I have recently been reading some books about the history of the crusades. For a long time now I have found myself quite disturbed by what kings and nobles were able to do in the name of Christ, in the name of the church. The destruction caused by the crusaders as they made their way to Jerusalem and the power and riches that these crusaders craved truly repulsed me. I hoped that by studying the crusades, I would have a better grasp on where these people who called themselves Christians went wrong, therefore being able to explain away their horrible actions. But instead, I discovered something I wasn’t expecting, you run across believers who participated in the crusades out of their faith and desire to follow God’s will, and who acted as the conscience of the crusades, trying to protect the innocent, encouraging those in charge to turn away from their earthly desires, pushing the crusaders to act like the Christians they professed to be.
It seems that God was with the crusaders at key points through the first crusade, as there are signs and wonders that were reported by both sides that would be hard to argue against. Plus, there were just times where something would happen that defied reasoning. At one point, the crusaders faced a group of Arabs that outnumbered them about three to one, and they thought this would be their last battle. But just before the battle was to start, an earthquake happened and the Arabs ran away. Not a single crusader was lost in that battle.
The people of conscience continued to tell the crusaders not to trust in their own strength, but rather to trust in God. They also continued to rebuke the crusaders for how they would act after winning a battle.
Sometimes black and white is easier. It was much easier for me when I believed that the crusades were totally evil, purely man-made, an example of people using God to justify their own horrible deeds. I always thought of the crusades as Christians behaving badly. And to a certain extent, that is still there. But there is also an understanding that God was at work in the time of the crusades. He worked through his faithful in ways that I just cannot quite wrap my mind around.
Sometimes it is easy to see where God is working. Sometimes it is much more murky and difficult to pinpoint God’s hand at work. Sometimes we just let our own humanness get too much in the way. But God is at work in this world, and not always in ways that we are comfortable with. And in Isaiah 45 we see God at work in a way that was strange for his people and that would not make sense to them. But just because they didn’t understand how he was working does not mean that he wasn’t working.
1. Anointed King
At first glance, today’s scripture seems pretty straightforward. We have God promising to work through someone whom he has anointed, and through this person people around the world will know the strength of the Lord. If God were saying this to King David or any of the kings of Israel it would make sense. If God were talking about some leader from his own people who would step out and be victorious throughout the land, bringing freedom to God’s people, then this would make sense. But he isn’t. Instead, this is a prophecy that refers to Cyrus, a Persian king who defeated Babylon when the nation of Judah was being held captive.
We don’t know what Cyrus believed. We don’t know what his spiritual life consisted of. He may have been monotheistic, though he probably worshipped many gods like the leaders around him. He certainly wasn’t a part of God’s people of the day. And he certainly didn’t worship Yahweh, the Lord, our God. He was an outsider. He was a man of war who was not living in the covenant relationship that God had arranged with his people. He belonged to another people, another land, another god. But God was still willing to work in him and through him. God was his strength. God opened the way before him, and leveled the cities in his path. Cyrus’ faith did not matter; God was going to use him no matter what.
It gets stranger. Verse one begins by referring to Cyrus as God’s anointed. This is big. Being anointed by God means something big in the Hebrew language. There is another word that this could have been translated as, though the translators were wise, I think, to not take that option. You see the noun in Hebrew that is translated as anointed or anointed one is the noun, “Messiah”. Now obviously, Isaiah 45 is not trying to make King Cyrus of the Persians the Messiah.
There are many throughout the Old Testament who are anointed by God for certain tasks, often prophets or kings. Sometimes they even have oil poured on them in the anointing. King Saul and Kind David both had this. Prophets regularly referred to being anointed when they spoke of having a message from God. They were anointed to speak this word to God’s people. And King Cyrus, we find out, is one of these even though he might not realize it. But this is different than the anointed one that will be coming, the savior, the Christ. For Jesus, is anointed to a special ministry, one of reconciliation between God and God’s creation. And, of course, Jesus is more than just anointed, he is God’s Son.
But it is important to realize that saying that someone is anointed by God isn’t a term that is just thrown around for anyone. No, what we see here is God taking a non-believer and using this non-believer to further God’s purpose in a special way. God had a special relationship with King Cyrus though the king probably had no idea that such a relationship existed. And through this special relationship some pretty important things happened. The people of Judah were saved. And people from around the world got to know of God’s might. And all this happened because God had anointed this king to come in and destroy the enemies of Judah.
