Isaiah 45-47

Cyrus the Great

Isaiah 45-47 Study Guide: To be discussed March 22
Day 1: Read Isaiah 45:1-8 (with footnotes 1c,e, 3a, 8b), Bible Dictionary entry, “Cyrus,” Isaiah 46:1-4, Psalm 85:11
1. Read the Bible Dictionary entry, “Cyrus”. Was Cyrus part of covenant Israel? Why did the Lord call Cyrus his “anointed,” decades before his birth?* (See also Isaiah 46:1,4.)


2. What did the Lord promise to do for Cyrus? (Note: “loose the loins of kings” means the Lord would take away the swords of Cyrus’ enemies.)


3. Read Isaiah 45:8 with Psalm 85:11. Can you think of a time when truth has come down from heaven and up from the earth? (Hint: Read Ezekiel 37:15-20.)


Day 2: Read Isaiah 45:9-19 (with footnotes 10a, 11c, 13a, 14b), D&C 38:7-8
4. How might our relationship with God be like the relationship between a piece of clay and a potter?


5. Read D&C 38:7-8. What did Isaiah mean when he wrote, “Verily thou art a God that hideth thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior”? (Isaiah 45:15.) Who is the God of the Old Testament, and how does Isaiah bear witness of Him?



6. How does Isaiah 45:18-19 answer the insolent questions raised in Isaiah 45:9-10?



Day 3: Read Isaiah 45:20-25 (with footnote 23b)
7. Who does the Lord say has “no knowledge” in Isaiah 45:20? (See also Isaiah 44:18.)


8. Read Isaiah 45:22 with D&C 6:36-37. What qualifies Christ to offer salvation?


9. In Isaiah 45, the Lord invites Israel to compare Him to false gods and graven images, knowing there is no comparison. Isaiah 45:22-25 invites us to compare ourselves to the Lord’s righteousness if we have any lingering doubts. What then does it mean when the Lord promises, in Isaiah 45:25, that “… all the seed of Israel [will] be justified….”? What does it mean to be justified?



Day 4: Read Isaiah 46:1-4 (with footnotes 1a,b, 2a, 4b), Bible Dictionary entry, “Bel,” Bible Dictionary entry,"Nebo" (2)
10. Read the Bible Dictionary entries for "Bel" and “Nebo” (entry 2). Where were these idol-gods worshipped? Of what was Nebo the god?


11. Read the footnotes to Isaiah 46:1b and Isaiah 46:2a. How is Isaiah being ironic in his description of these false gods?


12. Who carried the idols? Who carries us? How many pairs of footprints are really in the sand?



Day 5: Read Isaiah 46:5-13 (with footnotes 10b, 11a, 12a, 13b), D&C 1:38
13. Think about the false gods we worship today. Who carries them? Why?


14. In Isaiah 46:9, we are asked to “Remember the former things,” or past miracles. Name a miracle ancient Israel could recall. Now name a miracle from latter-day church history or a personal miracle. Why is it good to reflect on these?


15. Read D&C 1:38 with Isaiah 46:10-13. What evidence do we have that we can count on the Lord to fulfill all his promises?


NOTE: The “ravenous bird from the east” in Isaiah 46:11 is a metaphor describing Cyrus, who would swiftly humble Babylon. From the Institute Manual: “This is a fitting insertion and serves as a prelude to chapter 47….”
Day 6: Read Isaiah 47:1-9 (with footnotes 1b,c, 2a,b, 3a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8b, 9a)
16. According to the footnotes to Isaiah 47:1-2, what should the Babylonians prepare to become? This prophecy was fulfilled around 539 BC, but Isaiah wrote between 740-701 BC. Imagine yourself a citizen of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege of 609-587 BC. How might you feel about Isaiah’s 100-year-old prophecy?


17. According to Isaiah 47:6, how did Babylon treat her prisoners? How does spiritual Babylon, or wickedness, do the same?


18. What two things would come upon Babylon “in a moment in one day” (Isaiah 47:9)? Why?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 47:10-15 (with footnote 11a)
19. List phrases from Isaiah 47:10, indicating Babylon was prideful enough to believe she could exercise wickedness without consequence. Compare to 2 Nephi 9:27-28.


20. According to Isaiah, how much help would Babylon receive from Bel and Nebo at the day of reckoning?


21. Note: The term “merchants” in Isaiah 47:15 refers to religious leaders in Babylon. They are here lumped in with astrologers (sorcerers), stargazers and prognosticators. According to Isaiah 47:14, will they even be able to deliver themselves?


*From the Institute Manual: How could Cyrus, a Persian king, be called the Lord’s “anointed”? Alfred Martin, in his work on Isaiah, gave an excellent answer to this question: “Cyrus is the only Gentile king who is called God’s ‘anointed.’ Since this is the translation of the Hebrew word which we spell in English as Messiah, Cyrus is in a sense a type of the Anointed One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Typology is often misunderstood and abused. A type is a divinely appointed prophetic symbol, usually of Christ. When a person or a thing is called a type, that does not alter its literal meaning or deny its historical reality. Cyrus was a Persian king, and we have no evidence that he ever really knew the true God, although the Persian religion was relatively free from the gross idolatries of the Babylonians. Consequently when it is asserted that Cyrus is a type of Christ, it is not said that he was like the Lord Jesus Christ in every respect. The only intended resemblance is in the fact that Cyrus was the anointed one who delivered the people of Israel from their captivity. As such he points us to the greater Anointed One who saves His people from their sins.” (Isaiah, the Salvation of Jehovah, pp. 77–78.)