We find the Lord referring to Cyrus as a "shepherd". Generally we tend to think only of Jesus as the shepherd but the word could apply to anyone who is a helper of God's people. For example, synonyms for the word "shepherd" include words like "attendant, caretaker, guard, guide, keeper, protector". Anyone who helps the Lord's people could be referred to as a "shepherd". When the Medo-Persian Empire conquers the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Cyrus will give the people permission to go home to rebuild their land.
The Lord says He is the one, "Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'" (Isaiah 44:28) It's important to keep in mind that the prophecy didn't come true until over 200 years after the Lord gave the prophecy to Isaiah. Many decades passed between the lifetime of Isaiah and the lifetime of Cyrus and yet the Lord called him by name!
"This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (Isaiah 45:1-3) The Lord made Cyrus the Great extremely successful in his conquest of many peoples, including the Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, Sacians, Paphloagonians, and Maryandines. In addition, Cyrus subjugated the Asiatics, Greeks, Cyprians, and Egyptians.
It is generally believed that the religion of Cyrus was Zoroastrianism. But the Lord called and anointed him to set His people free. It may seem strange to think of a person of a pagan religion being called and anointed by God, but the Lord can use anyone to help those who are His. As King Solomon said, the Lord can even make a person's enemies be at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7) Cyrus saw himself as a liberator and therefore we could not accurately call him an enemy of the captive people of God, but the Lord can cause even someone who is our true enemy to do things that cause something good to happen to us. Remember how Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and then later he became second-in-command to the king of Egypt and was the person who saved all of his kinsmen from famine? Joseph said that the Lord took what his brothers intended for evil and used it for good. (Genesis 50:20)
The Lord calls and anoints Cyrus to set His people free, even though Cyrus does not worship Him as the one true God. "For the sake of Jacob My servant, of Israel My chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me." (Isaiah 45:4) It is thought that Cyrus read or heard of the prophecy from the book of Isaiah, for in the book of Ezra he states that the God of Israel commanded him to build a house at Jerusalem in Judah. He decreed that anyone who wanted to go up to Jerusalem to rebuild could go, saying, "May his God be with him." Cyrus didn't convert and worship the Lord as the one true God, as far as we know, but he did believe that He exists.
The Lord says to Cyrus, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." (Isaiah 45:5-7) The Lord can use even those who don't worship Him to help His children. He raises up leaders and deposes leaders to suit His divine will. Cyrus was given great power to conquer nations so he could set the captives free.
The Lord may put someone in a position to help us who isn't even a believer. Non-believers can be good-hearted people and may actually want to help us. Conversely, some non-believers may not care a thing about us and may actually wish to do us ill, but the Lord will use their wicked intentions to bring about something good for us. People think they are in control of their own destinies but the Lord is Lord over all. He is easily able to use even a non-believer to bring about a good change in circumstances for those who are His.
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