Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?

Isaiah 45:8-13

8 “Drip down, O heavens, from above,

And let the clouds pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,

And righteousness spring up with it.

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—

An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!

Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’

Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 “Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’

Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’ ”

11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his bMaker:

“cAsk Me about the things to come concerning My sons,

And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.

12 “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it.

I stretched out the heavens with My hands

And I ordained all their host.

13 “I have aroused him in righteousness

And I will make all his ways smooth;

He will build My city and will let My exiles go free,

Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.

It is God who is the creator of all and in control of all things. Here the Lord is speaking of bringing back the restoration of Israel through His vessel Cyrus. Cyrus was a pagan king. He had no relationship with the Living God. It seems impossible that God would choose and use a pagan king to accomplish His purposes. But we must remember the history of Israel. God’s covenant people were sent into exile because of their rebellion and their wickedness. God is God alone and can use any instrument He wants.

Just as God spoke all things into existence and at His spoken word things came to be. Here the Lord speaks for the heavens to rain down. But instead of actual physical rain, the focus here is the righteousness of God Almighty. His purposes being accomplished in the earth. When God speaks forth for His purposes to come forth, what springs up from the earth is salvation. The Israelites would be brought out of exile at God’s appointed time from Babylon. In our own lives there are seasons that we go through in which it seems that God has abandoned or forsaken us, but He has an appointed time for all things. The time set for Israel to be in exile was established that a deep work would be done in the hearts of the people and they would want nothing to do with rebellion and idolatry any longer.

Everything that God does and plans is perfect. It is righteous in every way. When God calls for righteousness to come forth there is nothing that Satan and all the powers of hell can do to stop it. The tough thing for us on this side of Heaven is trusting and waiting upon God. If we will simply trust God at His word and wait on His timing, we will experience His perfect peace in all things.

The Lord shows the foolishness of the people of Israel questioning God’s use of a pagan king. It is the same as the created thing asking the creator what are they doing. Here the Lord uses the example of the potshard and also uses the example of the child questioning their father or mother what are you begetting or what have you brought forth. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts much different than our own. When God is accomplishing His plans and purposes in the earth we may not always fully understand. But this is why this is a journey of faith. We are called to trust God at His word and know that God will accomplish His word. His word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). That which the Lord has planned and purposed in His heart, He will accomplish. It is not dependent on man or man’s ability, power, or wisdom. God chooses to use human instruments, but God doesn’t need anyone. May we always remember that before anything existed, there was God. Before there was anything created the Lord spoke and all came into being. Sometimes we have too small a view of God and too big a view of the enemy.

The Lord calls Himself the holy one of Israel and its maker. It is God who created the nation of Israel. When God called Abraham and began a covenant with Abraham, the creation of Israel began. That covenant would be passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob. The Lord says ask Him about things to come concerning His sons. God is referring to the children of Israel, His covenant people. Today we who are in Christ are in covenant relationship with Almighty God. We have been adopted into God’s family, we have been forgiven of our sins. We have become brand new creations in Christ. All that God has planned and purposed for His people, He will accomplish in His time and according to His will.

It is God who has created all that you and I can see. Creation is a testament to the existence of Almighty God. He has revealed His glory through His creation (Psalm 19:1). It is by the hand of God that the heavens were stretched out and it is by His word that all the host of heaven is under His command. Sometimes we may look at our circumstances and wonder how God will work and accomplish His purposes. These words spoken by Isaiah were spoken long before Israel ever went into exile in Babylon. But God stated this all ahead of time to show that number one He is in control, and He has not forsaken His people. Yes, He had to discipline them because of their rebellion and sin, but the God of creation never abandons and He never forsakes those He has chosen. Even us today who are in Christ have been chosen by God before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4). It is God who calls and it is God who opens our eyes to the truth. In our moments when we feel that maybe God has abandoned or forsaken us we must turn to the promises of His word and renew our minds with His truth.

It is God who has raised up Cyrus in His righteousness. It is God who has directed the ways of Cyrus. We must remember that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord (Proverbs 21:1). Those who are in leadership often believe they are in control of their own destiny and are often viewed as gods by those they rule over. But there is only one God and He is in control of all things. This is what the book of Isaiah is all about. It shows us the sovereignty of God in all things. For it is God through Cyrus who would rebuild the city of Jerusalem, would cause the exiles to go free. It was not done for a price or because of a deal that God made with Cryus. God simply moved on the heart of Cyrus and because God commanded it, it happened.

Often in America we may view the events of our nation and wonder where God is in the whole process. God is fully in control, but sadly there are many in our nation that want nothing to do with the Living God. But even in the midst of great wickedness and darkness, God is moving and working. God is preparing a people for His return. God is raising up messengers in this day to speak forth and proclaim His truth and there is a mighty harvest before us. Often in any time in history when God moves greatly, He always brings humanity to a place of desperation. May we draw near daily to the Living God. May we immerse our hearts and minds with His truth. May every desire be surrendered to His will and purpose. He is fully in control and He is daily accomplishing His purposes and His plans.