IF GOD GOES BEFORE US

Isaiah 45:2-4 – I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.

This promise was given to a Persian king Cyrus by the prophet Isaiah about 200 years before he was king of Persia.

Let us first meditate the promises from this portion of the Scripture. God promises to go before Cyrus.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES BEFORE US?

1) CROOKED PLACES ARE MADE STRAIGHT

 WHAT IS A CROOKED PATH?

i) IT IS THE WAY OF THE SERPENT (Isaiah 27:1). It is the way of injustice and corruption (Deuteronomy 32:4-5), a way that is not of God – as Eve was deceived by the serpent in Eden.

ii) IT IS THE WAY OF EVIL, perverse and darkness (Proverbs 2:12-15).

WHAT IS A STRAIGHT PATH?

i) IT IS THE WAY OF THE WILL OF GOD – Eleazar prayed for God’s will about taking a bride for his master, and when it happened so, he bowed down and worshiped God saying, “… blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.” (Genesis 24:48)

ii) IT IS THE WAY ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD (1 Samuel 6:12; Joshua 1:7; Deuteronomy 17:18)

2) BRONZE GATES ARE BROKEN

God does not open the gates but breaks them.

The gates of Jericho were shut before the Israelites. But when they encamped Jericho praising God, the whole boundary wall of the city fell and it became a wide opening for all the Israelites to get in. (Joshua 6)

Isaiah prophesies to the gates of Philistia to wail and the city to cry for the whole city will melt away, while at the same time the prophet says that the poorest of the poor and the needy of Israel will find pasture and dwell in safety. The Lord will establish Zion. (Isaiah 14:29-32)

WHAT ARE THE GATES THAT ARE BROKEN?

i) GATES ARE THE ENTRANCES OF CITIES (Genesis 19:1)

ii) GATES ARE PLACES OF WORSHIP (Acts 14:13)

iii) GATES ARE TRADING PLACES (Genesis 23:9-11; Ruth 4:1)

iv) GATES ARE PLACES OF JUDGMENT AND EXECUTION (Deuteronomy 21:18-21; 22:13-19; 2 Samuel 15:2-3)

May God break the doors of unrepented cities and establish His kingdom, break pagan altars as Gideon did and build altars that are named Jehovah Shalom, take over all trades and bless His people materially and financially and be our righteous judge and execute His judgment in matters that we are waiting for.

3) IRON BARS ARE CUT

God does not open the bars but cuts them off.

The contentions of an offended brother are like the bars of a castle (Proverbs 18:19).

In the Scriptures we find that anyone that felt offended and carried his anger always was defeated in his run. For example, i) Cain’s anger and jealousy over Abel, ii) Esau’s anger over Jacob and iii) Saul’s anger, jealousy and spirit of distress over David.

God graciously grants us permission to get angry but warns that it would become a sin if the anger does not subside before the sun sets. Also, the Scripture warns that by remaining angry we are giving a foothold to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27). The wrath of man hinders the working of the righteousness of God (James 1:20). All through His life, The Scripture records that Jesus was angry only once when the Scribes blamed Him for healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5).

I personally believe that the Holy Spirit is here on earth with us to take us to the kingdom of God. The chief attributes of the kingdom of God are peace, righteous and joy (Romans 14:17). So those who are peaceful and happy on earth doing what is right in the sight of God will be easily be caught up into the kingdom of God. Whereas the traits of the kingdom of darkness are weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, gloom and disorder. So those whose attributes co-relate with these may probably go to the kingdom of darkness if they don’t learn to be joyful and at peace. (Matthew 8:12; 13:42; Job 10:22)

4) TREASURES OF DARKNESS

DARKNESS: Darkness prevails in the deep and where there is formless and emptiness (Genesis 1:2). Sorrow and darkness go together (Isaiah 5:30). Darkness also is the habitat of the evil one (Ephesians 6:11-12). So darkness is a path where we don’t understand what is going on, it is gloomy filled with sorrow and we feel as if we are trapped in the devil’s schemes. But I have good news.

TREASURES HIDDEN IN DARKNESS: The good news is that after the darkness there is a glorious ray of light. When the earth was without form, void and dark, the Holy Spirit hovered on its surface and the earth and its fulness was made (Genesis 1:2). God hides Himself in canopies of darkness so that we search and find Him (2 Samuel 22:12; Exodus 20:21; Psalm 18:11).

It was when darkness and terror fell upon Abraham that God made a covenant with him (Genesis 15:17-21). He visits us in the night (Psalm 17:3).

5) HIDDEN RICHES OF SECRET PLACES

When Jesus was born on earth the wise men from the East brought offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2). The Scripture does not disclose anything else about these wise men. They just seem to come from nowhere and went back their way. The wisdom of riches and knowledge are hidden in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:3). Even the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field. When a man finds it he goes and sells all that he has to buy that field (Matthew 13:44)

WHY DOES GOD PROMISE TO GO BEFORE CYRUS?

i) To rescue His people from their 70 years of bondage in Babylon (Isaiah 45:3)

ii)  For Cyrus to build His temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4)

If we need God to go before us, we ought to be of some use for Him, His children and His kingdom purpose.

IF GOD GOES BEFORE US WE OUGHT TO FOLLOW HIM

If God goes before us we ought to go behind Him. Just sitting comfortably and thinking that God will go, break and bring everything to us is foolishness. Jesus has gone before us and asks us to take our cross and follow Him. His way is meekness and humbleness of heart.

In Joshua chapter 1, we see that when Moses died and all the Israelites were mourning, God asked Joshua to move forward and cross the great Jordan.

The Breaker will go before us but it we who will go and break and pass through the gate (Micah 2:13).

If we want God to go before us we ought to enquire every time we take a move. When the Philistines came against David, he enquired God if he can go. God asked David to go and he gained victory over his enemies. But the Philistines came the second time. This time too David enquired God and God gave him a strategy to follow. He was asked to go behind them and wait until the poplar trees make a sound. When the wind of God made the poplar trees to sound, David moved and the Lord had already gone before him and the Philistines were struck down (2 Samuel 5:18-25).

God has very easy and silly ways to strike down His foes as the smooth stones to knock down Goliath (1 Samuel 17:49) and the hornets to chase away nations like Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites (Exodus 23:27-28).