Ezra 1

“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, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’” Ezra 1:1-2 (NKJV)

In an age of clap-happy worship and entertainment-oriented evangelism, the book of Ezra directs our thoughts to a holy God who demands reverent worship and uncompromising loyalty from His people. Furthermore, Ezra calls us back to a renewed obedience to God’s Word (something close to my heart) and a wholehearted commitment to the work of God in fellowship with the people of God.

Even in the first few verses, Ezra assumes that we are already searching the Scriptures, for it begins with the words, “in order that the Word of The Lord prophesied by Jeremiah be fulfilled.”  How could we appreciate that Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled unless we were intimately familiar with its predictions? How could we understand the magnitude of God’s sovereign intervention unless we were familiar with the pagan brutality of the Medo-Persians?

Imagine that Iran became so powerful that they defeated Israel and the United States, carrying us back to their country as slaves. Furthermore, imagine that once enslaved on Iranian soil, we were forbidden to read the Bible and worship the Judeo-Christian God. Instead, we were forced to worship Allah and recognize the Koran as the supreme spiritual authority. Then, amid such spiritual oppression, what if the president of Iran announced, one day, that his ability to rule has come from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus are to go to Jerusalem and build a synagogue to our God! Sounds far-fetched? That is precisely what happened in Ezra’s day. Persia is where modern-day Iran resides.

And the overriding message of Ezra is one of hope and certainty in God’s Word. I am certain that is a message we could all use these days, so we must read closely and be encouraged that the peace of God does not always mean the absence of conflict; rather, it is the presence of peace amid conflict that passes all understanding. Hold on – for God is faithful to His Word, and nothing can keep Him from accomplishing His purposes. He can even turn the source of opposition towards His people into a tool to deliver His people!