45:1
Now the Lord addresses Cyrus. Did God actually say this to Cyrus, or is this just a matter of God declaring to Isaiah what his purpose is? Given that this was written by Isaiah many years before the time of Cyrus the latter seems the more likely. God is demonstrating His Lordship of history, and His purpose. God would use Cyrus to subdue nations, most notably Babylon. He would also set nations free, nations who had been captured by Babylon. Note that seemingly irreversible events and situations can be overturned.
45:2,3
While God would use Cyrus, He would also prepare the ground before Cyrus. Cyrus would succeed not because he was so great, but because God had prepared the way, and because God was with him. He would be given the "treasures of darkness", the things hidden in secret places. Cyrus would know that it was the Lord who gave him victory.
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