The Book Of Isaiah. Day 133, The Faith Of Their Forefathers

Isaiah has been prophesying about the ministry of the "Servant" (the Messiah). In today's segment the Lord urges the people to listen to the Servant and turn back to the Lord.

"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God." (Isaiah 50:10) The Lord Jesus will later say, "My sheep hear My voice." (John 10:27) Those who love the Lord and who want to honor Him will be sensitive to the word of the Lord's servant and will follow His leadership. But this next verse is a warning to those who kindle fires on pagan altars and hold abominable ceremonies at the feet of idols, refusing to make God the Lord of their lives: "But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what You shall receive from My hand: You will lie down in torment." (Isaiah 50:11)

There is no guidance to be had from false gods, false prophets, and false priests. There is no wisdom in mankind's schemes either, for, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) When we allow ourselves to be led by our carnal natures, serving ourselves or the idols of our choice, we will make nothing but bad decisions that lead us farther and farther away from the Lord. But if we make God the Lord of our lives, we have the benefit of His wisdom and guidance. As the Lord Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Now we move on into Chapter 51 where the Lord urges the people to remember their heritage and the faith of their forefathers. If they want to be righteous in His eyes, they must live the way their ancestors who loved the Lord lived. The ones who seek after righteousness must do it the way people like Abraham did it---by faith. "Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many." (Isaiah 51:1-2)

In the years that led up to Judah's defeat by Babylon, a great number of the people turned away from the Lord. Those who did not forsake Him must have felt like a minority. They must have thought, "What good can I do for my nation? The godly are vastly outnumbered by the ungodly." But Abraham was just one man who obeyed the Lord's calling and the Lord created multitudes upon multitudes from his descendants. Abraham trusted the Lord and believed the promises the Lord made to him and he was blessed by the Lord as a result.

After Judah has been conquered by Babylon and most of the people carried off into captivity, the people must have thought in that foreign land, "We are surrounded by these godless Babylonians who hate us and have treated us cruelly. What good will our prayers do us here? We are vastly outnumbered by our enemies. How can we ever see our own land again?" But just as Abraham trusted the Lord and believed His promises, the people are to follow Abraham's example and believe what the Lord is promising them here: "The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing." (Isaiah 51:3)

In this world where it often feels like things are falling to pieces around us and we don't know who or what to believe, the Lord is our strong anchor. We can safely place all of our trust in Him. We can be led by His holy word. We can have a relationship with Him. We can count on every promise He has ever made.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 132, The Lord Helps The Servant's Ministry, Part Two

Chapter 50 is a prophecy about the earthly ministry of the One called the "Servant"---the Messiah. It is being spoken in His voice and yesterday's study ended with Him speaking of being obedient to how badly He would be treated. He was able to do this because it was part of the Father's plan of salvation and because the Father strengthened Him in His humanity.

"Because the Sovereign Lord helps Me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50:7) Setting His face "like flint" (like a hard rock) is an expression of determination. I believe this is a reference to His final journey into Jerusalem where He knew He would be arrested, cruelly mocked, abused, and crucified. When we are performing a difficult task that takes strength, we will often set our jaw in a clenched position, steeling ourselves to perform the task. This is what Jesus did when He entered the city. He faced His fate head on with no looking back.

At Jerusalem He would be accused of many things without any proof. The accusers' stories did not agree with each other, though it was the law that no one could be put to death for a capital crime without the eyewitness testimony of two or more witnesses. Pontius Pilate found Him guilty of nothing and when we arrive at that part of Scripture we will see that Pilate shrewdly determined that the religious leaders of Jerusalem wanted Jesus dead to further their own ambitions. In this next segment we find the Servant proclaiming His innocence and His faith that the Lord will vindicate Him.

"He who vindicates Me is near. Who then will bring charges against Me? Let us face each other! Who is My accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign Lord who helps Me. Who will condemn Me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up." (Isaiah 50:8-9) No one could ever prove that Jesus sinned because He didn't sin. God the Father proved this by raising Him from the dead and giving Him the name that is above every name. If Jesus hadn't risen from the dead, He would have been largely forgotten just as the false Messiahs had been. How could there be any proof that He is God the Son if He remained in the grave like any other man who had been executed? The resurrection is the proof that He is who He says He is and it is upon the basis of seeing the resurrected Christ that His disciples stopped being afraid and began to boldly "set the world on fire" (Luke 12:49) and "turn the world upside down" (Acts 17:6) with the gospel message.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 131, The Lord Helps The Servant's Ministry, Part One

The remainder of Chapter 50 is a Messianic prophecy. It regards the One we have already seen being called the "Servant" of the Lord. God the Father will help and sustain this Servant through His ministry on earth, no matter who or what opposes Him. We find the words of this passage being spoken by the Servant Himself.

"The Sovereign Lord has given Me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, wakens My ear to listen like one being instructed." (Isaiah 50:4) At first we might think that Isaiah is talking about himself but as our passage continues we will see that it describes some of the things that Jesus endured on the earth. I love the part of this verse that says He knows the word that sustains the weary. Many times the word of Christ in the Scriptures has sustained my weary soul!

