Isaiah 45: 2 – 3
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the god of Israel, who summons (calls) you by name.
Two weeks ago we looked at Romans 11: 29 and we saw that all of God’s gifts and His calling are irrevocable. They cannot be removed, drawn back or recalled. Today’s verse has both promises and the promise of your calling in it.
It is God’s will that you succeed in this life. That is why He is going to go before you and break down mountains, strong impassable doors and cut through bars that were put up to keep you out of your success. This is such beautiful imagery of our God who is willing to participate with you to break down every barrier that has been erected against you.
He wants you to have the hidden treasure and the treasures of darkness. When you read that part of the passage it sounds a little odd that He is going to give us the treasures of darkness, but when you look it up the Hebrew text makes much more sense. The word “darkness” as used in this passage is taken from the ordinary word (chashak) that means to be without light, dark, but the Hebrew text did not use that ordinary word. The word used in this text is choshek. In this construction the word translated as darkness actually means: misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness and obscurity. What a huge difference one word makes.
What God is saying to you is that he will break down all of the barriers that have come out of misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness and obscurity so that you may reap the treasures that were wrought in that wickedness. It is very much like Romans 8: 28 where God told us that He would cause all things to work for our good. In this case he is going to take the wealth that was stolen and misappropriated through immoral means and redeem it for His chosen ones. He is going to take that theft that the devil meant for ill and redeem it for His kids. You are given the riches that have been stored away secretly.
God is going before you so that you just walk through the busted down doors, you walk on a level path rather than having to climb or go around mountains. His holiness will redeem the ill gotten gains and then He will give them to you. Now don’t sit in Egypt awaiting manna from heaven. What we have to do is follow God. He will break down the locked and barred doors, He will level the path before you, when you walk where He leads you. Your success, your wealth are in His wake. Well, that is a good place to be.