July 28
Ezra 1-2
Psalm 85:8-13
Proverbs 19:7
I Corinthians 7:1-16
Used By God
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: the Lord, God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the Earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
Ezra 1:1-2 ESV
In Jeremiah 25:11-12 we find the prophecy Jeremiah made that, because of the wickedness of Israel and their persistence in worshipping other gods, God was going to turn them over to Babylon and they would be in captivity for seventy years. After that time, God would rescue them from captivity, and He would bring them back to the land and fulfill His promise to them again. Jeremiah 29:10-14 explains that God has plans for the people of Israel and after seventy years in Babylon, they will call on Him and pray to Him and He will hear them, restore them, and bring them back from exile. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia (Babylon), the seventy years had come to an end. God could have fulfilled this prophecy any way He chose. He could have raised someone up from among the Israelites to lead them to freedom, as He did with Moses. Or He could have caused a great uprising among the people. Instead, He chose to use a pagan king to accomplish His purposes. He stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to allow the people to leave Babylon, return to Jerusalem and build a house of worship. Perhaps Cyrus had heard of the prophecy of Jeremiah from Daniel, but we are not told that. All we are told in these verses is that God stirred up his spirit. This is a comforting passage because it is proof that God is in control of everything that is going on and He will accomplish His purposes. He will use whoever He chooses and do whatever He wills. No one can thwart His plans or hinder Him.
The world around us often feels very out of control. Evil men seem to be in control, and they seem to accomplish whatever they want. They can lie, steal, and cheat and it seems that they never get caught. But that is not really what is going on. God is in control of everything. He uses the actions of godly men to bring about His will, but He also uses the actions of evil men. He puts kings and presidents in power at the exact time to do what He has planned. He makes all things happen to bring about His purposes. Many people, including those in Israel, have compared Trump to King Cyrus. They believed that he was the one that God chose to rescue Israel and bring about a peace plan with its neighbors. There is even a coin minted in Jerusalem with Trump on one side and Cyrus on the other. I don’t know how Trump fit into God’s plans, but I take comfort in this passage because I believe that God is in control. Trump accomplished God’s plans and now Biden is furthering those plans. Things are not falling apart; they are falling into place. On days when I am discouraged by what is going on in the world around me, I remember King Cyrus and find peace in God’s sovereignty and power.
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