EZRA 1: 1-4

Whenever the people of God turn their backs on God and refuse to repent and turn around, judgment always inevitably comes. Instead of sustained prosperity and peace, we encounter persistent adversity and overwhelming calamity. It truly pays to love God and live right. God’s people can never exalt themselves and forget God and where they are coming from, without dreadful consequences. Constantly, we must remind ourselves of the Scriptural caution, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). We, His redeemed people, must forever walk softly and humbly before our God.

When the Jews so unwisely turned their backs on God in pointless rebellion, they were viciously slain, slaughtered, and taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They were shown no compassion by the enemy. Both young and old, male and female, were massacred and viciously murdered. Their houses were pillaged and burnt to the ground. The temple was wickedly desecrated and burnt down. Their palaces were completely destroyed, and the precious vessels of the temple were either destroyed or taken away to Babylon. How tragic! What a high price we pay for our spiritual apathy and willful apostasy.

However, what we do also see and discover again in the book of Ezra is the abundant mercy of our God for His people, even in captivity. It is so refreshing to know that “He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever” (Psalm 103:9). His Word declares with forceful authority “Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shall quicken me again, and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:20). Jeremiah is specifically used by God to speak hope and give encouragement to the despairing exiles. He authoritatively prophesies, “For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

Today, we thank God that every evil allowed to come our way has a divine limit placed on it. It’s only for a time and a season! After a while, deliverance shall come, one way or another. It must be known again that a good word from the Lord has already been spoken over us. Things may be bad now, but joy and prosperity shall soon alight upon us again. The bad spell shall be broken! It was our lived experience that yesterday it rained all day and was dark, dreary, and overcast, but today the sun broke through and what a difference it brought. Change genuinely came.

It is absolutely phenomenal how this change is orchestrated in the book of Ezra. In fact, the book explosively opens on a most positive note. It begins with a royal decree from the palace and pen of the heathen-Persian King, Cyrus – commanding the Jews to return home to rebuild the Lord’s house. God stepped in!. The Almighty can still use anybody to accomplish His purposes.

May we get it right today! It was not Cyrus who engineered or masterminded this enterprise of emancipation and deliverance, but the supernatural, sovereign, wonder-working God of the ages. He stirred up Cyrus (Ezra 1:1). He put it in his heart to let the captives return. He spoke to the King about the captives; He freed His enslaved people. God made the King make a proclamation and put it in writing, causing them to leave Babylon enriched, empowered, and energized (Ezra 1:6). The decree was divinely sealed and authorized! Permission has been granted to rebuild our lives and the house of the Lord!