Ezra 1:1-2 "Now 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, (2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah."
God does all things well in His time. We may question, we may doubt, we
may be tempted to take matters into our own hands and attempt to apply our own
answers or remedies. Life is filled with questions. There are certain
principles of truth that we find ourselves holding tightly. When we feel
alone, we hold to that precious word from our Lord, "I will never leave
you nor forsake you." When we feel like we are in the depth of despair
and uncertainty in life, we hold to that wonderful word, "My grace is
sufficient." We hold to and live by the truth that our God is
trustworthy and our strength is found in Him.
Israel had been in captivity for 70 years. God had allowed them to be taken
captive because of their turning away from Him. But throughout those years, God
never left them. He was with them throughout those years and there were many
times when His presence and power prevailed on their behalf. The book of Daniel
has several instances of this great truth. He blessed the four Hebrews to
prosper on a diet of pulse (peas and beans) and water. They had been
offered the king's diet, but instead they trusted the Lord even in their
captivity. When the king's magicians and wise men could not interpret his
dream, the Lord blessed Daniel to tell the dream and the meaning of it. When
Nebuchadnezzar threw the three Hebrews into the fire, Jesus walked in the fire
with them. When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, the Lord shut their
mouths and Daniel was safe.
I want to remind us that even in our darkest hour, the Lord has promised to
bring us through that valley of the shadow of death. God made precious promises
even before He allowed the people of Israel to be carried away into Babylon.
Let me remind us of a few of them which I truly love and upon which I have
leaned heavily. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end." (Jeremiah 29:11) "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me,
saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 33:3) Because of
His everlasting love for us, our God has plans for our lives to bring us to
that place of peace and joy where His great power and grace can be seen.
Why do I bring these things into the beginning of this study of Ezra?
There was another prophecy that God had given to the people before they were
carried into captivity. In the book of Isaiah (which also was written
before the people went into captivity), we read these words: (The LORD)
"That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my
pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy
foundation shall be laid." (Isaiah 44:28) Before Cyrus was
even born, the Lord said He would raise up Cyrus (called him by name) to
rebuild the temple that had been destroyed when Babylon carried them
away. My thought as we begin this study of the book of Ezra is this:
In our darkest hour, we can know our God is in control and has a plan to
bring us through every struggle and trial. Trust Him.