“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings, (Isa 45:1) “Only rebel not against the LORD, neither fear you the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” (Num 14:9)

God promises Cyrus that He will loose the armor of kings. It means He will enfeeble them. It was not without precedent. In Numbers 14, Joshua and Caleb having returned from spying out the Promised Land with ten other spies, tried to assure the people that although there were giants in the land, their “defense had departed from them and the Lord is with us”. It’s an unusual expression which quite literally means the shadow or “favor” of God was not with the enemy.

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