Seize the Moment – Day 1428
Anointed for Service!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, February 13.
Did you know that God has anointed you for service? In Isaiah 44:28-45:1, God names Cyrus as His anointed one, who will not only deliver God’s people from Babylonian captivity, but will provide for them the means to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple:
It is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.” And he declares of Jerusalem, “She will be built,” and of the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.” Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.
The Hebrew word used for Cyrus is mashiach; it means “the anointed one” and reflects the biblical tradition of selecting and equipping a person for service, such as the anointing of the kings by the prophets (e.g., 1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13; 1 Kings 19:15-16). Isaiah prophesied over a hundred years before Cyrus would come into power as the king of Persia to fulfill this prophecy, conquering Babylon in 539 BC and decreeing that that Jewish exiles could return home to rebuild the house of the Lord (Ezra 1:1-2; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23). Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of Cyrus as the anointed one, chosen and equipped by God for a specific work prepared in advance for him to fulfill.
God makes it clear that He is still in the business of anointing people for works of service to Him through His Holy Spirit. He now does it when people put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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