Harbinger's Lamp

Isaiah 45; 55; 61 · ASV · Lesson 8 of 13

The God Who Saves

God’s universal salvation in Isaiah 45, 55 and 61: the Lord who raised up Cyrus calls all the ends of the earth to look to Him and be saved, offers His salvation without price by a word that will not return void, and transforms the brokenhearted into trees of righteousness.

Series
Isaiah, Part II
Date
October 20, 2026
Length
45 min
Parts
7
Questions
16

The passage · ASV

Isaiah 45; 55; 61

Read the passage · 49 verses

Isaiah 45

1Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:

2I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron;

3and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, Jehovah, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel.

4For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

5I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God. I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me;

6that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.

7I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.

8Distil, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up together; I, Jehovah, have created it.

9Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

10Woe unto him that saith unto a father, What begettest thou? or to a woman, With what travailest thou?

11Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.

12I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and all their host have I commanded.

13I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.

14Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

15Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

16They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.

17But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be put to shame nor confounded world without end.

18For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.

19I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

20Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

21Declare ye, and bring it forth; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath showed this from ancient time? who hath declared it of old? have not I, Jehovah? and there is no God else besides me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides me.

22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.

23By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

24Only in Jehovah, it is said of me, is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come; and all they that were incensed against him shall be put to shame.

25In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Isaiah 55

1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not; and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

6Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:

7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.

9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

11so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands.

13Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle-tree: and it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 61

1The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.

4And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers.

6But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

7Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them.

8For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.

10I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

1

Part 1 · Isaiah 45:1–7

Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed

Chapter 45 opens with God speaking directly to a foreign king: “Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus” (verse 1). This is foretold at least 150 years before Cyrus came to power. God would hold his right hand, open doors and gates before him, and call him by name, though Cyrus did not know Him (verses 1–4).

Verses 5–7 reiterate what Isaiah has stressed again and again: “I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God.” Cyrus is girded by a God he does not know, so that from the rising of the sun to the west all may know there is none besides Him.

Verse 7 draws a great deal of debate: “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.” If God created both light and darkness, is He responsible for evil? The verse is showing that there is no dualism — no rival power of darkness alongside God; He is over all. “Darkness” here means darkness, not sin, and the “evil” set against “peace” is calamity (as many versions render it), not moral evil. The verse does not say God creates sin; but He certainly is the one who defines both good and evil.

  1. Question 1. God is speaking to whom in verse 1? How many years approximately is this foretold?

  2. Question 2. Why is it important that he was “anointed”? Was Cyrus aware of any of this?

  3. Question 3. God’s use of Cyrus to fulfill His redemptive plan for His people shows that He can use even unbelievers to accomplish His will. Is this still something God does today?

  4. Question 4. How does verse 7 (“create darkness”) reflect God’s sovereignty without making Him the author of evil?

2

Part 2 · Isaiah 45:8–16

Woe to Him That Striveth with His Maker

Verse 8 is a poetic appeal: “Distil, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation.” Righteousness and salvation are pictured coming down from God like rain.

Then comes a warning to anyone who would contend with God: “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth!” (verse 9). If you must argue, argue with your equals. God wants us to trust the hands that formed the world (verse 12). He directs our ways; He restores as He directs; there is no haggling on our behalf. He raised up Cyrus to build His city and let His exiles go free, “not for price nor reward” (verse 13).

Some very harsh imagery is used in verse 14: the nations come over “in chains,” fall down, and say, “Surely God is in thee; and there is none else.” Nations submit themselves and acknowledge that Israel’s God is the true God, while the makers of idols are put to shame (verse 16).

  1. Question 5. What does God say to those who want to contend with Him?

  2. Question 6. Verse 14 sounds like a global turning to God, but is that really what is happening?

3

Part 3 · Isaiah 45:17–25

Look unto Me, and Be Ye Saved

“Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation” (verse 17) — not because they are Israel, but because they turned to the God who can save. Those who “carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save” have no knowledge (verse 20). Again the idols are exposed as powerless, man-crafted false hopes.

