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Isaiah 44 · Grade 5

Cyrus, My Shepherd

Name Date

Read and Think

Isaiah 44 opens with renewal: God will "pour water on him who is thirsty" and "my Spirit on your descendants." People will proudly say, "I am Yahweh's." The title "Jeshurun" (upright one) is a loving name for Israel used in Deuteronomy 32-33. Then God makes his central claim: "I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God." In the New Testament, Revelation 22:13 gives this title to Christ: the First and the Last.

Verses 9-20 are among the sharpest satire in the Bible. Isaiah follows the idol from forest to shrine. The blacksmith grows hungry and faint while making it; the carpenter measures it "like the figure of a man." The same log serves for a cooking fire and a god. "He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside." The tragedy is blindness: he "can't deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn't there a lie in my right hand?”" Paul makes a similar point in Romans 1:22-23 in the New Testament.

In contrast, Israel is God's handiwork: "I have formed you. You are my servant." Forgiveness comes first, then the call: "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions... Return to me, for I have redeemed you." The chapter ends with God naming Cyrus about 150 years before he conquered Babylon: "He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure." Ezra 1:1-4 records Cyrus decreeing the temple's rebuilding.

Show What You Know

  1. What is Jeshurun?

  2. Which New Testament verse gives Christ the title the First and the Last?

  3. How does the idol-maker's own work expose his folly?

  4. Which book records Cyrus decreeing the temple's rebuilding?

Crossword

42513

Across

  1. And I am the ____.
  2. I don’t know any other ____.
  3. I will pour my ____ on your descendants.

Down

  1. For I will pour ____ on him who is thirsty.
  2. I am the ____.

Think About It

  1. The idol-maker had a deceived heart. How can people today be deceived into trusting things that cannot save?

  2. God forgives first and then calls, Return to me. Why does God's forgiveness come before our return?

Memory Verse

This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:6 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for forgiving my sins. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • God said He formed Israel and would not forget them. How does being remembered by God steady you?
  • How does God's free mercy draw you near to Him?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.