February 18

“Besides me there is no God: I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me.” Isaiah 45:5

In this passage we have a very peculiar thing. Cyrus, conqueror of Babylon and king of Persia, did not know God; yet he is described in these verses as the Lord's anointed. In the Scriptures, anointing always marks a man as chosen by God for his own special purpose, to fulfill a task for him.

Cyrus is, then, an illustration for us of how world governments stand in the sight of God. He had no personal relationship with God. Yet he was in God’s hand for the fulfilling of God’s will. All such world powers are in God’s hand. This one rises, that one falls, and God is over all. Of Cyrus God did not just say, “My instrument,” but “My anointed.” The rise and fall of nations in history is controlled by his sovereign choice for purposes that are only wise and good.