Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘ Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held–to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: 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 called you even by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God beside Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-5).
Consider some important facts that we learn from this text.
1. God calls Cyrus His anointed, which means that he had selected and appointed him for a particular task.
2. God is with Cyrus as he goes forth to conquer, thus making him successful.
3. God would do all of this for Cyrus even though Cyrus did not know Jehovah.
4. He has been with Cyrus for a purpose–to help Israel by allowing them to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
Before we get to the main thrust of this article, let us present some thoughts on the four points just listed. First, God can use anyone for a particular purpose if He so desires. Cyrus had no idea that he was performing the Lord’s will. Even God’s enemies can inadvertently do His will: when the Jews instigated the death of Jesus on the cross, they were actually carrying out God’s plan. They did it in ignorance (Acts 3:17)–even though it had been foretold by “the mouth of all His prophets” (Acts 3:18). Thus, here is a warning to the arrogant soul who boasts, “I don’t believe in God and will never do his will.” A proper response might be, “You never know. In your rejection of Christ and in your attacks upon Christianity, you just may be doing God’s bidding, as the Jews did unwittingly.” God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh: “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth” (Ex. 9:16). The beauty of it all is that even knowing what God was doing did not affect Pharaoh’s behavior–any more than it did Ahab’s when Micaiah prophesied of his death if he went out to battle (1 Kings 22). Arrogance runs deep; stubbornness can thoroughly permeate a person.
Second, God not only made Cyrus successful; He makes many people successful. Like Cyrus, many do not know that God has blessed them (point three); thus they give Him no credit. God “makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Those who excel in some ability have the responsibility to ask, “Why am I so blessed with talent, which others lack? Do I deserve all the credit? How am I to use my gift?”
Fourth, Perhaps God has a useful purpose for each individual–even if we are not in the kingdom at the current time. People often make the mistake of thinking, “God wouldn’t want me; I have nothing to offer” or “I’ve been too sinful to be of any use to God at this point in my life.” As for sins, they will be washed away by the powerful blood of Christ; there is nothing that His blood cannot remove. Concerning value, we should not underestimate God’s ability to make something of us spiritually. Even the very least person in the kingdom has something to offer. Andrew was never as prominent as his brother Peter, but he was responsible for bringing Peter to Christ. Small abilities can yield great results.
Jesus loves all of those who are part of His body, but He has room for more. He died for all; He shed His blood for all; He has a use for all in His kingdom. He may have arranged things in a people’s lives just to give them the opportunity to think and to respond. Even the reading of this article (or next week’s on the plan of salvation) may be an invitation to consider one’s spiritual state seriously.
Why Cyrus Listened
These statements of God to Cyrus are fairly demanding. Is there some reason that one of most powerful monarchs in the world would listen to and obey what God says to him in this passage? There is one excellent reason. God spoke these things to him over a century before he was born! Isaiah lived during the reign of Hezekiah when Israel was taken captive by Assyria (721 B.C.). Most date his prophecies from about 740 to 700 B. C. Cyrus conquered Babylon and, serving as God’s shepherd, gave the order to build for God a house in Jerusalem in 536 B.C.
Now imagine being a king so powerful that he has destroyed the mightiest nation on earth (at that time). He has to be feeling good about himself. Among the captives are some Hebrew people from a land far away. There is a wise man among them named Daniel who is eventually sent for. [Actually, we do not know the means by which Cyrus came to possess this knowledge, but it may have been in this way.]
Daniel: You sent for me, O great ruler of the earth.
Cyrus: Yes, I’ve heard about you–that you even prophesied the fall of Babylon.
Daniel: Yes, sir, I did. God revealed that fact to me.
Cyrus: Really? And what does your God say about me and my reign?
Daniel: He bids you to let the Israelites return to their land and rebuild the temple to Jehovah.
Cyrus: And when did he decide I should do that, since slaves are not usually in a position to bargain?
Daniel: It is written in the scroll of our prophet, Isaiah.
Cyrus: And how long ago did he write of me?
Daniel: He wrote of you around the time Assyria captured most of our brethren–about 175 years ago.
Cyrus: How am I referred to–as a great king, conqueror of the Babylonians?
Daniel: No sir, you are mentioned by name.
Cyrus: What? Impossible! Let me see this scroll.
Imagine how awestruck Cyrus must have been to have the scroll of Isaiah unrolled and to see his name mentioned in the ancient manuscript! No wonder he did God’s bidding and gave the order for God’s house to be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-4).
Evidence
God pointed out that His prophecies comprised irrefutable proof of His power. No pagan god (or idolatrous system) was ever capable of predicting with precision the things Jehovah did because none of them were real or legitimate. Nobody is making specific prophecies today, either, despite the claim of many to have miraculous gifts. If there had been a real prophet of God today, he would have made as astounding a prophecy at some time in this century as what Isaiah did! We would all be marveling that he had predicted the downfall of Hitler or the end of the Iron Curtain.
God made it plain to Cyrus that He–and only He–is God (Isaiah 45:6-13). God made the same point to His own people:
Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other: I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure’ (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Is it not sad that God found it necessary to treat His own people in the same manner as a heathen monarch? They had continuously ignored Him, but He provided the same reason for them to believe as He did for Cyrus: “I have declared the former things from the beginning” (Isa. 48:3a). He declared events to them in advance lest they should attribute various occurrences to their idols (Isa. 48:5).
Fulfilled prophecy has always been one of the greatest proofs that God is and that His Word should be highly regarded no matter what subject He addresses.