His own as
children, holding their hand. He reveals Himself to them, as He did so
powerfully in the last chapter, and speaks to them in the second person. In so
doing, each one can take personal comfort from His word. The nation can only be
as confident, as are the individual members: “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah points time and
again to actions that are brought about through Christ. They have nothing to
fear, though they have become as insignificant as a worm, an expatriated people,
in the eyes of the nations, (v.11-14).
He is their Redeemer and He is the one who empowers
them as an offensive force. He would make them to be as effective as a new
threshing instrument with sharp teeth. They will crush the useless obstacles and
remove them. They will reduce them to chaff, but they will rejoice and give
glory to the Holy One, who clothed them with power. The Holy One always
performs a holy work done in righteousness. It always exalts His holiness and
from the time of his calling, Isaiah gives Him this title (v.15-16). Everyone
who calls upon the name of the Lord must recognize His holiness. This threshing
instrument is never more useful than it is in the New Testament missionary
commission (Ac.1:8).
In a farmhouse on the Hebrides island of Lewis, a
common believer spoke to the Lord of this covenant with His people, confessing
his own barren, dry state. He with other Christians had come to a town that was
resisting God’s “threshing instrument”, sent for the harvesting of their souls.
When he challenged the Lord to keep His promise and send rain, the farmhouse
shook as God answered from heaven and at three in the morning, the people ran
from their houses to the church. Spiritual rain came down in torrents upon that
place.
This is a classic example of the spiritual implication
in these verses and this is the way that the Lord reveals His work in the
earth. It is time for the idols to prove their worth, if they can. Let them
recount their history and prophesy their future, as God so clearly and
faithfully does. Let the idols prove that they are gods, by good works or bad.
Let us see their effect upon human lives. “Behold
you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who
chooses you.” So is everyone in modern times who, according to his world
view, chooses the modern idols of secular humanism, the ways and theories of
the godless (v.21-24).
Who,
but God, can foretell the future
In Ezra 1:1-3, “the
Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing… The Lord,
the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged
me to build him a house in Jerusalem… he is the God who is in Jerusalem…” The
Lord “stirred up one from the north”, states
verse 25, and he came from the north against Babylon and, calling upon the name
of the Lord, he begins the conquest of nations.
Who, but the God of Israel, foretold these events and
He challenges the world to name a man or idol, who can so foresee the future. “Who declared it from the beginning?... There
was none who declared it” (v.26). The Bible is set apart because it
proclaims and accurately fulfills hundreds of prophecies, therefore proving
that it is the living Word of God, unique and above the literature of the
world. Isaiah leads the way into the book of the prophets, major and minor, and
into a sphere of divine revelation, incomparable to any human work. It is said here to be a “herald of good news”, speaking to the
Jew first, but also to the Gentile (v.27 and Ro.1:16; 2:10).
It is amazing that mankind follows blindly things,
which provide no real answers to the deepest complexities to his own existence.
I am often saying these days that the best of the world of learning, technology
and science, all end in a cemetery and are useless in carrying their adherents
any farther. God says, “There is no
counselor, who, when I ask, gives an answer” (v.28). The modern world still
lies in idolatry, ignoring the true God, and relying upon their own creations. “They are all a delusion; their works are nothing;
their metal images are empty wind” (v.29). Therefore, this earth reels
crazily, out of control, thrown into chaos, with no sure plan or solution. Look
around to see if it is not true. Listen to the news, observe the state of the
nations, and the institutions, which man has erected to try to discover a
plausible answer. You will see that Isaiah’s God is absolutely right, as He
declares the vain hope, to which mankind clings.
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