Outline of Isaiah chapters 45, 46, 47, 48
—The fall of Babylon and rise of Persia
This page provides an outline of Isaiah chapters 45, 46, 47, and 48 for your reference. The complete outline of Isaiah is spread over several lessons.
1 Context Overview
Chapters forty to fifty-one of Isaiah deliver a series of messages to Judah and the remnant of Israel. Isaiah looks into the next two centuries. He sees beyond the Babylonian captivity to the fall of Babylon, and even predicts that Cyrus king of Persia will return the captives to Jerusalem to rebuild it.
2 Cyrus King of Persia
- In the last verse of chapter 44 Isaiah names a future king of Persia who would shepherd the remnant of God’s people and oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem. All this came to pass.
- The Lord calls Cyrus by name before he has even been born and before the kingdom over which he will reign has risen to power (Isaiah 45:1-7).
- Cyrus is warned in advance not to argue with God (Isaiah 45:8-10).
- Cyrus will respect God’s purpose and plan, and will co-operate with it to rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:11-13).
- God promises that, when Israel has been saved by the Lord, he will give over to Cyrus the idolatrous Egyptian kingdom and other southern nations (Isaiah 45:14-19).
- When God so powerfully brings to pass the purpose he has long ago announced, as he did in the case of Cyrus, all peoples of the earth should acknowledge him, every knee should bow to him (Isaiah 45:20-25).
- The gods of Babylon like Bel and Nebo, will be useless before Cyrus (Isaiah 46:1-2).
- Now God tells all the remnant of Israel to listen and remember. He reiterates that he is their true God, not some dumb unmoving idol. He, God, will save them from Babylonian exile when he calls Cyrus from the east, Cyrus the man of God’s purpose. (Isaiah 46:3-13)
3 The Fall of Babylon
- God condemns Babylon, and the Chaldean empire as a whole, for its arrogance and presumption. He pictures Babylon as a queen who will become a slave girl. (Isaiah 47:1-7).
- The pagan arts, such as sorcery and astrology, will not help Babylon (Isaiah 47:8-15).
- God again reminds Israel that he has spoken, he is their God and Creator, and he will not give his glory to another. (Isaiah 48:1-13).
- God also reminds them that he has chosen Cyrus to rescue them from the Babylonians (Isaiah 48:14-16).
- God laments that the coming Babylonian captivity would not be happening, if only they had listened to him (Isaiah 48:17-19).
- However Babylon will fall. God likens Israel's coming redemption to the escape from Egyptian slavery in the time of Moses (Isaiah 48:20-22).
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