“…That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” — Isaiah 44:28
“Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” — Ezra 1:2
Here we see that Jehovah God is no politician. Promises made are always kept to the letter. My study Bible dates the book of Isaiah to 740 – 680 BC, while the first return of the Jews to Jerusalem was about 537 BC! Cyrus the Great who was prophesied by name in Isaiah was not even born until 600 BC and his reign was from 559-530BC according to Wikipedia. Unbelieving scholars have to conclude that the book of Isaiah has two or more authors operating centuries apart because that is the only way a prediction like this could be made so far in advance. But those of us who believe will accept God’s stated purpose for this miracle with childlike faith:
“For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee [Cyrus] by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me…. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.”
—Isaiah 45:4-6
This was done so that we could be assured that God is sovereign over all things, that we can trust in His word. He declares it, and then He brings it to pass.
“That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightiest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?”
— Proverbs 22:19-21
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