Isaiah 45:18-25 The Glory of the Savior King (part 2)
In the last blog, we covered the beginning of Isaiah 45, which focused on the commissioning of a messiah, Cyrus of Persia, in Israel's relatively near future. As the chapter wraps up, the picture of a near-future messianic figure begins to morph into a more distant-future Messiah with a greater tasking as the LORD's salvation plan now expands to include not just Israel but all the world.
Isaiah 54:18-25
We left off with Isaiah 45:15-17, proclaiming a resounding praise for Israel's Savior King. There is no other Savior besides God because there is no other god besides God. Those who trust in idols will be ashamed and disgraced.
As we move into this last set of verses, we find a series of statements that parallel Isaiah 44:24-28, where the LORD presented Himself as an all-powerful, all-seeing, ever-present God to the nation of Israel. He began by describing who He was in the past (Isaiah 44:24) as the Creator of all the world and Israel, specifically. He reiterates that now in Isaiah 45:18, leaving out His relationship with Israel specifically. He is God of all creation.
He then goes on to speak to Israel in her present day (Isaiah's day) similar to what He said in Isaiah 44:25-26. He makes the comparison between Himself and the idolators who cannot save. He does not speak in secret like the diviners and soothsayers who turn to dark places for wisdom. He is speaking plainly. He speaks righteously, in the sense of laying a straight path which is just (morally or legally right)—what is so or ought to be so. Following that path leads the experience of being justified or set free. God also speaks what is right (a different word in the Hebrew), referring to uprightness (vertically) or straightness (horizontally) in the sense of smoothness or levelness. Figuratively, it speaks of judging with equity and impartiality, making sure the scale is balanced when meting out justice. When the scales are balanced, there is peace. He is making crooked paths straight and rough places smooth.
Having presented Himself as God past and present, He then presents Himself as God of the future, but there is a difference here between Isaiah 44:26-28 and Isaiah 45:22-25. In Isaiah 44, Cyrus is the deliverer on the near-horizon and the salvation he brings is for the nation of Israel specifically. But now that Cyrus has been commissioned, the LORD reveals a greater salvation plan with this shocking statement:
The salvation He now offers isn't just national salvation for Israel, although the nation corporately will be justified in the end (45:25). This salvation is a universal offering of salvation to all the earth, Jews and Gentiles. He is not just the God of Israel but the God of all creation, although He works through Israel to accomplish that salvation. But it is not a salvation that Cyrus will facilitate. Just because this salvation picture comes after Cyrus does not mean it is speaking of Cyrus as the ultimate messiah. Cyrus' work is limited to the near-future release of Israel and only in the physical sense. This later passage is casting the vision now to a more distant future and the next coming deliverer--the suffering Servant who is God Himself. We see the same phrasing from Isaiah 45:23 in Philippians 2, where Paul says,
Cyrus the messiah may do this in a limited sense by conquering Babylon, but Christ the Messiah will bring all the world into subjection when He returns as the future Messiah to set up His kingdom.
God's Highway Project: The Stumbling Block of Conscience
It is the LORD's desire to end conflict and establish peace, not just in the world but between the world and Himself. This is why He extends salvation to all. But when He does this--when He brings the Gentiles into the congregational body with the Jews--a new spate of fighting breaks out, this time within the church itself. It is for this reason that Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 in Romans 14:11 when He is dealing with the church of Rome.
Paul addressed the Jews and Gentiles in the Roman church who were fighting each other because they had conflicting consciences over lifestyle choices. The Gentiles argued that they had been set free from the bondage of the Law and had complete liberty to do what they wanted, particularly in regards to what they ate or what days they observed as holy; the Jews argued for restraint by observing the letter of the Law. But both sides went too far in their stances. The Gentiles wanted a complete lack of restraint and the Jews, too much restraint.
Paul rebukes both sides, saying,
Not only does Paul quote Isaiah 45:23, he brings the context of Isaiah 45 into the argument. Earlier in Isaiah 45, Israel raises an objection to God's use of a Gentile king, Cyrus, who He calls His "anointed" (mashiach or messiah). That title was only ever reserved for Israel's priests and kings. No Gentile was worthy of that title. God levels a scathing rebuke at her in response, saying in essence, who are you to judge Me and My decisions. If I say this Gentile is righteous, then in My eyes he is righteous. This is the exact point that Paul now makes in Romans and he speaks equally to both camps. Who are you to judge God's determination of who is righteous? That is for God to decide.
