Isaiah 45:2
"I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
I will go before you
This phrase signifies God's promise of divine guidance and leadership. In the Hebrew text, the word for "go" is "הָלַךְ" (halak), which implies a continuous, active movement. Historically, this reflects God's role as a guide and protector for His people, reminiscent of His guidance of the Israelites through the wilderness. Theologically, it underscores the assurance that God precedes His people, preparing the way and ensuring their path aligns with His divine will.

and level the mountains
The imagery of leveling mountains symbolizes removing obstacles and making paths straight. The Hebrew word "יָשַׁר" (yashar) means to make straight or smooth. In ancient times, mountains were seen as formidable barriers, and the promise to level them indicates God's power to overcome any hindrance. This metaphorically represents God's ability to remove spiritual and physical barriers in the lives of believers, emphasizing His omnipotence and the ease with which He can alter circumstances for His purposes.

I will break down the gates of bronze
Bronze gates were considered strong and impenetrable in ancient times, often used in city fortifications. The Hebrew word "שָׁבַר" (shabar) means to break or shatter, indicating a forceful action. This phrase highlights God's power to destroy seemingly insurmountable defenses. Spiritually, it suggests that no human or spiritual stronghold can withstand God's intervention, offering believers assurance of His ability to liberate and protect them from any form of bondage or opposition.

and cut through the bars of iron
Iron bars represent strength and security, often used to secure gates and prisons. The Hebrew word "גָּדַע" (gada) means to cut down or hew. This action signifies God's ability to dismantle the strongest barriers. Historically, this reflects the liberation of captives and the opening of new opportunities. For believers, it serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and His commitment to freeing His people from any chains that bind them, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Cyrus the Great
The Persian king whom God anointed to conquer Babylon and release the Israelites from captivity. Isaiah 45 is a prophecy concerning Cyrus, highlighting God's sovereignty in using a pagan king for His purposes.

2. Israel
The nation of God's chosen people, who were in exile in Babylon at the time of this prophecy. This verse is part of God's promise to restore them to their homeland.

3. Babylon
The empire that held the Israelites captive. The prophecy foretells its downfall and the liberation of the Israelites.

4. Mountains, Gates of Bronze, Bars of Iron
Symbolic obstacles representing the challenges and barriers that stand in the way of God's plans and His people's deliverance.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Power
God is in control of all nations and rulers, using them to fulfill His divine purposes. Trust in His ultimate authority over world events.

Divine Intervention
Just as God promised to go before Cyrus, He goes before us, removing obstacles and making paths straight. Rely on His guidance in difficult times.

Overcoming Obstacles
The imagery of breaking gates and cutting bars signifies God's ability to overcome any hindrance. Have faith that God can dismantle the barriers in your life.

Purposeful Deliverance
God's actions are purposeful, aimed at fulfilling His promises and plans for His people. Reflect on how God is working in your life to bring about His purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty over rulers and nations impact your view of current world events?

2. In what ways have you experienced God "going before you" in your personal life, removing obstacles or making a way?

3. What are some "mountains" or "gates of bronze" in your life that you need to trust God to level or break down?

4. How can the account of Cyrus and the Israelites encourage you in times of waiting for God's deliverance?

5. How does the promise of God making a way relate to the New Testament teachings about Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 14
The parting of the Red Sea is a parallel to God making a way where there seems to be none, just as He promises to level mountains and break barriers for His people.

Psalm 107
This psalm speaks of God breaking down gates of bronze and cutting through bars of iron, echoing the themes of deliverance and divine intervention.

