NOTES for Isa 45:1-25

After conquering Babylon, the Persian king Cyrus soon allows the captive Jews to return to their homeland, Palestine. Thus ends one of the most important periods in sacred history—the Babylonian exile. Yet behind these historical upheavals, the prophet perceives the power at work in history of the true King of the universe—the Lord, the God of Israel. He Himself leads His people toward salvation, toward divine life. To attain this ultimate goal, He permits catastrophes and calamities, and for the same purpose He later heals, forgives, and brings the people back from exile. Seeing the presence and activity of evil forces in our world and our history, we—following the prophet's example—must realize that God is the Lord of history, that authority over time and the world belongs to Him, and that through all our trials we are moving toward the goal He has appointed—a goal that the prophet and we ourselves can scarcely imagine or describe.