So, we are back to the task of removing stumbling blocks of oppression, the only difference being that this time the oppression is something the church has created within itself (not unlike the oppression of the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' day). Sadly, some of the worst oppression can be found within the church body, and that is to our shame.
God desires peace and fellowship among those who He has set free, but liberty can be a heady thing and it can renew a self-serving attitude of power and entitlement that impedes fellowship. By the same token, enforcing a life of severe restraint under rules concerned only with the fleeting side of life creates a sense of moral superiority, and those rules become the means by which we take one another's measure. This also wrecks fellowship. A balance must be struck over how much liberty to allow and how much restraint to demand, and that balance is struck in living a life foremost in conscience to God, to whom we must give account, but also by examining our motives for demanding more liberty or restraint.
Our churches today may or may not suffer division over Jewish versus Gentile consciences the way that the Roman church did, but we are certainly a culture of diverse lifestyle choices, and consciences over those choices can cause conflict among our members. Part of God's Highway Project is to remove stumbling blocks, and Paul has identified this kind of conflict over conscience as a stumbling block.
Ultimately, we, like Cyrus and even Israel, have a purpose to spread God's fame throughout the world. Whatever we do, we cannot in any way lower God's reputation in the world's eyes, or undermine His role as Creator and King. Throughout Isaiah 45, God's Creatorship has been emphasized over and over again, and this is one aspect of His Godship that is hotly contested by the inclusivity agenda. For a man or woman to suddenly decide that they don't like the gender with which they were born is a direct affront to the God who made them. There are certain lifestyles with which the LORD takes issue because they corrupt the order and purpose which He designed mankind. As much as our heart aches over these people who are often dear to us as family or friends, there is a level of inclusivity that we cannot, in good conscience to God, accommodate or validate because of the damage it does to His reputation in the eyes of the world. In as much as we can, we live at peace with all men, but there is a line we cannot cross. In that, Isaiah and Paul are in accord.
Isaiah 54:18-25
We left off with Isaiah 45:15-17, proclaiming a resounding praise for Israel's Savior King. There is no other Savior besides God because there is no other god besides God. Those who trust in idols will be ashamed and disgraced.
As we move into this last set of verses, we find a series of statements that parallel Isaiah 44:24-28, where the LORD presented Himself as an all-powerful, all-seeing, ever-present God to the nation of Israel. He began by describing who He was in the past (Isaiah 44:24) as the Creator of all the world and Israel, specifically. He reiterates that now in Isaiah 45:18, leaving out His relationship with Israel specifically. He is God of all creation.
He then goes on to speak to Israel in her present day (Isaiah's day) similar to what He said in Isaiah 44:25-26. He makes the comparison between Himself and the idolators who cannot save. He does not speak in secret like the diviners and soothsayers who turn to dark places for wisdom. He is speaking plainly. He speaks righteously, in the sense of laying a straight path which is just (morally or legally right)—what is so or ought to be so. Following that path leads the experience of being justified or set free. God also speaks what is right (a different word in the Hebrew), referring to uprightness (vertically) or straightness (horizontally) in the sense of smoothness or levelness. Figuratively, it speaks of judging with equity and impartiality, making sure the scale is balanced when meting out justice. When the scales are balanced, there is peace. He is making crooked paths straight and rough places smooth.