The verse above can only be about His earthly ministry because the Son of God, in all of His glory with the Father in heaven, did not need to sleep or to be awakened. But while in a human body on the earth we find in the gospels that He was in the habit of waking early to commune with the Father. In His humanity He had to pray to the Father like we do and that is a comforting thing to know. Christ knows what it's like to inhabit a mortal body and to send prayers up to the Father and to wait for His instructions rather than to simply be in the presence of the Father as He was before the incarnation. Because He had to interact with the Father as a human, He understands what it's like for us to speak to the One who is invisible to us. In Hebrews 4:15 the Apostle Paul reminds us that because Jesus lived in a human body on earth, He is able to sympathize with the weaknesses we experience. The word translated "sympathize" is literally "feel for" in the Greek. Jesus knows exactly how we feel.

The Lord Jesus was obedient to the Father and did the Father's will on earth, no matter how difficult it was in human form. We can only obey the Father imperfectly but Jesus obeyed every single commandment, law, and instruction without fault. "The Sovereign Lord has opened My ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away." (Isaiah 50:5) The Apostle Paul phrased it like this: "And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8)

In regard to what this blessed Servant of the Lord endured for our sake, and in regard to how obedient He was to the Father no matter how much it cost Him, the Servant says: "I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who pulled out My beard; I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting." (Isaiah 50:6) 

We know from the gospel accounts that Jesus was beaten many times across the back and that He was mocked and spit upon. The gospels don't mention the pulling out of the beard but I don't doubt that it happened. It was a custom to cut a man's beard in order to humiliate him but in Jesus' case they pulled it out. They did this in order to inflict pain as well as humiliation. But God the Father gave Him the strength to endure it and Christ's love for us enabled Him to endure it. He was willing to do His part in the Father's plan of salvation because to Him we were worth it, which is difficult for us to contemplate because we are aware of our faults and failures, but He loved us and wanted us to be with Him for eternity. He counted the cost of what He must do to save us and He considered us worth the price.

 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 130, The People Forsook God

As Chapter 50 opens we find the Lord pointing out that He did not forsake the people; they forsook Him. A number of times in the Old Testament we find the Lord comparing His covenant with Israel to a marriage covenant. When Israel engages in idolatry, He refers to it as adultery, for example. In our previous chapter we found the Lord making good promises for the future but the people said, "The Lord has forgotten us."

He has not forgotten them but it is possible for us to live in such a manner that the Lord cannot bless us. He doesn't reward sin. He doesn't reinforce wrong behavior. That is the reason the nation will go into captivity---because of sin---in order to correct the rampant idolatry in the land. It's not that He can't save them from their enemies but that He will use their enemies to turn them back to the right path.

"This is what the Lord says: 'Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you?'" (Isaiah 50:1a) The Lord didn't reject the people; they rejected Him and left Him. The Lord didn't want to send them into captivity; they sold themselves to sin and He allowed them to be captured.

He explains this in the next segment. "Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away." (Isaiah 50:1b) I assume the reference to their "mother" may be due to the fact that many who were taken captive passed away before an opportunity came to return to the land. Jeremiah will tell us that the captivity in Babylon is to last seventy years, so the majority who are in Babylon when they are set free will be people who were born there. Their mothers are no longer living.

"When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was My arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?" (Isaiah 50:2a) The Lord will repeat this theme later in the book of Isaiah, saying, "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2)

The people didn't go into captivity because the Lord wasn't powerful enough to rescue them. The people weren't conquered because the Lord couldn't see or hear what was going on. The fall of the nation happened because a majority of the people had fallen away from the Lord. He told them before He gave them the promised land that if they remained faithful to Him they would live in peace. They would never have to fear any enemy. But He also told them that if they fell into idolatry He would allow them to be removed from the land just as He removed their predecessors---the pagan tribes and nations---from the land.

The One who created all things and controls the forces of nature could never be too weak to save a nation from an enemy. "By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of thirst. I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make sackcloth its covering." (Isaiah 50:2b-3) He can bring calamities rather than blessing if the people turn away from Him. He told them they would have plentiful rain, abundant crops, enormous flocks and herds, healthy families, and everything else a person could want in the promised land if they did not fall into the idolatry of the heathen nations. He also said that drought, disease, famine, and other calamities would occur if they bowed to heathen images. It's not that the Lord can't protect them from the Babylonian invasion; it's that He won't because He intends to use the Babylonians as an instrument of correction.

Not every misfortune we experience in this life is a result of us living in disobedience to the Lord. Troubles can come for other reasons. But anytime troubles come, the first thing we should do is pray and search our hearts and submit to the Holy Spirit so He can reveal to us anything we are doing that brought our problems upon us. Sinning against the Lord never profits us. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 128, A New Covenant For The People, Part Four

The Lord has been promising not only to bring the people back from captivity in Babylon but also to make a new covenant with them. 

This next segment was partially fulfilled by the return to the land and the rebuilding of it. They will be helped by Gentiles, for several leaders of the Medo-Persian Empire will give them aid. But there is a bigger picture here in that many Gentiles will believe in Christ, who is of Israel, and the Gentiles of Christ's church will be a friend to the people of Israel. 

