The Lord's Anointed
Depiction of Cyrus the Great by Jean Fouquet , 1470. Click here to listen to this sermon. “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). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Cyrus was the king of Persia, who conquered the great Babylonian empire in 539 BC. It was a surprisingly easy victory considering the reputation the army of Babylon had for ruthlessness. As Cyrus’ army surrounded the city of Babylon, the priests of Marduk surrendered, declared him to be Marduk’s chosen new monarch, and then opened the city gates to allow him to enter peacefully. The Babylonians had been the ones who had destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and had deported the Jews from Judah and Jerusalem. The prophets had explained that this devastating work had been the judgme...