Revelation 3
The message to the church in Philadelphia about God opening doors that no one can shut connects to the idea of God removing obstacles for His people.
The Secret of Assured SuccessR. Tuck Isaiah 45:2
The Unfelt Hand on the Human HeartW. Clarkson Isaiah 45:1-5
CyrusProf. A. H. Sayce, LL. D.Isaiah 45:1-6
Cyrus, God's ToolProf. G. A. Smith, D. D.Isaiah 45:1-6
Cyrus: His CharacterProf. G. A. Smith, D. D.Isaiah 45:1-6
Loosing the Loins of KingsR. Macculloch.Isaiah 45:1-6
Special Divine Instrumentalities in the World's RenovationS. W. Fisher, D. D.Isaiah 45:1-6
The Victories of CyrusJ. R. Macduff, D. D.Isaiah 45:1-6
Cyrus the Anointed of JehovahE. Johnson Isaiah 45:1-8
God Going BeforeJ. Parker, D. D.Isaiah 45:2-3
Treasures of DarknessJ. C. Philpot.Isaiah 45:2-3
People
Cyrus, Isaiah, Jacob
Places
Cush, Egypt, Jerusalem
Topics
Apart, Asunder, Bars, Brass, Brazen, Break, Broken, Bronze, Crooked, Cut, Doors, Elevated, Gates, Iron, Level, Mountains, Pieces, Places, Plain, Rods, Rough, Shatter, Shiver, Smooth, Straight, Sunder, Two-leaved
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 45:2

     4312   bronze
     4336   iron

Isaiah 45:1-2

     5323   gate
     7735   leaders, political

Isaiah 45:1-7

     5857   fame

Library
Hidden and Revealed
'Verily thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.... I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.'--ISAIAH xlv, 15,19. The former of these verses expresses the thoughts of the prophet in contemplating the close of a great work of God's power which issues in the heathen's coming to Israel and acknowledging God. He adores the depth of the divine
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sovereignty and Salvation
"Ere since by faith I saw the stream His flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die." I shall never forget that day, while memory holds its place; nor can I help repeating this text whenever I remember that hour when first I knew the Lord. How strangely gracious! How wonderfully and marvelously kind, that he who heard these words so little time ago for his own soul's profit, should now address you this morning as his hearers from the same text, in the full and
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Solar Eclipse
I shall note this morning, in addressing you, that since the Lord creates darkness as well as light; first of all, eclipses of every kind are part of God's way of governing the world; in the second place, we shall notice that since God creates the darkness as well as the light, we may conclude beyond a doubt that he has a design in the eclipse--in the darkness as well as the light; and then, thirdly, we shall notice that as all things that God has created, whether they be light or whether they be
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Ecce Homo
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."--Is. xlv. 22. Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Wilt thou, sinner, be converted? Christ the Lord of glory see By His own denied, deserted, Bleeding, bound, and scourged for thee. Look again, O soul, behold Him On the cross uplifted high; See the precious life-blood flowing, See the tears that dim His eye. Love has pierced the heart that brake, Loveless sinner, for thy sake. Hearken till thy heart is broken To His
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

