It seems wrong to think of our government leaders as 'messiah's,' but that's what God calls them!
Isaiah 45:1-7 (NIV)
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed (mā·šîaḥ),
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 36: The Civil Government
We believe that
because of the depravity of the human race
our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers.
He wants the world to be governed by laws and policies
so that human lawlessness may be restrained
and that everything may be conducted in good order
among human beings.
For that purpose he has placed the sword
in the hands of the government,
to punish evil people
and protect the good.
And being called in this manner
to contribute to the advancement of a society
that is pleasing to God,
the civil rulers have the task,
subject to God’s law,
of removing every obstacle
to the preaching of the gospel
and to every aspect of divine worship.
They should do this
while completely refraining from every tendency
toward exercising absolute authority,
and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them,
with the means belonging to them.
They should do it in order that
the Word of God may have free course;
the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress;
and every anti-Christian power may be resisted.
Moreover everyone,
regardless of status, condition, or rank,
must be subject to the government,
and pay taxes,
and hold its representatives in honor and respect,
and obey them in all things that are not in conflict
with God’s Word,
praying for them
that the Lord may be willing to lead them
in all their ways
and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life
in all piety and decency.
And on this matter we denounce the Anabaptists, other anarchists,
and in general all those who want
to reject the authorities and civil officers
and to subvert justice
by introducing common ownership of goods
and corrupting the moral order
that God has established among human beings.
Summary
When we think of God's anointed one, the first name that ought to pop into your mind is of course His Son Jesus, who is the Messiah. He is the one anointed to be our prophet, priest, and king. So it's surprising to read of God addressing a different messiah in today's passage, and it's downright shocking to find out that this messiah is King Cyrus of Persia. Not only was he arguably the most powerful man to ever rule on earth, but it's well documented that he was a polytheistic pagan.
Yet the LORD reaches down to take hold of his right hand and subdue nations, strip kings, open doors, level mountains and to give him hidden treasures. In other words, everything that Cyrus accomplished came because God enabled him to do it. The LORD did all of this - the same LORD God who formed the light and created darkness, who brings prosperity to some and creates disaster for others. What a reminder of what it means that God is sovereign over all things. Everything that happens is under His control - even the successes of pagan rulers.
The LORD gives two reasons for guiding & blessing Cyrus. First, He does so in order that Cyrus may know that YHWH is the LORD, the God of Israel. But what's so ironic here is that even though the LORD knows Cyrus by name, Cyrus does not acknowledge the LORD. Yet even though Cyrus is blind to God's superintendence of all he did, people all over the world would come to know that there is none beside the LORD through the actions of Cyrus.
Secondly, God appoints and controls even pagan kings for the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel my chosen. Everything that happens in this world, both the good and the bad, is being worked out for the good of those who love the LORD, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God would use Cyrus to send the Babylonian exiles back home to Israel.
Dig Deeper
I have no idea how many of the forty six men who've presided over the United States have been genuine, professing Christians (and I have even less idea about those who've served as prime ministers of Canada). But it would be a safe bet that all of them likely played the 'Christian card' to some extent as they campaigned for office. It would be an even safer bet that none of them were truly men after God's own heart, as was King David.
But yet all of them - and not just our North American leaders, or even Allied leaders for that matter - every president, minister, dictator, or king who has ever ascended to power governed according to God's sovereign plan, just like mighty King Cyrus. To be clear, God does not cause evil men like Hitler to carry out atrocities, but somehow and in ways we'll likely never understand in this life, God permits and even uses the actions of the leaders He's anointed for your good.
You might be overjoyed or disgusted by the recent election results. Most of us will fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. But regardless of your opinion of those who prevailed, you can have the confidence of knowing the LORD God remains firmly in control and that whether He uses these leaders to bring our nations either prosperity or disaster, all of it will be done for the sake of Jacob my servant, and for Israel (God's people, now embodied in the Church).
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who forms the light and creates darkness;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will trust that God is using our governments as He works all things to our good;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 5
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