CROOKED PLACES MADE STRAIGHT Isaiah 45:2. _I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight_. Man _must_ go; the only question is—_How?_ He may go, either with God, or without Him; God does not force Himself upon us. Whether we go with God, or without Him, we shall find crooked places. B... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY MAN’S LIFE A PLAN OF GOD Isaiah 45:5. _I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me_. This declaration renders credible the sketch given by Xenophon of Cyrus’s rare excellence of character. He was a model of greatness in every form, because God had guided him, unseen, to be the minister of Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FORMER OF LIGHT AND CREATOR OF DARKNESS Isaiah 45:6. _I am the Lord, and there is none else, &c._ These words occur in the remarkable prophecy of the capture of Babylon by Cyrus; a prophecy fulfilled to the letter. What was the end proposed in bringing Cyrus to Babylon, and in giving him that... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HEAVENS DROPPING RIGHTEOUSNESS Isaiah 45:8. _Drop down, ye heavens, &c._ There is a fulness in the language more than commensurate with the revival of the piety and temporal well-being of the Jews after their return to Canaan. It points to Gospel times; righteousness, and all the blessings of t... [ Continue Reading ]
STRIVING WITH GOD Isaiah 45:9. _Woe unto him, &c._ The idea of rebellion is one of frequent recurrence in this book. A sinner rebels against God’s authority and dominion. Is frequently styled an enemy, and this is evident both from his heart, tongue, and life. Is frequently described as fighting a... [ Continue Reading ]
CAVILLING AGAINST GOD Isaiah 45:9. _Woe unto him that striveth, &c._ I. That man is formed by God, and that all his affairs are ordered by Him as really as the work of the potter is moulded by the hands of the workman. II. That God has a design in making man, and in ordering and arranging his circu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PEOPLE OF A PRAYER-HEARING GOD Isaiah 45:11. _Thus saith the Lord, &c._ A wonderful promise wonderfully fulfilled. The facts and principles involved in it are of perpetual value. I. God has a people whom He distinguishes as His sons. II. He is specially concerned for their welfare and happines... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONCEALMENT OF GOD Isaiah 45:15. _Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour_. This is one of many similar declarations (Psalms 18:11; Psalms 97:2; Job 37:23; Exodus 33:18). All this concealment proceeds, not from any unwillingness to disclose His greatness, but rat... [ Continue Reading ]
ISRAEL SAVED IN THE LORD Isaiah 45:17. _But Israel shall be saved in the Lord, &c._ The text contains a promise of “everlasting salvation” to the pious just, and is brought forward among the promises of their temporal deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; and there is a better, greater, and m... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW GOD REVEALS HIMSELF Isaiah 45:18 _For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, &c._ In Isaiah 45:17, the promise is made that “Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.” This gives the drift of the whole passage, Isaiah 45:18. In Isaiah 45:18, the words of Jehovah b... [ Continue Reading ]
COMFORT TO SEEKERS FROM WHAT THE LORD HAS NOT SAID Isaiah 45:19. _I have not spoken in secret, &c._ We might gain much solace by considering what God has _not_ said. In our text we have an assurance that God _will_ answer prayer, because He hath _not_ said unto the seed of Israel, “Seek ye my face... [ Continue Reading ]
A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR Isaiah 45:21. _A just God and a Saviour_. These words occur in an assertion of the sovereignty of God, which is repeated again and again throughout this chapter, and forms the essential truth around which all its predictions cluster. Isaiah has foreseen that the Almighty wo... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST’S DOMINION (_Missionary Sermon._) Isaiah 45:23. _I have sworn by Myself, &c._ To “bow the knee” is to render homage as to a king. To “swear” is formally to accept and profess allegiance. It supposes a monarch. The text finds its fulfilment in Christ, and is applied to Him (Romans 14:11; Phi... [ Continue Reading ]