God’s Surprises

Isaiah 45: 1-7 (October 19, 2008)

1) The Text

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed: 2I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name; I surname you, though you do not know me.

5I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, 6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.

2) The Context

Cyrus the Great was a Persian Shāhanshāh (Emperor). He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty. The empire expanded under his rule, eventually conquering most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia, from Egypt and the Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, to create the largest state the world had yet seen. During his twenty nine to thirty year reign, Cyrus ruled with an iron hand and fought and conquered some of the greatest states of his time, including the Median Empire, the Lydian Empire, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, as he himself died in battle, fighting the Scythians along the Syr Darya in August 530 BC or 529BC. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to conquer Egypt during his short rule.

3) Interpretation

There are three lessons to consider from this text. First, God works all things for the good of his people. This is hard to believe during times of financial crisis, natural disasters, illness and disease and family struggles, but it is true. Israel was in exile in Babylon, one of the most despicable, cruel, and intolerable superpowers of all time. Read the Psalms in the early forties and feel the sorrow of a people in exile as they long for the Promised Land and the Temple, as they are forced to sing their holy songs for the entertainment of their captors. Yet blessed are they who mourn, for they will receive comfort. God turned Israel’s mourning to joy. Through the work of a pagan king, Cyrus, He reestablished their Kingdom and accomplished His will. He returned them to the land of promise, where His promise would be kept in the womb of an Israelite virgin, in a manger in Bethlehem, and on a tree outside Jerusalem. Sometimes we cannot see the light of God’s wisdom shining behind his inscrutable plans, but just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Second, God keeps His promises. When God promises something, it is as good as done, even though it may seem undoable, even though we may not know his timetable. God alone calls his Cyrus’s and alone knows how he will use them. Believing in the promise takes faith and trust.
Third, many times God enters the lives of people in the most unlikely ways. Some of the faithful expect God to "empower" them, make them the instrument of his justice and salvation. Many times, a few assume the role. But, God doesn't work that way. He likes to surprise his people.
In these brief verses, Isaiah spoke to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. How could God save them, when they lived so far from home? The prophet's answer: a power greater than Babylon itself, the great Cyrus and his Persian army. More important than this message was a simple reminder. The God of the Jews was greater than even Cyrus and his gods. He would call the great Persian to do his bidding, to guide him in his role. Abraham's God would receive glory through a pagan!
Where do we look to see God in our lives? Many times we look in the wrong places. We search for him where we think he should be, doing things we expect him to do. But, we should heed the words of Isaiah. God works for our good in the most unlikely ways and from the most unexpected directions. To truly see God working does require faith, for sometimes it tests our preconceived expectations.

4) Thought Exercise

How has God surprised you?
How has He changed your expectations?
How can we become more mindful so we don’t miss seeing these surprises?