“Who is the bad guy?” Isaiah 45:1-7
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2
“I will go before you
and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me.
5
I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
6
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7
I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
O God, the protector of all who trust in You have mercy on us that with You as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen