Behind | Workbook: Cyrus the Great and the Authorship of Isaiah, Part 2

If you do not believe that God’s prophets could anticipate the future, then this passage, and by implication the entire section, must have been written during the Persian period. However, if you believe in the possibility that Isaiah could have foreseen Cyrus under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this passage is a marvelous example of how God’s Word can look beyond its original context. 

By this time, having learned about the nature of the prophetic office and having seen it in action, you know that one of the fundamental elements about the prophetic word is its ability to transcend its original context and speak toward future realities. 

Imagine yourself hearing this oracle being delivered for the first time. Imagine hearing about the Lord’s anointed, named Cyrus, and thinking, “Who is this person?” What a mysterious feeling.

Then imagine yourself among the post-exilic community reading the words of Isaiah, with the realization that 250 years before, Isaiah named Cyrus who conquered Babylon and instituted imperial policies that would ultimately benefit God’s people (Isaiah 45:4).