June 12, 2021
What does it say?
God promised to bless Cyrus and the Persians so that they and the surrounding nations would know that Israel’s God is the only God.
What does it mean?
This is one of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible. God named Cyrus as the foreign king through whom He would reveal Himself to the Persians and the nations in Northeast Africa. This prediction was made at least 140 years before it was fulfilled. The purpose of the prophecy was not to bless Cyrus for his own sake but to show the world’s foremost superpower Who the one true God is. The end result was that the nations who came to submit to Cyrus would do so in recognition that the one true God was the One Who had granted Cyrus such power.
How should I respond?
Have you ever wondered why God sometimes blesses people who do not follow Him? Jesus said that God causes the sun to shine and rain to fall on both good and bad people (Matt. 5:45). Not every tough situation is a curse from God for doing something wrong, and not every blessing from God is a reward for doing something right. However, we should praise God when He blesses anyone – even people who do not seem to deserve it. We should also help and pray for those who are in a tough situation, even if they do seem to deserve it. God can use both situations to bring them to Him.