Invitation to the nations

Text

Isaiah 45:14–25 NKJV

14 Thus says the Lord: “The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.’ ” 15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! 16 They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. 17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. 18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20 “Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. 25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.’ ”

Sermon

Historical setting - the decree of Cyrus. When things seem the darkest for the people of God, hopeless and impossible -

Ezra 1 NKJV

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. 5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. 7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

This was foretold decades earlier in our text.

The nations come - verse 14

In the days of Cyrus, this had a partial fulfillment, but I believe it looks farther - when the magi come from the East. It is still being fulfilled, as the nations flock to the Israel of God, Jesus Christ.

But the immediate fulfillment is seen in Ezra 1 - where the wealth of the nations is commanded to be brought to Jerusalem.

But the chains - the nations flock to Israel in chains. They are bound and enslaved by sin and misery and the bondage of death, and they come to the God of Israel, finally acknowledging that there is no other help for them.

And this is back to the theme. The idols cannot help the chains, because the idols themselves ARE the chains. They love to keep the people in bondage. One greater must plunder the house.

The temptation for Israel is to think that since they were defeated and enslaved, the Lord must not be as powerful as the gods of Babylon.

But God is promising step by step exactly what will happen. Israel will be delivered and the fortunes will turn.

The foreign nations will acknowledge their bondage and come to Israel for help, knowing that help and hope is only there.

John 12:20–23 NKJV

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Matthew 15:26 NKJV

26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

Glory to God 15-17

Isaiah then stops to offer praise to God. Who would have thought this? How could this be?

God’s plan is so astounding, and the whole world will see it. But it is hidden until God chooses to reveal it, causing Isaiah to praise.

The idols will be confounded. God will be praised - Israel will be saved forever.

The inhabited earth

This is not new. God is not just “winging it” - but this was his plan from the beginning. The earth was not an accident, or chance. Nor was it a mistake by an evil lesser god, but the creation of the One True God - and he made it to be inhabited by men.

Everything that was made was made for the hearts of men and women to rejoice. Sin marred that, and the penalty for sin was to be cast off God’s land - instead, God provided redemption, but didn’t reveal what his plan was.

Just that Adam didn’t die. An animal died instead, and Adam and Eve were clothed in its skin.

God’s plan is to re-capture the earth, conquer the kingdom of the devil and cast him out, and plunder his kingdom.

Psalm 68.

But even though the details of this plan have not been revealed, one thing was clear in all of scripture. God invited Israel (and even the gentiles) to seek his face.

Everyone that sought God and bowed before him seeking mercy received it. And how many sought God?

Psalm 53:2–3 NKJV

2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

But then he says, “Oh that salvation would come out of Zion”

That these chains would be broken and these idols be cast out. There is no help there.

But God is restoring the earth - just as he created it

to be inhabited

The fault that Israel and the nations did not seek God’s face is not God’s. He was sincere in his invitation. He didn’t say it in vain. He would have been near and would have saved all who sought him.

But more is needed.

God will reveal himself in such a way that the whole world will know and flock to Israel for salvation.

And the whole world will know - there is no other savior, no other God.

The fugitives from all the nations are invited to come. Those who have been spared God’s judgment, those who have bee

So all the ends of the earth are commanded - invited - to turn. That is, to be converted. Turn away from following the idols, your self-help programs, and turn to the living God.

Hosea 14:1–4 NKJV

1 O Israel, return to the Lord your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; 2 Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. 3 Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.” 4 “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.

But this invitation is to the whole earth. This is sung in Psalm 22:21-31

Psalm 22:21–31 NKJV

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.

Psalm 22 ties the call to the ends of the earth to the suffering servant, as Isaiah is preparing to do as well.

Paul, following this, gives us the exhortation in Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is the invitation that will “compel” the nations, through love and mercy. How do you come to a God who is also a judge, unless you are persuaded that he took care of the curse that was on you.

unless you know the filth has been taken away, and the nakedness covered, you will never come into his presence.

Jesus went to the cross that we might KNOW that he took upon himself the curse that lay upon me - so that I might KNOW that the invitation to seek God and come to him and live is genuine and true.

Therefore, come boldly to the throne of Grace, as Hebrews tells us.