Good morning Beloved of God in Christ Jesus.
We give glory to God for the gift of another new day, we thank God for the privilege of life and for His unending mercy and grace upon us always. Praise God!
STUDYING AND UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE – PART 427
Isaiah Chapter 45 continued…
For the purpose of those who love to explore history of the Bible and other books connected to the happenings in the Bible, I am going to dish out some more information relating to verses 1 to 3 of this Chapter under consideration. For today, I will touch only literal interpretations of the prophecies.
Let’s read…
Isaiah 45:1-4 TPT
“This is what Yahweh says to his anointed one, Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped as my servant to conquer nations and dethrone their kings. For I will open doors before him and no fortified gate will remain closed.
Note: regarding conquering nations, there was a Greek Historian called Xenophon (you can read more about him if you love history).
He gave the following list of the nations conquered by Cyrus: the Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, the Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phoenicians, Babylonians. He also reigned over the Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, the Sacae Paphlagones, and ldariandyni. /Credit: Clake’s Note.
Read his declaration here also in Ezra 1:1-2
Till date, some nations are still celebrating Cyrus day. Example is nation of Iran, who chose Every October to celebrate Cyrus as their leader.
Note: Talking about the gates of brass and bars of iron that would be left open, one of those events actually happened in the book of Daniel 5. Please read the whole Chapter and understand one of the reasons God allowed Babylon to be invaded and overturned.
They were actually feasting and worshipping their gods, drinking with the treasures taken from the house of the Lord in Jerusalem and the king (Belshazzar) ordered that no gates should be shut.
That was how Cyrus Armies were able to penetrate and capture them.
[2] ‘I will march out in front of you and level every obstacle. I will shatter to pieces bronze doors and slice through iron bars.
Another Greek historian called Herodotus, mentioned in his record of what happened that period in Babylon describes the walls, lintels and gates of the cities (several hundreds of them) to be made of brass.
No wonder the Psalmist says in Psalms 107:15-16
[15]Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
[16]For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Let’s continue with Isaiah 45…
[3] I will give you hidden treasures from dark, concealed places and wealth waiting in secret sites so that you recognize me, for it is I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name!
Note: When Isaiah mentioned treasures of darkness, he was literally seeing those spoils that Cyrus would get in the process of capturing those cities including Babylon.
Those kings were fond of hiding their treasures in secret places like underground, caves, etc. Those were the treasures Cyrus had access to at that time. He had his wagons loaded with them all.
Why did God allow this to happen? First read Daniel Chapter 5 and also read Isaiah 45:4.
What do all the above mean figuratively? We will do justice to that in our next study tomorrow by God’s grace.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed…Praise God.
Our prayers for everyone on this platform:
By the authority in the name of Jesus Christ,
👉The Lord God will empower you for profits and fruitfulness in all your endeavours, in Jesus name.
👉Your eyes will be open to see opportunities, even at this critical period and God will grant you the power to explore and take possession of them, in Jesus name.
👉No one here will lack any good thing, in Jesus name.
Bible readings for today: 2Samuel Chapters 4, 5, 6 & 7 with Proverbs 31
I call you blessed now and always.
Thursday May 28, 2020 (DDMI)