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up My banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.'" (Isaiah 49:22) This verse symbolizes the way "the nations" (Gentiles) will aid Israel. Another occasion which may be in view here was when Israel was recognized as a sovereign nation again in 1948 by nations that were not Jewish.

"Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed. Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives from the fierce?" (Isaiah 49:23-24) It is generally understood by Christian scholars that the phrase "lick the dust at your feet" is poetic language signifying that some of the leaders of nations and their people will give honor to Israel and will worship the God of Israel. Several Gentile leaders in the early church age and on up until now have been sympathetic to Israel. In the book of Revelation we are told that Israel was helped by others to flee from the wrath of the Antichrist. We are also told in the book of Revelation that there will be a great turning to Christ among the people of Israel. 

I think that the licking of the dust at their feet may also depict the way the Lord will judge the enemies of Israel. They will be forced to bow on their knees and acknowledge that God is Lord and acknowledge how much the Lord has loved His people. The Lord asked how plunder can be taken from warriors and captives from the fierce; it is because He is on their side that they will be rescued. "But this is what the Lord says: 'Yes, captives will be taken from warriors and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save." (Isaiah 49:25) 

"I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 49:26) The phrase "eat their own flesh" may have to do with enemy nations that fall apart from the inside---nations with a lot of division that makes them easy prey for invaders or for economic, political, and military collapse. What we can take away from this is that the Lord knows His own, the Lord watches over them, the Lord sees every wrong done to them, and the Lord avenges those wrongs.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 127, A New Covenant For The People, Part Three

As we closed yesterday's study we found the people saying the Lord had forgotten them. While in Babylonian captivity, many may have wondered if the Lord had abandoned them, but they had the great promises of the book of Isaiah in which the Lord promised a return to the land.

In response to their fear of being forgotten, the Lord says: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15) 

It is not a common thing for a mother to have no compassion for her infant. The only reason we hear about such cases is because they are relatively rare compared to the millions of women who love and protect their infants. The Lord says something like, "I can no more forget about you than a mother can forget about the child she birthed. But even if a woman should reject her child, I can never forget you. I am not a human with human failings."

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me. Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride." (Isaiah 49:16-18) 

Just as a person would see many times a day something they had engraved on their hands, the Lord continually sees these people. The "walls" are a reference to the walls of Jerusalem---the city that will be rebuilt after the time of captivity is over. The reference to their children being like ornaments likely has to do with how they will increase in number during the captivity. In the book of Jeremiah the Lord instructs them to continue getting married and having children so they will multiply and not decrease in number. (Jeremiah 29:6-7) You may recall how they greatly increased in number while in Egypt; they are to do the same in Babylon. They are not to give in to despair and think, "What's the point of marrying and having a family? We are doomed to die in Babylon. We will never see our land again."

"Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away. The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, 'This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.' Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these---where have they come from?'" (Isaiah 49:19-21) The way the Lord prospers them in captivity will seem too good to be true. They will be amazed at how the Lord brings this about. More people will return to the land than were taken from it.

When we are feeling discouraged or anxious it can be easy for us to think this is our permanent state. But the Lord has a way of using even those things to prosper us. He has a way of not only bringing us out of our tough seasons but also of making us better off than we were before.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 126, A New Covenant For The People, Part Two

In our current chapter the Lord has been speaking about the Messiah. He has referred to Him as the "Servant" of God and as a new "Covenant" for the people. This next section speaks not only of the captives' return from Babylon but of the return of many from all over the world during the eternal kingdom of the Messiah.

"They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside streams of water. I will turn all My mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. See, they will come from afar---some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan." (Isaiah 49:9b-12) 

Throughout the ages since the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and since the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon, descendants of Jacob have returned to the nation. But not all of them have returned; in our day there are Jewish people living in various places around the world. In the book of Revelation we will see them returning joyfully to the land in numbers such as never before, an event which is often referred to as "the ingathering" by Christian scholars. The imagery in the verses above reminds us of how the Good Shepherd leads the sheep to green pastures and still waters. (Psalm 23) It is intended to depict the way the Lord will remove every obstacle from their path (turning mountains into roads).

This is to be a joyful occasion and a cause for celebration. "Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones." (Isaiah 49:13) When Isaiah's people from the land of Judah are captive in Babylon, such a time of celebration will be difficult for them to imagine. During the eras when the Jewish people have been persecuted by various enemies, such a thing was probably difficult to imagine. That is why we find them saying this: "But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." (Isaiah 49:13)

Have you ever felt that way? During times of intense hardship, have you ever felt like the Lord didn't see your troubles or hear your cries for help? When we are overcome with sadness or fear, it can be difficult for us to feel the presence of the Lord. I know I have certainly felt that way when in deep distress. That is why it's so important for us to remember that we are not to live by our feelings but by what the word of God says. The word of God promises He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) The word of God tells us that He is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) The word of God tells us that His ears are always open to the prayers of His children. (1 Peter 3:12) 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 125, A New Covenant For The People, Part One

We are still in Chapter 49 which most Christian scholars interpret as being about the Messiah. Earlier in the chapter we found Him referred to as the "Servant" of God. Today we find Him referred to as the "Covenant". 

