Proper 7 (OT)

Isaiah 45:1-7

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of

to subdue nations before him

and to strip kings of their armor,

to open doors before him

so that gates will not be shut:

² I will go before you

and will level the mountains;

I will break down gates of bronze

and cut through bars of iron.

³ I will give you the treasures of darkness,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

⁴ For the sake of Jacob my servant,

of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

and bestow on you a title of honor,

though you do not acknowledge me.

⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other;

apart from me there is no God.

I will strengthen you,

though you have not acknowledged me,

⁶ so that from the rising of the sun

to the place of its setting

men may know there is none besides me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

⁷ I form the light and create darkness,

I bring prosperity and create disaster;

I, the Lord, do all these things.

The Lord's anointed is Cyrus the ruler of the Persian Empire.  He will return the people of Israel to their proper place.  He will send forth a decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  He will make the road easy for the people to return.  He will not be stopped by anyone.  He will summon the people of God by Name and gather them to the land of their fathers.

There is only one Lord and one God.  Listen Israel the Lord your God the Lord is One.  There is none that can compare to the Lord.  Wait!  I thought we just compared Cyrus to the Lord Jesus Christ?  Isn't Jesus the Lord's Anointed who delivers his people from bondage and re-builds the temple in three days?  Didn't Jesus say he is the only way to Heaven, or the promised land?

How can we compare God to Isaac or Joseph or Moses or others in the Old Testament?  It is pretty simple.  There is nothing saying that Jesus is like Isaac in every way, or Moses, or Joseph.  But that these people show characteristic that are similar to the Christ.  Cyrus had the people rebuild the temple.  Jesus rebuilt the Temple.  Cyrus sent the people back to the promised land.  Jesus delivers us from bondage to the eternal promise land.  Likewise, Moses delivered the people from the Land of Slavery.  Similarly, Joseph even lead his family from a famine to a place of plenty in Egypt.

There is truly no God like the LORD.  There is no Lord to compare to Jesus Christ.  The LORD declares himself to be like none other.  He is the one who created light and darkness.  It is the only one and true God who created all things and is created by none.  He is the one who has anointed his servants.  He is the one who has given all people life.  Jesus Christ is the One who has given us new life through his sacrifice.  There is many sacrifices which are made for others, but there is no other sacrifice that provides life for all mankind.