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 Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing… (Ezra 1:1)
Here are four things about God that I came away with from this passage.
1. God is sovereign over the events of history. This passage reminds us of the fact that ultimately it is God who is in control over history and not governments or men. God is the one who shapes history according to his plan. When the years of the punishment of his children were complete, as promised, God made a way for the exiles to be brought back to their land. He moved in the seemingly impossible world circumstances to bring about his purposes.
2. God is sovereign over the hearts of men. In this passage we are told that it was the Lord who “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia”. Similarly God hardened the heart of Pharaoh in Exodus. Both leaders seemingly came to their own decisions, yet it was God working in their spirit/heart that resulted in them behaving in a certain way. Proverbs 21:1 says it this way, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
3. God keeps his word. God had promised the people through the prophet Jeremiah that he would bring them back from exile and establish them once again. Here we see God do just exactly that. Their exile, as prophesied by Jeremiah, totaled 70 years. Many who heard the prophecy did not live to see it fulfilled in their lifetime. Yet God kept his word even when circumstances seemed impossible and the years marched on.
4. God can be trusted. This is one of innumerable instances found in scripture of God keeping his word. Because God is faithful to do so, he can fully be trusted. Even when the circumstances of our lives are trying we know that God has promised that he works all things for good for his children (see Romans 8:28). Similar to the Israelites, we may not see the fulfilling of his word in our lifetime, but we can know with complete certainty that it will be kept. How can we not put our trust in a God like that?!
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