The Lord gave the first covenant to the people through Moses. The second covenant is given through Jesus Christ. We must read this passage with the understanding that it is God the Father speaking to God the Son. "This is what the Lord says: 'In the time of My favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, 'Come out!,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'" (Isaiah 49:8-9) 

God the Father sent the Son at the "acceptable time" (as it is rendered in the KJV) at the time of His "favor", meaning at the right time. We may not know all the reasons why God chose that particular time for the advent of Christ but we can rest assured that it was the best possible time in all of history for it to happen. As the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:4: "When the set time had come, God sent His Son." The time for the advent of Christ was set before the Lord created the first human being. The plan for every single thing the Lord would ever do for mankind was in place long before He ever scooped up dust in His hands and created the first person and breathed the breath of life into him.

The Father promises the Son that He will hear His prayers. In the gospels there are a number of times where we are told that Jesus prayed before performing a miracle. I wouldn't be surprised that He prayed before every miracle but that sometimes He prayed silently in His mind and other times it was out loud, leading the gospel writers to record the instances when He prayed out loud. Jesus prayed out loud while standing before the tomb of Lazarus, saying, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I know that You always hear Me." (John 11:41-42a) 

The Father heard the Son in prayers such as these but He also heard His prayers for His followers and for Himself, for God kept them all safe during the years of Jesus' ministry. Several times Jesus' enemies plotted against Him, trying to seize Him or stone Him to death, and the Father helped Him and the disciples to escape all these attacks. No one could do anything to Jesus before the time determined by the Father and no one could put Him to death except by the method determined by the Father. 

Jesus also prayed for you and for me. On the night before the crucifixion He prayed first for those who knew Him in the flesh and believed in Him and then He said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message." (John 17:20) 

We never saw Jesus in the flesh. We never witnessed any of the miracles. We never heard any of His sermons. But based on the accounts of the gospel writers, we believe. I think perhaps there is an extra special blessing for those who have believed in Jesus without ever having seen Him. It takes an extra measure of faith to believe in that which we have not seen; therefore, there may be an extra measure of blessing. The disciple Thomas had trouble believing Jesus had risen from the dead because he had not been with the other disciples when the risen Christ appeared to them. He stated that he could not believe unless he saw the proof. Then, when Jesus appeared again while Thomas was present, Thomas believed. Jesus said to him in John 20:29."Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 124, Another Messianic Prophecy, Part Two

Yesterday we began Chapter 49, the first portion of which involves a prophecy that most Christian scholars believe is a prophecy regarding the Messiah. We pick up there at verse 3.

It is the Lord speaking to the one He calls His "servant". "He said to Me, 'You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will display My splendor.' But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent My strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due Me is in the Lord's hand, and My reward is with My God.'" (Isaiah 49:3-4) If this is God the Father speaking to God the Son, why does He call Him "Israel"? The various commentaries I consulted had this to say: the Lord did display His splendor in Israel, for Christ was from Israel. The Lord called Israel to be His servant, though many rebelled against Him, and the true Servant (Christ) came from Israel to draw not only Jews but also Gentiles to Himself. 

We have begun a section of Isaiah in which very soon we will find a description of what happens to this Servant; what happens to Him in Chapter 53 is a description of the arrest, the trial, the beating, the crucifixion, the death, and the resurrection of Christ. In the section above we find Him saying, "I have spent My strength for nothing," because He was largely rejected by His own people. But at the same time He comforts Himself in the knowledge that He has done what the Father asked Him to do and will be rewarded by God. As the Lord Himself will say in Chapter 53, "I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12) The Apostle Paul says something similar about Christ, saying that because He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name". (Philippians 2:9)

This next segment refers to how the Gentiles will turn to Christ and how that many Jews (more than ever before) will eventually turn to Him as well. "And now the Lord says---He who formed Me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and My God has been My strength---He says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.'" (Isaiah 49:5-6) In Luke 2:32, when Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to present Him to the Lord at the temple, an old man named Simeon recognized Him as the Messiah and blessed Him, saying He would be "a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel." 

"This is what the Lord says---the Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel---to Him who was abhorred and despised by the nation, to the servant of rulers: 'Kings will see You and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.'" (Isaiah 49:7) The One who was formerly despised by so many will be King of kings and Lord of lords. He will reign eternally over the earth.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 123, Another Messianic Prophecy, Part One

The beginning of Chapter 49 contains what many mainstream Christian scholars believe is a prophecy regarding the Messiah and about the Jews and Gentiles who will believe in Him.

"Listen to Me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called Me; from My mother's womb He has spoken My name. He made My mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid Me; He made Me into a polished arrow and concealed Me in His quiver." (Isaiah 49:1-2)

The reference to islands and distant lands is a reference to the way so many people in the Gentile nations will come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Regarding Jesus' name having been spoken before He was born, in the book of Matthew, after Joseph was told that Mary was pregnant, he decided to dissolve the betrothal contract with her privately. He did not at first believe that she had not been unfaithful to him but at the same time he did not want to shame her publicly by announcing his grounds for breaking off the engagement. But an angel of the Lord came to him and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21) The name "Jesus" is a form of "Joshua" which means, "The Lord saves."

