“Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 45:1 Mean?
God addresses a pagan king by name as his chosen instrument: thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.
To his anointed (mashiach) — the word that gives us Messiah. God calls Cyrus — a Persian king who does not worship Yahweh (v.4: though thou hast not known me) — his anointed. The title normally reserved for Israelite kings and ultimately for the Messiah is applied to a Gentile emperor. The designation is shocking: God's anointed is a pagan.
To Cyrus — named by name, approximately 150 years before Cyrus was born (Isaiah's ministry: ~740-680 BC; Cyrus's conquest of Babylon: 539 BC). The naming in advance demonstrates absolute divine foreknowledge and sovereignty. God knows Cyrus by name before he exists and assigns him a role in redemptive history.
Whose right hand I have holden — God holds Cyrus's right hand — the hand of power and action. The holding (chazaq — to strengthen, to take hold of) means God empowers and guides Cyrus. The Persian king's military success is not independent achievement. It is divinely supported conquest.
To subdue nations before him — God subdues nations in front of Cyrus. The military victories are God's work attributed to Cyrus's campaigns. The nations do not fall to Persian strategy alone. They fall because God pushes them down before his anointed.
I will loose the loins of kings — loose the loins means to remove the belt that holds armor in place — to disarm, to weaken, to make defenseless. God personally disarms the kings who oppose Cyrus.
To open before him the two leaved gates — the gates of Babylon. Historical accounts record that Cyrus entered Babylon through gates that were left open — an unusual and seemingly miraculous occurrence during a siege. God opened the gates. Cyrus walked through.
Verse 4 explains the purpose: for Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect. Cyrus conquers Babylon so that Israel can go home. The pagan king serves the covenant people's restoration.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does God calling the pagan Cyrus 'my anointed' reveal about the scope of divine sovereignty?
- 2.How does naming Cyrus 150 years before his birth demonstrate God's foreknowledge and control of history?
- 3.What does God opening Babylon's gates 'before him' teach about the relationship between divine sovereignty and historical events?
- 4.Where do you need to trust that God is holding the hand of someone who does not know him — using them for purposes they do not understand?
Devotional
Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus. God's anointed — and it is not a prophet, a priest, or an Israelite king. It is Cyrus. A Persian emperor. A man who does not know God (v.4). And God calls him my anointed — commissioned, empowered, set apart for a divine purpose he does not even understand.
Whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him. God holds Cyrus's hand. The world's most powerful conqueror is guided by an invisible hand he cannot see. Every nation that falls before the Persian empire falls because God pushed it down. Cyrus thinks he is conquering. God is arranging.
I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates. God disarms kings. God opens gates. The impregnable city of Babylon — with its massive walls, its river-fed defenses — opens before Cyrus because God opens the doors. History records that Babylon fell almost without a fight. The gates were open. Now you know why.
For Jacob my servant's sake (v.4). This is why. Not for Cyrus's glory. Not for Persian imperial expansion. For Jacob. For Israel. So that God's exiled people could go home. The entire Persian conquest — the mightiest military achievement of the sixth century BC — was orchestrated for one purpose: a remnant of Jewish exiles needed to return to Jerusalem.
God uses whoever he wants. He does not need the powerful to believe in him in order to use them. He holds the right hand of kings who do not know his name. He opens gates that military strategy cannot breach. And the purposes behind it all are not geopolitical. They are covenantal — for Jacob's sake, for the sake of the people he loves.
The most powerful forces in your world — governments, institutions, decision-makers — are held in the same hand that held Cyrus. God opens gates. God subdues opposition. And the purpose is always his people.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,.... Cyrus is called the Lord's anointed, not because he was anointed with…
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed - This is a direct apostrophe to Cyrus, though it was uttered not less than one…
Cyrus was a Mede, descended (as some say) from Astyages king of Media. The pagan writers are not agreed in their…
Cross References
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