The Anointed One

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed” (Isaiah 45:1).       

May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered the mighty Babylonian Empire in 539 BC. The victory was unexpectedly easy given Babylon’s reputation for brutality. As his army surrounded the city, the priests of Marduk surrendered, proclaimed Cyrus Marduk’s chosen ruler, and opened the gates for his peaceful entry.

The Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and its temple and deported the Jews from Judah and Jerusalem. The prophets explained that this devastation was God’s judgment on His people for disobeying His Word and failing to worship Him faithfully.

Scripture does not tell us exactly what happened, but imagine the scene: Cyrus, dressed in royal splendor and surrounded by attendants and dignitaries, receives several Jewish elders. They read to him from Isaiah’s scroll: “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed” (45:1).

Consider how startling this would have been. Written 150 years earlier, the passage addresses Cyrus by name. The Lord calls him His “anointed,” or “messiah”—a title usually reserved for prophets, priests, and kings. Cyrus is the only non-Jew in the Bible addressed this way. Although he did not know the Lord, God equipped him to conquer and unite one of history’s greatest empires.

This divine plan unfolded as Cyrus’s forces advanced from Mesopotamia to India’s borders, then toward Egypt and through what is now Turkey. His empire included the land from which the Jews had been exiled—God’s Promised Land. The time had come for God’s people to return home, and Cyrus was the instrument God used to accomplish it.

God first names Cyrus in the final verse of chapter 44, calling him “My shepherd,” the one through whom Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt. Cyrus did not rebuild them personally, but he issued the decree allowing the Jewish remnant to return to Palestine and do so. He also ordered the return of the gold and silver articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken from God’s house and funded the temple’s reconstruction from the royal treasury (Ezra 6:3-5).

Isaiah’s prophecy, given more than 150 years before these events, is remarkable. Its precision still prompts some to claim the passage was added afterward. Yet, guided by the Holy Spirit, Isaiah wove specific references to Cyrus throughout the prophecy. Despite his faults, the Persian king foreshadows the Lord’s perfect and complete Servant and helps prepare His way.

If God’s people do not return to Judah, Jesus cannot be born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. If Jerusalem is not rebuilt, He cannot ride into the city or be led outside it to be crucified 500 years later. If the temple is not restored, He cannot enter it as prophesied. These events had to prepare the way for the Shepherd of the Lord, the Lord’s Anointed, the Messiah. Jesus is the ultimate Anointed One. Through His sacrificial death and resurrection, He frees God’s people from sin, death, and hell—a deliverance far greater than Cyrus could imagine. God directs history and its people toward the purposes of the Gospel.

This may seem a strange way to save a nation, the world, or an individual soul. Yet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not ours (55:8), and Paul affirms that all things work together for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). Ultimately, everything serves the purpose that you, I, and others may encounter God through His Son, Christ, know Him, and live with Him forever. Nations rise and fall, cultures come and go, and history unfolds as the stage and means by which God brings about this end.

Just as God used Cyrus, He uses rulers as His instruments today. The New Testament makes clear that those in authority hold their positions because God has placed them there for His purposes. Romans 13 says: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God… Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (vv. 1, 7). Peter likewise writes: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God” (2:13-15). And in today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21).

God does not command you to honor rulers only when they are Christian, moral, or pleasant. He simply commands you to honor them and trust that He works for your good in hard times as well as good ones. When He identifies Cyrus as His instrument, He also declares, “I make well-being and create calamity” (Isaiah 45:7). God does not create evil, but in a world where evil exists, He uses both well-being and calamity to bless and strengthen your faith and bring you to eternal life.

Remember this when the news tempts you to worry. Though the world may appear out of control, it remains fully in the Lord’s almighty hand. Be confident that God is accomplishing His will for His people—even through missile threats and mass shootings, political gridlock and global warming, ISIS and Ebola, hardship and terrorism.

Therefore, honor those in authority. God does not require you to like, trust, or agree with them, but He does call you to honor them, obey laws that do not conflict with His Word, and pray for your leaders. You may also give thanks for the opportunity to vote. When Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar,” the ruler was the unelected, lifelong emperor Octavian, followed by Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero—none known for godliness. By comparison, the “lesser of two evils” sometimes presented in elections may not seem quite so severe.

Do not despair—or threaten to move to Canada—if your candidate loses. God can work through the opposing party too.

Nor should you accept the claim that Christians may vote only for born-again candidates. Cyrus is clear evidence that God uses rulers of many religions for the good of His people.

This principle applies not only to rulers but to everyone. In mercy and grace, the Lord appoints many kinds of people as instruments for your good. Suppose you need surgery and can choose between two doctors: a Christian who earned average grades and succeeds in the procedure half the time, or a Buddhist valedictorian with a 95% success rate. Some might choose the Christian solely because of his faith, but that is not how God orders life in this world. I would choose the Buddhist because his record demonstrates greater skill.

The Lord can use anyone for your good, including unpleasant people and hostile enemies. He may even use you to benefit others when you are grumpy or difficult. That does not excuse your sin; it displays God’s faithfulness. He uses times of well-being to reveal His blessings and times of calamity to teach you to trust not in worldly things or rulers, but in Jesus, your Savior.

He does all this because of Jesus. Washed clean from sin and baptized into God’s family, you are His beloved child for Jesus’ sake. If you are hospitalized, every staff member—even the person doing the laundry—is God’s instrument of care because Christ died for you. The grouchy boss and unhappy teacher can serve your good as well. Even if someone steals your wallet, the Lord may say, “I will not reward his theft, but I will use your loss to bless you. I make well-being and create calamity, and I use both for your good. I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

In prosperity and calamity alike, be certain that you are not abandoned and that God is not against you. He cannot be, because for Jesus’ sake you are His beloved child. No wrath remains for your sins; Jesus bore it all on the cross. In every circumstance and through every person you meet, trust that God works all things for your good because all your sins are forgiven.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.