Regarding His mouth being a sharpened sword, it is because He speaks the word of God. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) The word of the Lord reveals to us our sinful state and our need for a Savior. It leads us to repentance if we will let it. But the same word will judge those who hear it and do not allow it to change their hearts. When the Lord Jesus appeared to the Apostle John and gave him the message of the book of Revelation, John described his appearance in symbolic terms, and he described a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth. (Revelation 1:16) This represents the word of God, with which He will judge the enemies of God and of God's people. Later John was given a vision of the Lord striking these enemies down with the sword of His mouth. (Revelation 19:15)

In regard to Him being a polished arrow concealed in the quiver of God, this may be a reference to the years between the birth of Christ and the beginning of His public ministry. We know very little about those years, for the Scriptures only relay a few details about His infancy and one story about Him at the age of twelve. Or this could be a reference to the way that Old Testament people did not know when or how the Redeemer was going to come. The Apostle Paul referred to what became the gospel message as "the mystery that was kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to God's people." (Colossians 1:26)

The Lord never concealed the fact that the Redeemer was coming but people didn't know when He would come or how He would become the Redeemer or who He would be. In that sense some of the details of His advent were "hidden" and were "a mystery". 

We are blessed to be living in an era after the advent of Christ. We are living in the church age and we have the New Testament that tells us about the things Jesus said and did. This is no longer a mystery but has now been revealed. Because Christ is "the exact representation" of God's being, we can look to Him and see the love that God the Father feels for us. We can see God's character. We know the simple method by which we can be saved: by placing our trust in the Son of God. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 212, Peace Like A River

Chapter 48 ends with the Lord telling the people they would have had nothing but peace if they had obeyed Him. It also ends with Him telling the people that, although they will be taken captive by the Babylonians, they will be set free.

When we closed our last study session He made reference to Cyrus the Great again (but not by name this time) and foretold the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the release of the captive people of Judah. This is what He says next: "This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.'" (Isaiah 48:17) 

The Lord provided them with the commandments and laws to direct their lives. Although no one is perfect and no one could keep His righteous statutes perfectly, His statutes for living demonstrated His holy character. They knew He did not bless willful sin. They knew they were not to participate in idolatry and in immoral living.

Before the Lord brought them into the promised land, He described the blessings they would receive if they were faithful to Him and He described the bad circumstances that would fall upon them if they were unfaithful. He promised that no enemy could ever stand against them if they would stay true to Him. But by the time Judah falls to the Babylonians, idolatry will be rampant, so He says, "If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out, nor destroyed from before Me." (Isaiah 48:18-19) Blessings would have overflowed, generation after generation, and no one would have invaded them or conquered them or taken any of them to foreign lands.

But their enemy Babylon will itself be conquered in time. When we arrive at the book of Jeremiah we will find him saying, upon inspiration of the Lord, that the captivity will last 70 years. When the people are given permission to leave and return to their own land, they must leave at once. "Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, 'The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.'" (Isaiah 48:20) Not everyone will leave Babylon when they are set free. We will talk more about this when we get to the book of Esther.

The Lord reminds them how He cared for them in the wilderness on the way to the promised land. He was trustworthy then and He still is. He will not break His promise to restore them to the land. "They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock and water gushed out." (Isaiah 48:21)

When the edict is issued that they are to go free, they must not remain in Babylon. That culture was wicked. The empire that overtook them---the Medo-Persian Empire---was also idolatrous. The people were not to assimilate into other cultures but were to be a separate people. Assimilating will only lead to sin. "'There is no peace,' says the Lord, 'for the wicked.'" (Isaiah 48:22) As I said earlier, they did not all obey the Lord's command to depart from Babylon hastily. This will almost lead to their extinction there when we arrive at the book of Esther. Disobedience always leads away from peace.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 211, The Lord's Purpose Against Babylon

The Lord foretold Judah's invasion by Babylon around 130 years before it happened. Isaiah faithfully relayed this message to the people but such a thing must have been deemed impossible by some of the people, for Babylon was under the control of Assyria in Isaiah's day. Assyria was the nation they feared in his day; indeed, Assyria was the nation that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.

But the Lord also foretells the fall of Babylon and the release of the captives from Judah. We will study the remainder of Chapter 48, dealing with that fall and release, in two sections.

The Lord reminds the people that He is the Creator. Everything and everyone was made by Him and if He speaks a word, it will come true. "Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together." (Isaiah 48:12-13) He is the one and only God. There was no god before Him and there will be no god after Him because He is eternally existing. As difficult as the human mind finds this to grasp, there was no "before"---no time when God did not already exist. It's hard for us to imagine no starting point for His existence because we inhabit the time and space of this created universe. But it's the truth and that means He is all-powerful, self-sustaining, and is in control of all things. These prophecies He is giving will come true. A God who is eternally existing and who created all things is a God who will carry out His purposes.

"Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things?" (Isaiah 48:14a) None of their idols has said a word to them about the rise of Babylon, its invasion of Judah, its captivity of Judah's citizens, its defeat by another rising world power, or the setting free of the captives. Neither has any false prophet or pagan priest or astrologer said these things. We will learn later in the Bible that these idolatrous "authorities" in Judah were predicting peace and prosperity. Even if they had given a gloomy prophecy, it would have involved Assyria. Certainly it would not have involved Babylon since that nation didn't appear likely to stand up in great strength again.

