Isaiah 45:1-7 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 45:1-7 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 45Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him- and the gates shall not be closed: Verse 2I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, Verse 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Verse 4For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
Verse 5I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, Verse 6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. Verse 7I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.
Devotion
God uses various means to get our attention. Old Cyrus is the only non-Israelite in scripture to be called messiah, or "anointed one." God called this Persian king’s name to free his people from exile in Babylon. Yet it’s clear who’s in charge: "I will go before you ... I call you by your name ... so that ..." In seminary, I learned that a phrase like "so that" in scripture demands attention. Here it is so that everyone will know "I am the Lord, and there is no other."
As I write, my wife and I await the call announcing the birth of our first grandchild. That’ll work too. God has our attention. Little else matters as much right now as this precious little one whose Creator will call her by name so that everyone who hears will rejoice in this gift from the One who declares "I am the Lord, and there is no other."
Prayer
O God, there is no other like you. You speak and call forth new life. Help us to hear and follow you in the path of freedom, in the name of Jesus. Amen.