Day Eighteen : 15th December

Isaiah 45

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,

6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.

7 I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.

8 Shower, O heavens from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,
and let it cause righteousness to spring up also;
I the Lord have created it.

Brueggemann (2) p 77:

in 45:7 '…the verbs include not only the conventional "make, form," but a double use of "create," the most exalted and majestic term the Old Testament has for Yahweh's generative capacity. It is likely that the two word pairs — light/darkness, shalom/evil — mean to be inclusive, that is, everything from A to Z in creation and in history. Yahweh is the one, the only one, who is responsible for what is, and that surely includes Cyrus, the fall of Babylon, and the emancipation of Israel.'

'… Babylonian gods have no voice in the future of Babylon. Cyrus has no clout in the rise of his empire. Israel has no vote on its destiny. Everything is settled on Yahweh's terms, for Yahweh is without rival, adviser, competitor, or aide.'