Having presented Himself as God past and present, He then presents Himself as God of the future, but there is a difference here between Isaiah 44:26-28 and Isaiah 45:22-25. In Isaiah 44, Cyrus is the deliverer on the near-horizon and the salvation he brings is for the nation of Israel specifically. But now that Cyrus has been commissioned, the LORD reveals a greater salvation plan with this shocking statement:
"Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath." (Isaiah 45:22-23 NKJV)
The salvation He now offers isn't just national salvation for Israel, although the nation corporately will be justified in the end (45:25). This salvation is a universal offering of salvation to all the earth, Jews and Gentiles. He is not just the God of Israel but the God of all creation, although He works through Israel to accomplish that salvation. But it is not a salvation that Cyrus will facilitate. Just because this salvation picture comes after Cyrus does not mean it is speaking of Cyrus as the ultimate messiah. Cyrus' work is limited to the near-future release of Israel and only in the physical sense. This later passage is casting the vision now to a more distant future and the next coming deliverer--the suffering Servant who is God Himself. We see the same phrasing from Isaiah 45:23 in Philippians 2, where Paul says,
"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV)
Cyrus the messiah may do this in a limited sense by conquering Babylon, but Christ the Messiah will bring all the world into subjection when He returns as the future Messiah to set up His kingdom.
God's Highway Project: The Stumbling Block of Conscience
It is the LORD's desire to end conflict and establish peace, not just in the world but between the world and Himself. This is why He extends salvation to all. But when He does this--when He brings the Gentiles into the congregational body with the Jews--a new spate of fighting breaks out, this time within the church itself. It is for this reason that Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 in Romans 14:11 when He is dealing with the church of Rome.
Q: What was going on in the Roman church? (Romans 14:1-21)
Paul addressed the Jews and Gentiles in the Roman church who were fighting each other because they had conflicting consciences over lifestyle choices. The Gentiles argued that they had been set free from the bondage of the Law and had complete liberty to do what they wanted, particularly in regards to what they ate or what days they observed as holy; the Jews argued for restraint by observing the letter of the Law. But both sides went too far in their stances. The Gentiles wanted a complete lack of restraint and the Jews, too much restraint.
Q: How does Paul end the fighting?
Paul rebukes both sides, saying,
"But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'" (Romans 14:10-11 NKJV)
Not only does Paul quote Isaiah 45:23, he brings the context of Isaiah 45 into the argument. Earlier in Isaiah 45, Israel raises an objection to God's use of a Gentile king, Cyrus, who He calls His "anointed" (mashiach or messiah). That title was only ever reserved for Israel's priests and kings. No Gentile was worthy of that title. God levels a scathing rebuke at her in response, saying in essence, who are you to judge Me and My decisions. If I say this Gentile is righteous, then in My eyes he is righteous. This is the exact point that Paul now makes in Romans and he speaks equally to both camps. Who are you to judge God's determination of who is righteous? That is for God to decide.
"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way." (Romans 14:12-13 NKJV)
So, we are back to the task of removing stumbling blocks of oppression, the only difference being that this time the oppression is something the church has created within itself (not unlike the oppression of the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' day). Sadly, some of the worst oppression can be found within the church body, and that is to our shame.
God desires peace and fellowship among those who He has set free, but liberty can be a heady thing and it can renew a self-serving attitude of power and entitlement that impedes fellowship. By the same token, enforcing a life of severe restraint under rules concerned only with the fleeting side of life creates a sense of moral superiority, and those rules become the means by which we take one another's measure. This also wrecks fellowship. A balance must be struck over how much liberty to allow and how much restraint to demand, and that balance is struck in living a life foremost in conscience to God, to whom we must give account, but also by examining our motives for demanding more liberty or restraint.
Q: What effect are our attitudes and actions having on our fellowship?
Q: Are we feeding our sense of entitlement or self-righteousness and creating a toxic environment that drives people away from God and a relationship with Christ?
Q: Are there legitimate reasons for curbing our own liberty for another's sake? For example, if a person is struggling with alcoholism, should alcohol be served at a meal that they are attending? That is an obvious case of placing a stumbling block in front of a person, but you get the idea. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to accommodate a weaker member or even a stronger conscience over something, or at least make allowances for it so as not to create conflict.
Our churches today may or may not suffer division over Jewish versus Gentile consciences the way that the Roman church did, but we are certainly a culture of diverse lifestyle choices, and consciences over those choices can cause conflict among our members. Part of God's Highway Project is to remove stumbling blocks, and Paul has identified this kind of conflict over conscience as a stumbling block.
Q: If we can, how do we remove these kind of stumbling blocks? (Read Romans 15.)
Q: There is tremendous pressure in our culture to embrace inclusivity. Is there a line we draw when it comes to accommodating lifestyle choices? If so, on what do we base that division?
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