Isaiah 45:22 - Turn To God For Salvation For There Is No Other Way.

Isa. 45:22; Turn To God For Salvation For There Is No Other Way.

CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word 
Study:  

Isa 45:22 (NIV)  "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the 
earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 

Isa 45:22 (NCV)  "All people everywhere, follow me and be saved. 
I am God. There is no other God. 

CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:

Overview
Judah's sovereign LORD intends good for His people (40:1-31). 
God, not the idols worshiped by the nations, controls the future 
(41:1-29). Though Israel failed its national calling as God's servant, One 
from the nation will fulfill God's purpose (42:1-25) when the Creator 
acts to redeem His chosen people (43:1-44:25). As evidence, God will 
appoint one named Cyrus to restore Jerusalem (v. 26-45:25). Oppressive 
Babylon will be crushed, and God's word of blessing for Israel will be 
fulfilled (46:1-48:22). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

44:24-45:25 God Uses Cyrus For Israel's Restoration
Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon and decreed the return 
of the Jews to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-4). Cyrus was called God's 
anointed (45:1-5; lit., "messiah"). As he freed the Jews from bondage to 
the Babylonians, so Jesus, the divine Messiah, delivers all who will 
believe in him from their penalty of sin. The words "you do not 
acknowledge me" (45:4) make it clear that Cyrus was an unbeliever. He spoke 
about God in political ways (Ezra 1:2-4), but he did not know him 
personally. The words "create disaster" (Isa. 45:7) were a strong statement 
concerning God's sovereignty over all events (Eph. 1:11). God raised up 
Cyrus ("him") to accomplish his purposes in restoring the Jews and 
rebuilding Jerusalem (cf. Phil. 2:10 with Isa. 45:23). [New Bible 
Companion] 

Isa. 45:1-25. "I will raise up Cyrus" 
One of the basic sources of comfort for the believer is the 
conviction that God is in complete control of events. 
The theme is illustrated by God's act in naming Cyrus, long 
before his birth, and announcing that Cyrus will be given a "title of 
honor, though you do not acknowledge Me" (vv. 1-7). Whether or not the 
great ones of our present world honor God, He alone is the source of 
their existence and position. 
The theme is demonstrated by Creation. The universe knows only 
one all-powerful Being, who "made the earth and created mankind upon 
it" (vv. 8-17). Surely the Creator has full power to mold those who 
are works of His hands into whatever form He chooses. 
The theme is confirmed by God's unique self-existence. In a 
universe in which men worship idols, there is "none but Me" who is able 
to save, who utters a word "that will not be revoked," and who will 
ultimately receive the homage of all (vv. 18-25). 
God is in control of world events--and of the days of our lives. 
Because He is, and because the LORD is "a righteous God and a Saviour" 
(v. 21), we face the future with confidence and hope. [The 365-Day 
Devotional Commentary] 

God's Supreme Power
The Lord, the Only Savior  (45:14-25)

CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.

John 3:16 (KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life.  

John 6:40 (KJV)  And this is the will of him that sent me, that 
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have 
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.  

Micah 7:7 (KJV)  Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will 
wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.  

Titus 2:13 (KJV)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the 
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  

COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?

This verse is one of the high points of prophecy. God's love is 
not limited to Israel alone; God cares for all humanity and invites 
every man to "look to Me, and be saved." [Believer's SB] 

Salvation is for all nations, not just the Israelites. Many 
times it seems as though Israel had an inside track on salvation. But 
God makes it clear that his people include all those who follow him. 
Israel was to be the means through which the whole world would come to 
know God. Jesus, the Messiah, fulfilled Israel's role and gave all 
people the opportunity to follow God. (See also Romans 11:11; Galatians 
3:28; Ephes. 3:6; Phil. 2:10.) [Life Application SB] 

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He 
increaseth strength." "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; 
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; 
yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." 
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am 
God, and there is none else." This is the message written in nature, 
which the Sabbath is appointed to keep in memory. When the Lord bade 
Israel hallow His Sabbaths, He said, "They shall be a sign between Me 
and you, that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God." DA283 

As the only God, Yahweh, the God of Israel, can use people who 
do not recognize His sovereign lordship to accomplish His purposes. 
As the only God, He is responsible for all that occurs in His 
world, both good and bad from human perspective. He works in everything 
to accomplish His purposes. As the only God, He is the only hope 
for salvation for all people. [Disciple SB] 

God's call to salvation excludes no one. It rings out to the 
ends of the earth. God is always calling people to redemption--to look 
to Him and live. Those who do, engage in the task of taking the 
message to others that God might call them to salvation. They can 
deliver the message with assurance, for God has sworn to let every 
person in the world see His victory. The task of a witness is to bring 
people to bow in worship, before judgment leads them to bow down in 
defeat and submission. Evangelism leads people to see the ultimate 
importance of obeying the call to salvation and thus to experience God's 
grace in the present rather than His wrath in the future. [Disciple 
SB] 

If we can awaken an interest in men's minds that will cause them 
to fix their eyes on Christ, we may step aside, and ask them only 
to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God. They thus 
receive their lesson. Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. He whose eyes are fixed on 
Jesus will leave all. He will die to selfishness. He will believe in 
all the Word of God, which is so gloriously and wonderfully exalted 
in Christ. 6BC1113 

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? 
He says, "Look to Me, and be saved." The greatest difficulty 
spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so 
difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings 
tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the 
Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, 
heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me " 
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, 
and looking at this image in other Christians' lives becomes a 
hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation--it is not simple 
enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You 
will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we 
will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable 
with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me, and be saved." 
Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all 
vanish when we look to God. 
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No 
matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to 
push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me." Salvation is yours the 
moment you look. [My Utmost for His Highest by Chambers]