Isaiah 45 concludes with the declaration, “In Yahweh shall be justified and shall glory all the seed of Israel” (v. 25). The context makes it clear what this justification consists of: To be justified is to be delivered from exile, to be rescued from chains, to be the object of homage from the nations, to find salvation in Yahweh and not idols.

Israel’s justification is linked to her glorification, her glorying and boasting in Yahweh. As Paul would say, there is no boasting for justified Israel other than boasting in the Lord her Savior.

Justification here, as often in the Old Testament, is not about individual soteriology. Justification is what God does in the history of His people when He keeps all the promises He has “sworn by Myself” to keep (v. 23).