The Friday after Sexagesima Sunday
Posted on February 13, 2026 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 45:11-19 (NKJV)
45:11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded.
13 “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, they shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other; There is no other God.’”
15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be ashamed and also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, who are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
Devotion
It is important to know that the verses leading up to this text present Cyrus, king of Persia. Today’s reading warns that no one should presume to dictate to the Creator of the universe how He is to go about saving fallen mankind, whom He formed from the dust of the ground. Anyone guilty of such faithless insolence forfeits the promised deliverance, and also provokes God to pronounce a fearful judgment on him.
In spite of objections, the divine plan of salvation remains unchanged. The Gentile king Cyrus will carry it out, for God aroused him in righteousness to set Israel free. At the same time, Israel’s liberation from physical bondage, important as it is, only sets the stage for the eventual redemption toward which God was directing the world. It was His purpose to create a spiritual Israel, a worldwide communion of saints. Nations such as those incorporated in the Persian empire (Egypt, Ethiopia, etc.) would seek citizenship in this confederation in order to share in the everlasting salvation found nowhere else.
This glorious vision of the future is not a mirage. The Creator of heaven and earth will maintain control of history in His hands, not allowing the world to sink into complete diabolical chaos. The Lord issues an invitation to all the ends of the earth to forsake their useless idols, to trust in the certain fulfillment of His promises, and to turn to Him; for only in Him can they experience triumph and glory.
Collect: O Lord God, Who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do: Mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
