Ezra 1:1-11

The hand of God moves over the hearts of the kings of this world to accomplish His will.  Jeremiah had prophesied the length of the captivity that Judah would experience.  That time had come to a close so God moves the heart of the king.  There is no need for us to fear the circumstances of our lives; rather we should trust in His sovereign control.  We may not understand His plan or His methods, but we can trust in His faithfulness and goodness in all of the circumstances of life.

CYRUS FULFILLS THE WILL OF GOD: Even before the captivity had begun, Jeremiah had been shown the day when Cyrus would be used to restore Judah to the land and rebuild the temple.  Cyrus is a pagan king who God uses to fulfill His will in the world.  God is all wise and all knowing He determines the best way for His purposes to be fulfilled.  That purpose included the judgment of Judah in captivity, but it also included their restoration through the reign of Cyrus.  No matter how crazy the political situation of our nation and the world may appear; we can rest assured in the sovereign control of our Lord over the hearts of our leaders.  God is never taken by surprise and in His wisdom He will often use the sinful leaders of the world to accomplish His will.  We must learn to live our lives by faith and not in fear.


CYRUS FACILITATES THE WORK OF GOD: Not only does Cyrus permit the people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple; he also makes provision for the work to be done.  He gives protection to the people who are returning.  He gives the resources necessary to start the work and He permits the people in captivity to contribute to the work that needs to be done.  He also restores the sacred objects that had been taken from the temple during the destruction of Jerusalem so that the work of the Lord can be carried out in the proper manner.  There is really no logical reason that explains why King Cyrus would do this other than the Lord moving in His life.  When God has a job that He desires to accomplish, we can be assured of the fact that He will facilitate that work by making provision for it.  The world and all that is in it belongs to Him.  His resources are limitless so we can serve Him with confidence in His provision.

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