The Lord has already mentioned a man named Cyrus who will conquer Judah's conqueror. He mentions him again, though this time not by name. "The Lord's chosen ally will carry out His purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission." (Isaiah 48:14b-15) Cyrus did not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but that doesn't mean the Lord can't use him for His purposes. The Lord raises up kingdoms and He puts down kingdoms according to His will for mankind. He can use a person who worships Him but He can also use a person who does not acknowledge Him as their Lord.

Many scholars believe that Cyrus read the book of Isaiah, copies of which the captives took with them. This is because later in the Bible we find him saying that the God of the people of Judah told him to set them free and told him to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Cyrus didn't rebuild those himself but he gave supplies to the people when he told them they could go free. It is thought by a number of scholars that Cyrus read the prophecies that called him by name.

Isaiah urges the people to commit to memory the things he has spoken from the Lord. The message is completely trustworthy. Though they will be captured, that will not be the end of them or their nation. When these things come true, they will remember the message and that it was God who gave it. The first part of this verse appears to be a quotation from the Lord's words and the second half is Isaiah speaking of himself. "Come near me and listen to this: 'From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.' And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, endowed with His Spirit." (Isaiah 48:16) 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 210, Delaying Wrath

In the first half of Chapter 48 the Lord called Isaiah's people stubborn. He pointed out that no god but Him ever helped them, yet they have bowed to idols that cannot do anything. He said no one but Him guides their lives and tells them the things to come, yet they have called upon false gods and consulted astrologers for advice about the future.

The Lord has lots more to predict for them about things to come. "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you." (Isaiah 48:6b) The Lord has been predicting the fall of the nation and also the restoration of the nation. But there are even bigger events to come in time, for the advent of the Messiah has not yet occurred. The Apostle Paul, preaching after the advent of the Messiah and after His death and resurrection and ascension, referred to the gospel message as, "The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed." (Colossians 1:26) It's not that the Lord hid the fact that the Messiah was coming; we can clearly see from the Scriptures that He was expected, but the people didn't know when or how. They didn't yet understand how God's plan of redemption, through the ultimate and perfect and eternal sacrifice, would unfold.

The book of Isaiah contains a Messianic prophecy that was clearly fulfilled by Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection. We will be arriving at that chapter soon. But many did not accept that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Many will not accept other prophecies made between the book of Isaiah and the books of the gospel account. Many won't take those to heart either. They won't take it to heart that the Lord is the one who told them of these things to come, instead preferring to go their own way and cling to idols. That is not a situation unique to the people of the Bible era, for many in our own era are still refusing to accept the Lord and give their hearts to Him, despite all the evidence for His existence and despite their need for a Redeemer.

When all the Lord's predicted events unfold over the centuries, no idolater can claim to have been told about them by a pagan priest or astrologer or false God. Only the Lord told them these things through His prophets, like the prophet Isaiah. "They are created now, not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.'" (Isaiah 48:7) They can't point to any writings containing these prophecies except the writings of God's true prophets. 

"You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ears have not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth." (Isaiah 48:8) He calls them "a rebel from birth" because even when He first brought them out of Egypt and started them on their journey to the promised land, they murmured against Him. They even accused Him of bringing them into the wilderness to kill them. While He was giving Moses the Ten Commandments on the mountain, they were making a graven image and bowing to it and engaging in all sorts of unseemly revelry. So "from birth"---their birth as a separate people, their birth as a nation---they have not all been faithful to Him. The same thing could be said of every one of us and of every human being, that we have a rebellious character from birth, that we have a tendency to want to go our own way, that we allow our carnal nature to tempt us to sin. But thanks be to God, everyone who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ is a new creature! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We have redemption through Him, a new birth through Him.

In Old Testament times, before the advent of Christ, redemption was by faith that the Redeemer would come. The people had to observe the proper sacrifices and they had to repent from a sincere heart, but many went through the motions without a sincere heart. Some didn't go through the motions at all, worshiping idols instead. But the Lord has been patient with them in spite of the unfaithfulness. "For My own name's sake I delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely." (Isaiah 48:9) The Lord promised that Israel would always be a nation, that the Redeemer would come from that nation, and that He would reign from David's throne forever. If the Lord destroyed them as a people, He could not keep His word, and the Lord never breaks a promise. In addition, it can never be said that the Lord didn't provide plenty of opportunities to repent. None of them can stand before Him in the judgment and claim they'd never heard of Him, had never had opportunities to understand His character and to place their trust in Him.

He is not going to destroy them as a people but He is going to purify them through trials. After they have been conquered and carried off to a foreign land and after He keeps His word to allow a return to the land, we don't find them bowing to idols anymore. "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another." (Isaiah 48:10-11)

The Lord says He is doing this for His own sake and the way I'm understanding this is that He is doing it not because man is righteous and worthy of salvation, but because He is righteous and good and loving. He hasn't saved any of us because we were exceptionally good; He has done it because He is good and because He loves us too much not to offer us a means of salvation. Also, if the Lord had destroyed them contrary to His word, all the other nations would have defamed His name. How then could anyone be saved? If He is not a God who keeps His promises, how could anyone trust Him? The Lord must keep His name holy or else no one could find redemption. He always has and always will display His trustworthiness so that all can see that He alone is God.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 209, Stubbornness

In Chapter 48 the Lord speaks of the stubbornness of His people. He speaks of their refusal to live by His laws, though some go through the motions with a heart that is far from Him. He speaks of idolatry and about people wanting to go their own way.

