In the first reading today, the prophet Isaiah prophesizes the rise of pagan king Cyrus as God’s instrument to bring restoration to Israel. “For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, (Cyrus) I surname you, … I arm you, though you do not know me” (Is 45:4).
The people of Israel were in the Babylonian exile. They were in one of the darkest times of their lives, quite like the Egyptian bondage. The situation was very bleak – people had lost hope in God. They had become slaves. They did not see any sign of getting out of their ordeal. Hopes of returning to their homeland were shattered. At this moment, against all odds, the young prophet Isaiah prophesizes that the return to the Promised Land is near, for God has ‘anointed’ Cyrus, a pagan king to bring them back.
Isaiah was a keen observer of the events that were unfolding around him. He saw that the dominant and egoistical Babylon, in its arrogance, had lost sight of the rise of a new Persian leader – Cyrus. He was winning all his battles. Within a span of a few years, Cyrus built a formidable empire, conquering nations after nations to his kingdom. Isaiah could foresee that it was a matter of time before the Babylonians would fall to the Persians. The prophet gives them an oracle – “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations…”
In the writings of Isaiah, God calls Cyrus using many titles which were specific to the Hebrew kings. God called Him a ‘shepherd’, ‘the man of Providence’, ‘God’s beloved’, and the ‘anointed’, which means messiah. Isaiah sees the rise of Cyrus as God’s plan to bring liberation to Israel – an instrument of salvation in the hands of God.
God used a pagan king to fulfill His plan. God can use anything to bring His plan of redemption to completion.
We can learn a lot from these Old Testament stories for our present day lives. Our present situation is not much different from the time of Isaiah. We are also facing the darker moment of our times. Our faith and spirit are weakened. We live in an era of social, moral, and spiritual collapse. But, if we see from the eyes of faith, we can find God making His presence felt through many events.
God can use any person, any event, and any situation to realize His plans. On our part we need to desire to bring God into everything we face. We need to give God “What belongs to God” – our entire life.
–Fr. Ranjan D’Sa OCD