Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"Your foundation shall be laid"
Text: Isaiah 44:28
A SPECIAL PROPHECY CONCERNING CYRUS
Isaiah communicated God’s word prophetically. Isaiah 44 compared the idols that Israel worshipped to the LORD God. Isaiah concluded the chapter with an amazing note concerning the king who would cause Israel to return to their homeland.
“Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’
And to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.””
Isaiah 44:27-28
1. Oceans and Rivers
a) “The deep” is a reference to the mighty oceans.
b) “Rivers” in this context would be like the oceans:
i) The River Nile.
ii) The River Euphrates.
2. Symbols
a) These were used symbolically.
b) They represented:
i) Mighty nations.
ii) Great and insurmountable odds against Israel.
3. The Exercise of God’s Power
a) God will command “the deep” and “the rivers”.
b) He will cause them to dry up.
c) He will enable Israel to overcome all odds stacked up against it.
4. The mention of Cyrus
a) This was the name of the ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire.
b) At this juncture:
i) The Assyrians were the prevailing Empire.
ii) The Babylonians had not yet become a world power.
iii) The Medo-Persian alliance had not been formed.
iv) Cyrus was not born yet.
c) What Cyrus would do one day.
i) He would be like a shepherd to Israel.
ii) He would obey the LORD’s command.
iii) He would cause Jerusalem to be rebuilt.
iv) He would cause the foundations of the Second Temple to be laid.
5. This was an amazing prophecy that was fulfilled!
a) The books of Ezra and Nehemiah describe the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.
b) The prophets Haggai and Malachi ministered to those who rebuilt the Second Temple.