I want to stop here a minute to point out that there's a stubborn streak in all humans, not just those of Isaiah's nation. We have all done things we know are against the Lord's laws. We have all tried to do things in our own way with our own strength. We have all, at times, put ourselves or someone else or something else ahead of God. But there will come a time in Isaiah's nation when flagrant idolatry will be extremely widespread and that is the point at which the Lord will allow Judah to fall to an enemy, just as He allowed Israel to fall to an enemy. It's important to keep in mind that the Lord can allow any nation to fall if its people get far enough away from Him, so it's imperative that His people pray for their nation.

"Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel---but not in truth or righteousness---" (Isaiah 48:1) Taking an oath in the name of God is meaningless if the person does not honor God. In a case like that, there is no guarantee the person will keep their oath. It's like a person placing their hand on a Bible in court while vowing to tell nothing but the truth; if the Lord means nothing to them, their oath means nothing.

"You who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and claim to rely on the God of Israel---the Lord Almighty is His name: I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass." (Isaiah 48:2-3) The things the Lord predicted long ago have come to pass, yet many aren't taking this to heart. If they were, they would understand that the things He is predicting for the future will come to pass---like their coming defeat and captivity.

Since they are not taking these things to heart, the Lord refers to their stubbornness of spirit. "For I knew how stubborn you were; your neck muscles were iron, your forehead was bronze." (Isaiah 48:4) This paints the picture of a stubborn donkey or mule who resists the harness and will not allow itself to be guided.

Because the Lord has foretold things to come, and because they will happen exactly as He said, the people should remember what He said when the things come to pass. No false prophet told them; no idol told them. "Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.' You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them?" (Isaiah 48:5-6)

The Lord is reasoning with people to acknowledge that He alone is God. If we put God first in our lives and allow Him to be Lord of our lives, everything else will fall into its proper place. We will have His power on our side. He alone is our source of security.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 208, The Fall Of Babylon, Part Three

Today we conclude Chapter 47 which is a prophecy about the fall of Babylon.

The Lord is saying to that wicked nation: "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror." (Isaiah 47:12) 

In yesterday's study the Lord talked about how cruelly the Babylonians treated His people when they conquered them and took them captive. In Isaiah's day this was still quite a way off in the future but the Lord talks about it as if it is happening now or has already happened. The Babylonians didn't think they could be defeated and He takes on a taunting tone when He says, "Perhaps you will cause terror," for Babylon's enemy will not be afraid of it at all. Neither is the Lord afraid of it and He will bring the judgment He has pronounced.

"All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you." (Isaiah 47:13) Earlier in the book of Isaiah the Lord talked about how Babylon's idols were burdens to them. The idols had to be carried about from place to place, unable to do anything good for anyone. The astrologers are the same way. They make prediction after prediction, month after month, but they are useless. Their predictions are meaningless and are likely made up of things the leaders want to hear.

"Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by." (Isaiah 47:14) There is no true comfort to be found in the astrologers' words. They can't help anyone, not even themselves.

"That is all they are to you---those you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is not one that can save you." (Isaiah 47:15) The messages of astrologers have provided nothing but a false sense of security for the people who are supporting them and seeking them for advice. The only real security is in the Lord, but they have rejected Him and are worshiping false gods. When an enemy army pours into their capitol city, the false gods will be no help to them, though they have brought many offerings to them all their lives.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 207, The Fall Of Babylon, Part Two

The Lord is foretelling the fall of Babylon many years before it happens. We began our look at this prophecy yesterday and today we learn why the Lord is going to deal so harshly with that nation. He used Babylon as an instrument of correction for His people who had gone far astray into idolatry. But the Babylonians did far more than just conquer Judah and take its people to their land.

"I was angry with My people and desecrated My inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. You said, 'I am forever---the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen." (Isaiah 47:6-7) 

The Babylonians could not have caused the fall of the nation of Judah if it had not been the Lord's will. They think they did this in their own power but the Lord promised the descendants of Jacob, before He brought them into the promised land, that if they remained faithful, no nation could ever stand against them. It was only because they did not stay faithful that He allowed them to be conquered. But the Babylonians took this opportunity to treat them harshly---I imagine much like the Egyptians treated them many centuries earlier---and this was not what they were supposed to do. In their wickedness they allowed their power over the people to go to their heads and they allowed their prejudice against them to turn them into cruel taskmasters.

"Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.'" (Isaiah 47:8) The people of the Neo-Babylonian Empire believed they would be a world power forever. They were complacent in their false sense of security. There is no security except that which is found in the living God and the Babylonians cared nothing for Him. Rather, they declared themselves gods when they said, "I am, and there is none besides me." The title "I Am" is a title for God, a title He chose for Himself when speaking to Moses from the burning bush. What the Babylonians are saying is, "We are gods and there are none other than us." This blasphemously mimics what the Lord has said about Himself a number of times in the book of Isaiah: "I am the Lord and there is no other."

