SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 45
MEMORY VERSES:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7)
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)
THREE MESSAGES FOUND IN THIS CHAPTER:
- To Cyrus – Cyrus was from a gentile nation who did not know the Lord. But God was using him to accomplish His purpose.
- To Israel – God said that the clay could not tell the potter what to do. That means the Israelites cannot question why God allow a Gentile ruler to accomplish His plan.
- To the Gentiles – Through Israel, all nations will be blessed. When God will gather His people and establish His kingdom, nations will know the true God and believe in Christ. That means salvation is available to anyone who will accept Jesus as their Savior.
THOUGHTS:
God anointed a Gentile ruler, King Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem and set the exiles free. It proves that God has the sovereign power to decide on things he wants and nobody can question Him. This teaches us also to submit to whatever God has planned for us in our lives.
Verse 22 says: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other”. God makes it clear that salvation is for all nations. Therefore we must siege every opportunity to spread the gospel and save souls of mankind.