The Eve of the Restoration
'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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2. Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3. Who is there among you of all His people? his God
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Jehovah-Shammah: a Glorious Name for the New Year
THESE words may be used as a test as well as a text. They may serve for examination as well as consolation, and at the beginning of a year they may fulfill this useful double purpose. In any case they are full of marrow and fatness to those whose spiritual taste is purified. It is esteemed by the prophet to be the highest blessing that could come upon a city that its name should be, "JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH, The Lord is there." Even Jerusalem, in its best estate, would have this for its crowning blessing:
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The Eternity and Unchangeableness of God.
Exod. iii. 14.--"I AM THAT I AM."--Psal. xc. 2.--"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God."--Job xi. 7-9.--"Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." This is the chief point of saving knowledge,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Of Four Things which Bring Great Peace
"My Son, now will I teach thee the way of peace and of true liberty." 2. Do, O my Lord, as Thou sayest, for this is pleasing unto me to hear. 3. "Strive, My Son, to do another's will rather than thine own. Choose always to have less rather than more. Seek always after the lowest place, and to be subject to all. Wish always and pray that the will of God be fulfilled in thee. Behold, such a man as this entereth into the inheritance of peace and quietness." 4. O my Lord, this Thy short discourse
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of the Holy Scripture, So Far as Every Christian must Competently Know, and Necessarily Believe, that Will be Saves.
Although no creature can define what God is, because he is incomprehensible (Psal. cxliii. 3) and dwelling in inaccessible light (1 Tim. vi. 16); yet it has pleased his majesty to reveal himself to us in his word, so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him. Thus: God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect essence, whose being is of himself eternally (Deut. i. 4; iv. 35; xxxii. 39; vi. 4; Isa. xlv. 5-8; 1 Cor. viii. 4; Eph. iv. 5, 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; John iv. 24; 2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Kings
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Unity of God
Q-5: ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE? A: There is but one only, the living and true God. That there is a God has been proved; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Deut 6:6. He is the only God.' Deut 4:49. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.' A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Spiritual Hunger Shall be Satisfied
They shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 I proceed now to the second part of the text. A promise annexed. They shall be filled'. A Christian fighting with sin is not like one that beats the air' (1 Corinthians 9:26), and his hungering after righteousness is not like one that sucks in only air, Blessed are they that hunger, for they shall be filled.' Those that hunger after righteousness shall be filled. God never bids us seek him in vain' (Isaiah 45:19). Here is an honeycomb dropping into the mouths of
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Thy Name: My Name
'I have called thee by thy name.'--ISAIAH xliii. 1. 'Every one that is called by My name.'--ISAIAH xliii. 7. Great stress is laid on names in Scripture. These two parallel and antithetic clauses bring out striking complementary relations between God and the collective Israel. But they are as applicable to each individual member of the true Israel of God. I. What does God's calling a man by his name imply? 1. Intimate knowledge. Adam naming the creatures. Christ naming His disciples. 2. Loving friendship.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Extent of Messiah's Spiritual Kingdom
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever! T he Kingdom of our Lord in the heart, and in the world, is frequently compared to a building or house, of which He Himself is both the Foundation and the Architect (Isaiah 28:16 and 54:11, 12) . A building advances by degrees (I Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:20-22) , and while it is in an unfinished state, a stranger cannot, by viewing its present appearance, form an accurate judgment
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Its Nature
Justification, strictly speaking, consists in God's imputing to His elect the righteousness of Christ, that alone being the meritorious cause or formal ground on which He pronounces them righteous: the righteousness of Christ is that to which God has respect when He pardons and accepts the sinner. By the nature of justification we have reference to the constituent elements of the same, which are enjoyed by the believer. These are, the non-imputation of guilt or the remission of sins, and second,
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

The Theology of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
This Chapter offers no more than a tentative and imperfect outline of the theology of St. Hilary; it is an essay, not a monograph. Little attempt will be made to estimate the value of his opinions from the point of view of modern thought; little will be said about his relation to earlier and contemporary thought, a subject on which he is habitually silent, and nothing about the after fate of his speculations. Yet the task, thus narrowed, is not without its difficulties. Much more attention, it is
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Gifts and Talents.
"And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him."--Judges iii. 10. We now consider the Holy Spirit's work in bestowing gifts, talents, and abilities upon artisans and professional men. Scripture declares that the special animation and qualification of persons for work assigned to them by God proceed from the Holy Spirit. The construction of the tabernacle required capable workmen, skilful carpenters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths, and masters in the arts of weaving and embroidering. Who will furnish Moses
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Putting God to Work
"For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside thee who worketh for him that waiteth for him."--Isaiah 64:4. The assertion voiced in the title given this chapter is but another way of declaring that God has of His own motion placed Himself under the law of prayer, and has obligated Himself to answer the prayers of men. He has ordained prayer as a means whereby He will do things through men as they pray, which He would not otherwise do. Prayer
Edward M. Bounds—The Weapon of Prayer

Extent of Atonement.
VI. For whose benefit the atonement was intended. 1. God does all things for himself; that is, he consults his own glory and happiness, as the supreme and most influential reason for all his conduct. This is wise and right in him, because his own glory and happiness are infinitely the greatest good in and to the universe. He made the atonement to satisfy himself. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Messiah's Innocence vindicated
He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken. L et not plain Christians be stumbled because there are difficulties in the prophetical parts of the Scriptures, and because translators and expositors sometimes explain them with some difference, as to the sense. Whatever directly relates to our faith, practice, and comfort, may be plainly collected from innumerable
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation,
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

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