2. Following God
I like to make a big deal about following where God leads. It’s a theme that runs through many of my sermons. I believe that God calls us to certain paths and we, as Christians are given a choice of whether we are going to be faithful and follow or not. Further, I believe that as individuals and as a community of believers, it is our responsibility to work towards figuring out what it is that God is calling us to. I do not believe that it is wise or healthy to just sit and wait to see where God might lead. No, we are called to seek out God’s leading on our lives and then follow.
But here we have someone who is neither seeking out God’s leading, nor is he choosing to follow, but God is still using him, he is still God’s anointed. This is fairly unique in the Bible. And yet in some ways, it is something that is quite common. Look at Paul, for example. A case can seriously be made that he didn’t choose Christ as much as Christ chose him. He actually makes this case in many of his letters. He was out and about killing Christians, and throwing them in jail for their beliefs. If left to his own, he would never have accepted Christ. But God intervened in his life in a very dramatic way, blinding him and speaking to him from the sky on the road to Damascus, and he became the great evangelist who helped spread Christianity throughout the known world. No wonder Paul’s writings are so full of talk about grace. He knew that he really didn’t have much say at all in his own salvation. He knew it happened because God stepped in. And Paul isn’t the only one for which this happens. It happens to others throughout the Bible as they are called by God to follow him and when they do, the world changes.
But what is somewhat unique about King Cyrus is that God is just using him without expecting his repentance or his faith. This is unusual. Paul, when called by God, changed. So did others. But King Cyrus could be totally unaware of his role in God’s plan. But, in a way this isn’t terribly unique either. Think back to Joseph, the one with the brightly colored coat. His brothers decided (with evil intent) to sell him to Egyptian slavers, so that they would be rid of their young brother who was dad’s favorite and who had a bit of a problem with boasting. There was nothing redeeming in their decision to sell their own family member into slavery. But as his life continued, Joseph discovered that what his brothers planned for evil God used for good. Through Joseph the land around that area, including the land of Joseph’s own family, were saved from a horrible famine that could have done them much damage.
The great King Cyrus was being used by God and probably had no clue that this was the case. He would probably laugh at the suggestion that this scripture has of why God gave him the power he gave him. In verse four it tells us that for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor.
The reason that King Cyrus has the power he has, the reason he has the ability to come in and defeat Babylon has nothing to do with his own might or power. It has nothing to do with his own faith or faithfulness. Rather, it is through him that God is choosing to save his people, this small nation in-between all these mighty empires. Cyrus would laugh at the thought that he is being blessed in his conquest for the sake of the small tribe of Judah. And yet, this is the very reason that God is blessing him: for the sake of God’s people.
There is another reason that God is using Cyrus though. It is in verse 6. He is doing it so that “from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know that there is none beside me… I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” We might think he is talking about time, from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting. But he isn’t. He’s talking about place. The place the sun rises is as far east as you can go, the place it sets is as far west as you can go. God wants people around the world to know him. He wants people around the world to realize that he is the one in control. He wants them to rely on God and not their own strength. And for this reason, God has anointed King Cyrus to do his will, even though Cyrus doesn’t realize it.
3. Why?
The way things happen in this world don’t always make sense to us. As we see such great destruction throughout the world, we cannot always understand how God could let it happen. This is particularly real to us in today’s world, as we look at the earthquake in Pakistan, the hurricanes in the gulf coast, the tsunami that hit southern Asia. It would be nice to be able to say that the destruction happened to evil people. It would be nice to think that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But the Bible tells us that God sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. It would be nice to think that blessings come from God and disasters come from somewhere else, yet God tells us that he brings prosperity and creates disaster. When we try to understand the mind of God we only find ourselves getting headaches.
So how do we respond to this world that asks us why? How do we answer the question of how God can allow such destruction and pain to happen?
I’m not sure there is an answer. But what I do know is that God conquered death by directly facing it. Jesus didn’t come into this world in power, but rather in weakness. God didn’t cause all pain to go away but rather sent Jesus to experience pain himself. God is with us in the midst of crisis.
We are the church. We are the body of Christ. We are supposed to be following God, and representing God to those around us. How can we do this? By embracing suffering the same way that Jesus did. By being present with people in the midst of their suffering. By helping those who need help, feeding those who need food, clothing those who need clothes. Our answer to the question of how God can let pain happen is to be present with people in their pain. As we face our own doubts, we realize that God is at work in this world. He is working through us! Are we going to allow him to use us the way he used King Cyrus. Cyrus didn’t have a choice, God was going to use him no matter what. We are given a choice. We get to choose whether to allow God to use us. So, what are we going to do with this choice God gives us? Are we going to be God’s hands and feet so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, people will know God? Amen.
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