Yahweh's Final Victory For His True People (Isaiah 45:14-17).
After his brief moment of glory Cyrus is now left behind and Isaiah moves on to the final victory of God's people through the work of the Servant. There is no limit as to time. Isaiah sees a patchwork of events that will occur, but is in no position to fit them together.
‘Thus says Yahweh,
“The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Cush (Nubia),
And the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you,
And they will be yours, they will follow after you.
In chains they will come over.
And they will fall down to you, they will make supplication to you, saying,
“Surely God is in you, and there is none else, there is no God.”
Yahweh first promise to His Servant is that the North African nations, with all their wealth and vigour, the nations which were once given as their ransom (Isaiah 43:3), will one day subject themselves to them, because they acknowledge their God. The labour of Egypt may represent their production, or it may signify that they will be bondmen (a suitable reversal of the bondage in Egypt), the merchandise of Cush is their riches, the tallness of the Sabeans may well indicate their usefulness as servants. They will follow after Israel in chains (taking Christ's yoke on them) and will subject themselves to Israel's God, recognising that He alone is God (compare Isaiah 45:5-6 and in respect of Egypt Isaiah 19:16-22).
The basic idea is of their total subjection to Israel's God. The chains are symbolic of being in submission, of being made captive, in the end of being under Christ's yoke. Those who sought to enchain Israel will themselves be voluntarily chained. This was partially through the Dispersion when God's word and Law was taken into these areas and responded to, bringing them ‘under the yoke of the Law', it was fulfilled in the triumph of the Gospel when the ‘soldiers' of Christ went out to North Africa with the sword of the word in their hands and captured their hearts and received their obedience to Yahweh. It has continued in the missionary activity of the church. And it will reach its final fulfilment when all the redeemed from these nations enter the Holy City in eternity in total submission to Yahweh (Revelation 21:24).
The mention of such a combination of nations was most likely in the time of Isaiah and Hezekiah when Cushite Pharaohs ruled Egypt.
‘Truly you are a God who hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.'
This sudden revelation of a switch in fortunes brings an expression of praise from Isaiah. This is something new, he says. Clearly God has been hiding from His people and the world much of what He is going to do. His salvation is going to be greater than anyone has comprehended.
‘They will be ashamed, yes, confounded, all of them,
They will go into confusion together who are makers of idols.'
Such activities of God will spell the death knell of idols. In the light of the worldwide spread of the truth idolatry will be put to shame. Those who make them will be ashamed of them, they will all be filled with confusion together, they will be put to shame. No one will want to have anything to do with them. When God arises even Babylon will be put to shame.
‘But Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting deliverance.
You will not be ashamed or confounded everlastingly for ever.'
But for God's true people there will not be shame, but an everlasting deliverance. Never again through all eternity will they be ashamed and confounded. Note the strong emphasis on everlasting. It will be true for ever and ever and ever