Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 45

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;

It was thought impossible for any foreign troops to enter Babylon; yet the gates were found open, and the army of Cyrus marched in, and took possession of the city.

I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.

Whenever God calls a man to do any work, however difficult and even impossible it may seem, he will certainly accomplish it, because he will have God with him. The Lord will gird his loins, and make him strong, and all the forces of providence shall work towards the accomplishment of the divine end.

Has God given you any work to do? It may be a much easier task than that of Cyrus; so, as the Lord enabled him to succeed in his great enterprise, you may have confidence that His power is sufficient to give success to you also. It may seem presumption for you to undertake such a work; yet, if you are called of God to do it, go on without a shadow of doubt, for He will make the crooked places straight, and break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.

We must not forget that, whatever God did in relation to Cyrus, was done with an eye to the welfare of his own people.

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

And all the powers and princes that arise in this world, God can use for the good of his Church. All the nations, and kingdoms, and powers that are, are only like so much scaffolding for the building of God's own house, and he makes use of them as he pleases, though, often, they do not know what he is doing with them.

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, 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; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, which call you by your name, am the God of Israel.

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called you by your name: I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.

A remarkable prophecy, issued long before the time of Cyrus, foretelling that he should conquer Babylon and destroy it; and, though for many a day Cyrus knew nothing about the Most High God, yet was he used, in the Lord's hand, for wonderful purposes.

Sometimes, a man may have been used by God for great ends without his own knowledge. When, however, he comes to the discovery of that fact, as he may if he will only think it over, should he not reverently bow before the Most High, and worship him who, though unknown to him, had been his Helper and his Friend?

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; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

This prophecy was written by Isaiah long before the period of Cyrus's birth. Surely, it must have flashed solemn conviction upon the heart of the king when he came to read words like these, in which his very name was mentioned, and all his exploits and successes, with which he vanquished his enemies, captured their strong places, and cut the gates of brass in pieces. Our God has all things present before him. To him there is no future. All things are in one eternal now with him, and therefore he tells his prophets the things that will be.