10/17/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Isaiah 45:1-7 makes a startling claim. In this passage, God calls Cyrus, not a descendant of Abraham, “My anointed.” This is the kind of language used for a prophet, a priest, or a king. It’s the word used to refer to a Messiah. Yet Cyrus is a pagan king. What is the prophet talking about?
In this passage God asserts that He is Lord over all the heaven and the earth. He is able to use even strangers and foreigners to accomplish his purpose. And the purpose of God is for the good of this world, and especially his people.
The most important statement, though, is possibly in verse 4. “I give a name to you.” Here, God promises to provide an identity for his people. He will not leave them to try to make their own way, live, die, thrive, or fail as well as they can. His plan is to strengthen those who are trusting on him. His plan will not fail. Just as he can name Cyrus as his chosen leader, he can certainly care for all of his people who trust in him.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Isaiah 45:1-7 makes a startling claim. In this passage, God calls Cyrus, not a descendant of Abraham, “My anointed.” This is the kind of language used for a prophet, a priest, or a king. It’s the word used to refer to a Messiah. Yet Cyrus is a pagan king. What is the prophet talking about?
In this passage God asserts that He is Lord over all the heaven and the earth. He is able to use even strangers and foreigners to accomplish his purpose. And the purpose of God is for the good of this world, and especially his people.
The most important statement, though, is possibly in verse 4. “I give a name to you.” Here, God promises to provide an identity for his people. He will not leave them to try to make their own way, live, die, thrive, or fail as well as they can. His plan is to strengthen those who are trusting on him. His plan will not fail. Just as he can name Cyrus as his chosen leader, he can certainly care for all of his people who trust in him.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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