21 “Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
22 “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a [r]heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows forth His glory.24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [s]all alone,
25 Causing the [t]omens of boasters to fail,
[u]Making fools out of diviners,
Causing wise men to draw back
And [v]turning their knowledge into foolishness,
26 Confirming the word of His servant
And [w]performing the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins again.
27 “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers dry.
28 “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
And he will perform all My desire.’
And [x]he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘[y]Your foundation will be laid.’”
This whole passage is full of incredible claims by God, and results in quite the dramatic finale. It starts with reminders of the past, and then turns to things yet in the future. But let’s take it from the top, and dig in a little more.
In v. 21, God goes back to the beginning, reminding Israel that it He who formed them. This isn’t just true of them (and us) individually, but of the nation itself. And though they may have forgotten God, He promises that He will not forget them. Further, God has wiped out their transgressions, and instructs them to return, for He has redeemed them.
Now, the latter might be jumping to the future, but God did say “remember these things”. We can easily look back and see that God redeemed His people once already, bringing them out of Egypt and literal slavery. Likewise, He wiped out their transgressions when they offered obedient sacrifices (as He promised), even though they may have been “like a thick cloud… and a heavy mist.”
That alone should be cause for v. 23, for the heavens and all the earth to “shout joyfully”, for the mountains and even the trees cry out with a “shout of joy”. God redeemed Israel, it was done, and His glory was shown in them. Yet that isn’t the end of the story, and if you’ve been following along, you know it already.
Though God formed them in the womb (v. 24), His people did forget Him, and turned “each to His own way”. Still, God has a few more things to say before this chapter concludes. In v. 25 we see the omens (signs) foretold by proud men coming to naught. Also “diviners” or those attempting to tell the future have been made fools. Even the knowledge of wise men has become foolishness.
God might have done this in the past, and probably had, but this was also going to happen while Israel was in captivity, in the days of Daniel. Just as it notes in v. 26, by doing so God would confirm that the words He spoke through Daniel to the king were true. They would be even more amazing for all the inability of the magi and wise men being utterly unable to fulfill the request of the king.
There is one remaining salvo though, as God says Jerusalem will once more be inhabited, the cities of Judah will once more be rebuilt, though they were left in ruins. All this must have seemed fantastical, as Judah was still dwelling in their own cities yet. But lest they doubt, God gives them one more, that Cyrus will be God’s “shepherd” and will perform the very will of God.
Big deal, right? It really was, since we are over two hundred years prior to Cyrus issuing any such decree. Cyrus wasn’t even a thought yet, and his people (the Medes) were not the dominant power of the day. Rather, they were probably also battling the Assyrians, and would likely be harassed (in the near future) by the Babylonians–those who would carry Judah in to captivity.
So what? That was then, it’s done, Cyrus released Judah, rebuilt Jerusalem, the temple, and that’s all well and good. But what does it tell us? Very simply, that when God makes a promise, He comes through. In small ways and big, what God has said, He will fulfill. Not only did God redeem Israel, for that was never the end game. God’s plan was much bigger and more than a mere 200 years out.
For over four thousand years, God’s plan had been slowly unwinding. He was putting all the pieces together, in the only way they would fit, so that one day–a couple thousand years ago–He could unleash His redemption on the world. Israel’s release from slavery in Egypt was dramatic and amazing. The plagues, the parting of the red sea, God’s provision in the wilderness, and so much more, it was absolutely incredible.
Yet it paled in comparison to the feat that God would accomplish by coming to this very earth in the form of a man. Not only that, but the finale upon the cross, which wasn’t really the finale, but a new beginning, it all “shows forth His glory.” If God could do all that, He can do anything in our lives.
We may be discouraged, thinking God “slow” to keep His promises. But God is not slow, His timing is perfect. Through pain and sorrow, disappointments and delays, God is working a plan. Even now, in my life and in yours, God is still working. Don’t lose hope, but trust in “your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb.”