Cyrus was spoken of briefly at the end of the previous chapter. Now he is addressed directly by God in a prophecy recorded several hundred years before his birth. Cyrus will be anointed by God to serve His cause and fulfil His will for the benefit of God’s remnant people among the Jews and His elect among the Gentiles of after-ages. Cyrus will be strengthened, enriched and emboldened by the Lord. His enemies will submit to his rule. Yet the purpose of all his elevation is God’s love for His church. They would be blessed and God’s name honoured.

There are a lot of trees in our chapter today. Isaiah speaks of cedar, cypress, oak and ash; all valuable trees of the forest, all prized by woodsmen and craftsmen for strength, grandeur and utility. Then the prophet speaks of another tree, the willow, not so grand or valuable, in fact, often little more than a weedy shrub. Isaiah likens God’s elect to the willow and pictures the Lord suppling the water-loving tree with all the moisture it needs. It is a type of distinguishing grace. In the gospel age, the spiritual descendants of Isaiah’s readers will be quickened with grace from heaven and ‘shall spring up … as willows by the water courses’.

There is a sense in which everything belongs to the Lord as Maker and Creator. ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.’ Yet there is a distinct and separate ownership expressed in today’s passage of certain men and women formed as a new creation and redeemed by precious blood. ‘You’, says God, ‘are mine’. Here is another glorious gospel chapter that speaks of Christ’s special ownership of a known and named people, loved of God and called by grace. That’s comforting … The theme of comfort for the Lord’s people is again foremost in our Saviour’s message. He tells us to be unafraid. This must have greatly reassured the remnant people of Judah in Isaiah’s…

The beauty of this chapter will be enhanced by at once recognising the identity of the Lord’s servant. In the previous chapter the Holy Spirit left open the question of the identity of the ‘righteous man from the east’. This time there is no doubt. Matthew in his Gospel specifies the Lord Jesus Christ to be God’s chosen servant, God’s elect in whom His soul delights. It is the Lord Jesus in His mediator role who is endued with Holy Spirit strength to bring salvation to the Gentiles. Christ’s tender care In this passage we read both of the Lord’s successful deliverance of His people and His tender care towards them who are bruised and troubled. Our Lord Jesus in His humanity was fortified and…

Gospel days are in view as Isaiah begins to preach his sermon concerning the Messiah and His saving work. In chapter 40 the Lord repeatedly asked, ‘Have ye not known? Have ye not heard?’ These questions served to emphasis the Messiah’s divinity and unique ministry which God’s prophets had long foretold amongst the Jews. However, Christ’s ministry would be expansive and worldwide. Now the Lord calls on the isles, that is, the Gentile nations beyond Israel to present themselves before the Lord to witness an account of Christ’s deeds and irrefutable power. The righteous man The evidence concerns the Lord’s own work in raising up ‘the righteous man from the East’ and various suggestions are given to identify this person. Some suggest Abraham who was…

Our progress through Isaiah’s prophecy has brought us to a new section. Of course, there has been much of Christ in earlier chapters as we have seen. There have been details about His incarnation and the virgin birth as well as anticipation of what Christ would accomplish at the cross for His remnant people. However, here we step through into the more evangelical and spiritual part of this prophecy. This reaches to and includes the whole Gospel age from the coming of John the Baptist to the second coming of Christ. A worrying time At the end of the previous chapter Isaiah spoke of Judah’s exile and captivity in Babylon after the death of Hezekiah. Now Isaiah himself is to comfort the Lord’s captive people.…