October 22, 2023 Text: Isaiah 45:1-7
Dear Friends in Christ,
Rev. Daniel Schmidt was a missionary in southern Africa and when he was there the crime rate in South Africa was rising. One Sunday morning in his sermon, a Pastor of the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod encouraged parishioners to believe that God is in charge in spite of the daily experience of crime. When he came out of worship, his pickup truck was gone. Stolen. He stood in that parking lot, silently struggling with God, that this could happen after he just preached on the subject. But he had a second service to conduct at a neighboring congregation. The organist gave him a ride.
On the way they passed a mobile speeding camera. Several cars were pulled over. As the organist slowed, the Pastor realized one of the trucks pulled over was his. The thief had been stopped by the police. God used a person of authority to return the Pastor’s property to him in a way that he had not expected. Just imagine how he preached on the same theme in the second service!
In our text we see God using a person of authority, a king no less, to further His work and His kingdom. A gentle reminder for us. Even when things look there worst . . .
“GOD OVERSEES HISTORY FOR HIS PURPOSE”
Evil must bow to God. What do you think about that? In our Old Testament Reading, God calls Cyrus, King of Persia, “his 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.” (v. 1). The shocker here. Cyrus is a pagan. He has no faith in God. He will come to rule over God’s people only because he is a conqueror. Twice in our text it says Cyrus does not know God. Yet God says, “I call you by name, I name you.” (v. 4b). Cyrus is even called by God “anointed.” Guess who else was called that? The Messiah – Christ. Pagan Cyrus sharing the same title as Jesus!?
What is the Lord going to allow Cyrus to do? He is going to conquer foreign powers – even mighty Babylon. He will collect the wealth of his enemies. And so it happened. History records that the Persian empire conquered lands with unprecedented speed and ease.
What is God doing here? Why is He allowing these evil unbelievers to have such success? Don’t we ask ourselves the same thing? Why do oppressive governments prosper? Why are terrorists allowed to attack? Why does our government permit evil in the streets?
Closer to home, we might wonder why schools can get away with politically correct nonsense. Why does our job require sensitivity training? Why do our friends or family think that some of this evil is good? God what are you doing? Wake up!
Cyrus did lead the Persians to defeat Babylon. For what reason did God direct this history? We read in verse 4: “For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen.” Jehovah pours out his grace upon his chosen Israel through this conquest and through an unholy nation that does not acknowledge the one, true God. How did He use this conquest? After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, the fall of Babylon destroys the captors. After Cyrus’s greatest victory, one of his earliest decrees is that the Jews can go home. God uses Cyrus to return his chosen back to their homes and worship.
Throughout Scriptures there are examples like this. Judas who betrayed Jesus. Caiaphas who sent Jesus to Pontius Pilate with false charges. The crowd that called for Jesus’ crucifixion. The Roman soldiers who mocked him, beat him, and nailed him to a cross. Look what evil can do. It looks like God is not in control, that evil is stopping God’s intentions.
That is, until you hear the words of Jesus who calls out to His Father to forgive them. Then you marvel at how the Father chose to forsake his Son for us. You marvel even more that this Son would be punished in your place so that the evil in you could be forgiven. Do you see that even the evil in you must bow? When evil bows down, the righteousness of God is yours. Isaiah writes, “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (v. 7)
May you rest in knowing God oversees history for His purpose. I serve on the Church Extension Board for the district. We decide on loans for churches and schools. Do you know what we are seeing more and more of? Requests for loans for Christian schools. You always hear me say this, “actions have consequences.” If our public schools want to continue to push an agenda contrary to God’s Word, then the God of Isaiah, who used a pagan Cyrus for His purpose, is going to open more doors for our young people to be exposed to Christ and his teaching. It’s that simple. The God of history is awake.
Amen.