Main Idea: The sovereign God will accomplish His purposes.
A Quick Backdrop:
The book of Ezra overlaps with the latter portion of the book of Daniel. Partway through Daniel, the land of Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire. Remember, this was still during the time of Judah’s exile in Babylon.
As such, Ezra opens with the people of God still far from their homeland in the same geographical area, but now under the rule of a new nation and its king, Cyrus.
A Look at the Text:
Ezra opens with the proclamation of Cyrus and, more importantly, with the fulfillment of prophecy.
God moved the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word He had spoken through Jeremiah (Ezra 1:1). Just as Jeremiah had encouraged the exiles in Babylon that the captivity would be seventy years long (Jer. 29:10), so now the people of Judah would be sent home at God’s ordained time.
Cyrus recognized that it was Yahweh, the living God, who had given all kingdoms into his hand (Ezra 1:2). With this, he sent exiles back specifically for the purpose of rebuilding the temple.
Then, not only did God stir the spirit of Cyrus, but He stirred the spirits of His people to return to the land of Judah (Ezra 1:5).
They gathered materials and the temple vessels that had been plundered by Nebuchadnezzar decades before and prepared to return (Ezra 1:6-11).
Bringing it Home:
The Scripture reveals on page after page in story after story that the living God holds history in His hands. He can do as He pleases and His plans will come to pass. God told His people when they would return and then moved the heart of the Persian monarch to accommodate that timeline.
The security of God’s plan should greatly encourage us while we live in a sin-stained world that largely rejects God. We can rest assured today that God has already factored all human acts, even acts of disobedience, into His plan. He is the God who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11).
Like the Judean exiles, we live between the time of promise and fulfillment.
The exiles heard there was a seventy-year waiting period, but they had to wait for that time by faith and trust God’s promise. Today, we are waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and the dawning of a new creation, a final deliverance from the seeming exile of an earthly life.
In light of this, we can know that the same God who moved nations, kings, and peoples in Bible times is still active today. He will bring His plans in creation to completion, and He will also complete His work in us (Phil. 1:6).
Challenge:
Does human action ever cause me to doubt God’s sovereignty?
Oh I’m excited about this. Getting into Ezra and Nehemiah!