The Babylonians think no enemy can conquer them. The women don't believe their husbands or sons will perish in battle. But this is what the Lord says: "Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.' Disaster will come upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you." (Isaiah 47:9-11)

The book of Daniel tells us that the capitol city of Babylon fell in one night. They were partying like there was no tomorrow while the enemy breached the walls. The king of Babylon was killed that night, along with many others. Women lost sons and husbands in the invasion as the empire that would set the captives free caused the fall of their nation.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 206, The Fall Of Babylon, Part One

In Chapter 27 the Lord foretells the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In Isaiah's day it was under Assyrian domination; Assyria was the nation everyone feared. Assyria would conquer the northern kingdom of Israel but it would not conquer the southern kingdom of Judah, for Babylon would rise from the ashes and overthrow Assyria, and it would conquer Judah at a point when the idolatry there became as rampant as it had been in the northern kingdom.

Isaiah's people could scarcely imagine being conquered by Babylon, since it didn't look likely to rise again, much less conquer them and take them captive. But the Lord foretells the fall of Babylon so that, when the people are in captivity there, they can look back at His promises and know that the exile of their nation is not permanent. This prophecy is to give them hope. The nation that conquers Babylon will give them permission to go free. 

We need words of hope to trust in when hard times come. The Lord has included many beautiful promises of help, comfort, peace, and provision so you and I can look to them and trust His word when in troubled times so we don't give up hope.

"Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate." (Isaiah 47:1) Usually when the Bible refers to a nation or city as a "Virgin Daughter" it means it has never been invaded or plundered before. The old kingdom of Babylon was subjugated by Assyria but the Neo-Babylonian Empire was only used to conquering---not being conquered. The new empire had never been invaded.

The Lord depicts the empire as a spoiled and delicate young woman, living in luxury, not used to performing manual labor. "Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one." (Isaiah 47:2-3) This paints the scene of being taken captive and forcibly marched to another land, just as the Babylonians took the people of Judah captive and marched them to a foreign land.

This prophecy is certain to come to pass because it is being spoken by the One who is in control of all things. "Our Redeemer---the Lord Almighty is His name---is the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 47:4) 

"Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms." (Isaiah 47:5) Babylon was at the height of its glory during the era when it took the people of Judah captive. Its people had a great deal of national pride and a great deal of complacency that they would never be overcome again. But their boasts will be silenced. Their reputation as the most beautiful and powerful nation will fade out into darkness. 

This chapter is quite lengthy regarding the fall of Babylon and it will take us several days to study it. We will learn that, although the Lord used Babylon as an instrument of discipline for His people, the Babylonians went far and above anything He wanted them to do. They used this opportunity to be cruel and inhumane to the Lord's people, and for that they will pay a price.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 205, God's Purpose Will Stand

In our last study session we found the Lord comparing idols to heavy burdens. They had to be moved about by human hands or by pack animals or by cart. The idols were unable to do anything for themselves or for those who carried them; they might as well have been carrying a sack of coal on their back or a wooden chest filled with rocks.

As we complete Chapter 46 we find the Lord stating again that He is the only God. He is the only one who can tell what happened in ages past and He is the only one who can tell what will happen in the future. The idols and the mediums and the fortune tellers of the pagans cannot do that.

"Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." (Isaiah 46:8-10a) None of His prophecies or promises will fail. They are certain to take place exactly the way the Lord said they would at the right time.

The word "rebels" is translated as "transgressors" in some Bibles. Idolatry is transgressing the Lord's commandments. Rebellion is disrespecting and rejecting God. If they would think logically, the fact that everything the Lord predicts comes to pass ought to make them stop and think. It ought to make them wonder why their own gods can't do this and it ought to make them conclude that He is the only god.

The Lord will carry out everything He said He would because His plans are perfect. It is His will to orchestrate events on earth in particular ways in order to achieve His purpose. "I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" (Isaiah 46:10b)

"From the east I will summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill My purpose." (Isaiah 46:11a) This is another reference in the book of Isaiah to Cyrus the Great, who will set the captive people of Judah free from Babylon. In Isaiah's day the people of Judah were still living in their own country and Babylon was subject to Assyria, who had conquered it. In the moment when the Lord spoke this prophecy, I am sure many scoffed at the idea. After all, they had not been conquered by anyone and Babylon at that time didn't appear capable of throwing off the rule of Assyria. But this will happen exactly as the Lord said, for Babylon with overthrow Assyrian domination and will conquer many areas itself---including Judah---and the people will be taken captive. Later, when the Medo-Persian Empire rises to power, it will conquer Babylon and Cyrus will tell the people they can go home and rebuild.

"Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from My righteousness. I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, My splendor to Israel." (Isaiah 46:12-13) To man's way of thinking, the return to the land is still far off; they haven't even left the land yet. But the way God reckons time is different. He is eternal and 200 years seem like a blink of an eye: "it is not far away". I believe what He is saying in this passage is that these things will take place in the perfect era of history in His perfect timing. They will happen how and when He wants them to happen. Sometimes we may not know why a particular thing happens during a particular season of our life but what we can be certain of is that the Lord timed it perfectly for whatever He wants to accomplish for us.