God did not speak “in secret, in a place of the land of darkness” (verse 19). And His call goes out to everyone: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else” (verse 22). Further emphasis falls on the acknowledgment God will have from all: “unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (verse 23).

Does that sound familiar? Paul applies it to Christ: “that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11). What we call the gospel message did not come out of nowhere; Isaiah said it first.

  1. Question 7. Verse 22 offers a universal call to salvation: “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.” How does this connect to the New Testament message?

  2. Question 8. God contrasts Himself with idols in verses 16 and 20. What makes His invitation to “seek” Him so fundamentally different from the gods the nations turn to?

4

Part 4 · Isaiah 55:1–5

Come Ye to the Waters

Again everyone is called to drink, to be provided for: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (verse 1).

Yet there are requirements. “Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live” (verse 3) — we must listen to Him. If we come near and listen, our soul shall live, and He will make an everlasting covenant, “even the sure mercies of David.”

The nations will come — not to join Israel in that sense, but “because of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel” (verse 5). They are being called, and the call is Messianic.

  1. Question 9. Everyone is called to drink and be provided for (verse 1). Is this physical or spiritual?

  2. Question 10. God offers His invitation “without price” (v. 1). How does this challenge our natural tendency to either earn what we receive or believe we’re entitled to it?

5

Part 5 · Isaiah 55:6–13

Seek Ye Jehovah While He May Be Found

“Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near” (verse 6). Again the call is to seek the Lord — to be active, with urgency. It is a call to turn from wickedness and return to the Lord: “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.” Only then can mercy be received, “for he will abundantly pardon” (verse 7).

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (verse 8). That means two things. First, our ways are wicked; we must follow His. Second, the idea of pardon with no limits is not something we see in man-made morals.

Then Isaiah returns to the imagery of rain, the source of life and rejuvenation. As the rain and snow water the earth and make it bud, “so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void” (verses 10–11). God’s word produces new life and fruit; it is effective, not void, and it cannot be stopped. The chapter ends with joy and renewal: the mountains break forth into singing, the trees clap their hands, and instead of thorn and brier come the fir-tree and the myrtle (verses 12–13). God’s word is transformative, “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

  1. Question 11. Verse 6 urges people to “seek the Lord while He may be found.” How urgent is this call? What can cause us to miss the opportunity?

6

Part 6 · Isaiah 61:1–3

Good Tidings to the Meek

We studied these verses with the Servant Songs, as the passage Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:17–21). After reading it He said, “To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.”

It is a transformational message: healing for the brokenhearted, liberty for the captives, comfort for all who mourn. God gives “a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (verse 3) — ashes to beauty, mourning to gladness, a faint spirit to praise — “that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.”

  1. Question 12. We previously studied these verses when studying the Servant Songs. Where was this passage quoted?

  2. Question 13. Why does God’s redemptive work focus so deeply on the inner life before we notice it in outward circumstances?

7

Part 7 · Isaiah 61:4–11

Garments of Salvation

When people are transformed by God’s renewal, it does not stop with the individual; it spills out. “They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations” (verse 4). What was destroyed is restored — not simply Jerusalem, which was never fully restored, but the spiritual health of the nation being rebuilt as well. These were “the desolations of many generations”; the captivity was to last seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11).

Where there was once shame there will be double honor — a reversal (verse 7). Again, transformation requires change: God says, “I hate robbery with iniquity” — sacrifice without righteousness is hated (verse 8). The change will be noticed by the world: “all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed” (verse 9).

God’s people receive a new identity: “he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (verse 10). The symbolism of a garden tended by God (verse 11) shows both our significance to Him and that what is harmful to others is removed.

  1. Question 14. “Desolations of many generations” — how long was the captivity?

  2. Question 15. Why is the metaphor of the redeemed being called “oaks of righteousness” reassuring?

  3. Question 16. How do we live our lives as “evidence” of God’s transformative power?Personal