Growth in Godliness
God's Use of Cyrus the Great
Did you know that God can use whomever He will to fulfill His purposes? Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes."
Cyrus the Great is considered "great" because he founded the vast Achaemenid Empire, known for its tolerance and respect towards conquered peoples, allowing them to maintain their own customs and religions, most notably freeing the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity and enabling their return to Jerusalem, which is why he is revered in the Hebrew Bible as a benevolent ruler; he is also recognized for his military prowess and skilled leadership in building a large and well-managed empire through both conquest and diplomacy.
Isaiah's prophecy concerning Cyrus, God's servant of 44:28, occurred in 712 B.C. "It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'" Cyrus reigned in Persia from 559 to 529 B.C., 183 years after Isaiah, by the inspiration of God, called Cyrus by name and declared how He would use him to save His people, Israel.
God's Use of Cyrus, His Anointed
Much is said these days in Christian circles about what can and cannot turn people to God. Let us broaden our view so we do not limit what God calls salvation.
Isaiah 45:
Verse 1, "Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed...
Verse 3, "I will give you the treasures of darkness...
So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name."
Even the darkness is light to God; but sometimes we are so blind in the tiny spaces the devil creates for us through our pride that we think God cannot see what He is doing or who He may choose to use.
God's Use of Cyrus, Who Knew Not God
Verse 4, "For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me."
Verse 5, "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me, there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;"
A small space the devil creates for us in our thinking is about the one that God will never choose to use. Paul, writing to Timothy, did say, "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." As an admonition to Christian behavior, Paul was most accurate, but he was not limiting who God may use.
Verses 6-7, "That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these."
Clearly, God is never responsible for sin, but nothing in life happens that His hand is not a part of it, or else He is not God.
God's Use of Cyrus to Set His People Free
Ezra 1:2-3, "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 'Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem."
We need not make Cyrus a godly and godfearing man; it should be enough for us to know that God chooses whom He will use. Throughout scripture, we understand God working through men He has redeemed. From Abel to Zachariah, men were born to Adam's race of sinners, then separated by the Divine will to God, sanctified, and used as imperfect as they are.
Some Americans are aware of the war that has taken place in the dark. Puritans, who we call Pilgrims, braved the unknown by faith. They were tried for many years and used to lay a foundation for freedom of worship, the likes of which the world has never seen since Israel.
Since the beginning of our nation, certain people have never wanted a government by the people, of the people, and for the people. The Pilgrims were not alone; they came with opportunists whose ways were the world's ways.
These men did not want to conserve a Puritinistic Christianity, morality, and decency. They have always wanted to liberate America from the shackles of religion and the tyranny as they see it of God. They enslaved people while making it look like it was the other party, and this they did in all their evil ways.
In the last sixty years, they have thrown God out of America through our schools, government institutions, news media, and entertainment. The tragedy is not that the devil is given the power to control sinners, as he does, but that the church does not repent of its worldliness, failure to pray, greed, and failure to be Spirit-filled. But instead, like Israel of old, it has become in bondage to organized religion and ruled by men and bar God from His headship.
As a result of these failures and many others, God has raised a man who may be an outsider to continue our country, for we know not how long. The other side will destroy America as we now know it, and many professing Christians are blind to everything I am now writing. God used Cyrus even though Cyrus did not know God's name. I wonder how much of the church does not know His name.
Ephesians 5:13-21, "But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
For this reason it says,
"Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you."
15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation (reckless, wasteful living), but be filled with the Spirit." 21"... and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ."
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