Isaiah 44:24-45:13 (if you would like to hear the poetry of the passage click on 'listen to this passage' at the top of the passage)
This is poetry. It does not have the rhymes and metre of English poetry. But it has lines that begin with the same word and it has rhythm. It repeats ideas so that they grow and are enriched. The message of poetry often exceeds the obvious meaning of its words. We must try to feel its passion and capture its pictures, as well as noting its words.
The speaker is the LORD, the God who makes himself known to his chosen people. But he seems to be speaking not just to Israel, but to Cyrus, the Persian king who in a famous inscription attributes his success to Marduk, god of Babylon. Is that why he is so careful to explain who he is and what he does?
God is calling Cyrus to be his anointed one. We can feel the shock to Israel, for this is the term for the Messiah, used in the Old Testament of Israel’s kings. God is calling an idolater to be the shepherd of Israel!
It is not until late in his words to Cyrus that God reveals why he is doing this. Then in two short lines he releases all the tension and anxiety of Israel. He is doing it for them! Yes, he is still Israel’s Redeemer.
How little we know, how narrow is our vision of the work of our God, who is working all the time for the good of his people. We must be open to his vision, ready to feel God’s passion for us.
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