Isaiah 45:4-7

For Jacob my servant's sake— The prophet here gives us the reasons why God shewed such favour to a prince addicted to the Pagan superstition of his country, and ignorant of the true God; that he prospered all his undertakings, and gave success to all his enterprises. These causes were particular and general: the one respecting the Jewish nation, ver, 4, 5 the other respecting all nations, and Cyrus himself, Isaiah 45:6. The principal cause of this whole event is subjoined to either passage, namely, the God of Israel, and he alone: For it is the design of this whole discourse, to convince all nations of the true divinity of Jehovah, and to draw them from the superstitious worship of false gods. Bishop Warburton observes, ingeniously at least, and Vitringa also makes nearly the same remark, that the words of the 7th verse, being directed to Cyrus, king of Persia, may be understood as spoken to the Persian sect of the Magians, who held light and darkness, good and evil, to be the supreme beings, without acknowledging the great God of heaven and earth, who is infinitely superior to them both. In opposition to this opinion, the prophet instructs Cyrus, that light and darkness, or good and evil, are under the direction and disposal of Almighty God; hereby guarding the Israelites from the doctrine of the two principles which were held by the Persians, and shewing that it was founded upon absurdity. See Div. Leg. vol. 4 and Vitringa.