Isaiah 45 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 45 Short Summary:

Isaiah 45 contains a marvelous prophecy, spoken by Isaiah, foretelling the future leader of the Empire of Persia. Isaiah accurately prophesied the name, Cyrus, and the accomplishments of Cyrus the Great 100-150 years before they played out in history. Isaiah 45 is one of the clearest and most obvious passages that proves the divine origin of the Bible.

Isaiah 45 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• Isaiah’s ministry is thought to span from 739-681 BC.

• Cyrus released the people of Judah from Babylonian captivity around 537 BC.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• Cyrus – Known as Cyrus the Great. He ruled over the Persian Empire, conquered the city of Babylon in the days of the prophet Daniel, and released the captives of Judah to return to Jerusalem.

DEFINITIONS:

• *no words to define in this chapter.

OUTLINE:

• CYRUS, GOD’S ANOINTED (45:1-14):

  • God was going to bless the reign of Cyrus over Persia, going before him to give him success.

  • Though Cyrus was not even born yet, God named him in this prophecy and foretold how he would be an integral part of His plan for the people of Judah.

  • Per Isaiah 44:28, Cyrus was going to order the city of Jerusalem to be rebuilt after the Babylonians destroyed it (Babylon wouldn’t destroy Jerusalem for another 100 years, 686 BC).

  • He was going to set the exiled people of Judah free from Babylon so they could return home to rebuild the city (45:13).

  • God’s prophecy about Cyrus would be proof to the nations that He was superior to their idols.

  • Cyrus would set Judah free “not for price or reward” and in exchange, God gave Cush, Egypt, and Seba to the Persians as ransom (43:3; 45:14).

• TURN TO GOD AND BE SAVED (45:15-25):

  • God’s prophecy about Cyrus and His work throughout history was sufficient proof that God was superior to the idols of foreign nations.

  • God encouraged all the nations, saying, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (45:22).

  • God would justify Judah and save them with “everlasting salvation.”

  • It was not just Judah that would worship the God of Heaven, God declared, “To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance” (45:23).

APPLICATION:

• The prophecy in Isaiah 45 is one of the clearest evidences of the inspiration of the Bible.

• Be careful what sources you use when studying the end of Isaiah because many “academics” will suggest that these chapters were not written by Isaiah but by Isaiah’s adherents who lived during the time of Cyrus.  

• It’s a common tactic of those who want to downplay the supernatural origin of the Bible to suggest later dates for writings that are otherwise undeniably miraculously prophetic.

• Sometimes this is done by Bible critics who want to discredit the Bible.

• Other times its done by Christians who want to appeal to the secular world and secular academia, and they feel more comfortable toning down the miraculous claims of the Bible and minimizing them.