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Ezra 1 (Part 1) Bible Study (Introduction / The Proclamation of Cyrus) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Father, we do ask you from the bottom of our hearts that You
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would go before us as we begin a new journey in Your Word.
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We also want to give you all our thanks that You have consecrated
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these Friday nights in this ministry to be an Oasis for our
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souls. That's so many times we've been
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able to come and be refreshed and to be convicted and to be
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comforted and to be equipped because your word here is
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proclaimed and we are not ashamed of it Lord.
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And so we ask now that you would provide an awareness of the
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anointing that is promised in first John that anointing within
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that teaches us the truth and the deep things of God.
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We we come in faith. Oh God, and we pray that the
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delivery of this introduction would be Spirit empowered and
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that our hearts would be prepared to receive everything
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that you have in store for us this night.
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Lord, we pray that you would apprehend every wandering
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thought, every renegade emotion, anything that is outside of your
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will. We pray that it would come in
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total alignment with your desire for each of us.
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We bless you Lord, we give you thanks in advance for what you
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have planned through your word in our midst, Jesus name, Amen.
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In 586 BC the Babylonian Empire completely conquered the Kingdom
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of Judah, and you and I are well aware of the Old Testament in
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that many places have described to us just how swift and just
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how dramatic the destruction of Jerusalem was.
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We also learned a few weeks ago that Babylon completely remove
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the remaining people in the Kingdom of Judah, with the
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exception of a few poor people in the prophet Jeremiah.
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And so we have realized at the closing of Second Kings that
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God's promise of an expulsion from the Promised Land indeed
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came to pass, and even the Davidic dynasty was not exempt
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from it. But along the promises and the
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warnings of this exile were comforting words through the
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same messengers of God who constantly reminded this people
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who are now displaced that their exile into a foreign place was
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not permanent. It would not remain that way.
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In fact, the leading prophetic voice of that time, the prophet
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Jeremiah, gave this wonderful assurance in the middle of his
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prophetic book. In Jeremiah 29, verse 10, it
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reads for Thus says the Lord, after the 70 years for Babylon
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are completed, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise to
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you and will bring you back to this place.
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That was not the only time Jeremiah reminded the people
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that this was an act of discipline, but it was not a
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cancelling of God's covenant. And this prophecy in Jeremiah
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2910 is ranked among the most precise and all of Holy
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Scripture. It's a remarkable thing that we
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find in our Bibles. And so paramount was it that
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when it came to the fulfillment, God has given us two books in
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great detail to tell us how it all came to pass.
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And those books are Ezra and Nehemiah.
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And it's going to be our great privilege to consecrate the next
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few months to study these books with great attention and
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excitement. So that's what we're here to do.
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Now, some might be wondering why, after finishing Second
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Kings, we're not going to 1st and Second Chronicles because
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those books immediately follow Second Kings.
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And the answer is quite simple, if you've been with us through
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1st and 2nd Kings, we have frequently visited the
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Chronicles right in a way to help complete certain stories
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and accounts. And so I think it'll be more
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helpful to revisit First and Second Chronicles at a later
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time as a series. But for now, we are going to
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enjoy the book of Ezra. And I invite you to turn there
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with me, Ezra, chapter 1, because we are going to read a
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few verses in a moment. But allow me to offer a few
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introductory thoughts and listen again, if you're here, this is a
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great time to be at Bible study. It always is a great time, but
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especially when we start a new book because you get to start
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fresh and you get to be right at the beginning of a study where
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you don't get lost if you come later on or you feel like you
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have to catch up. So really absorb this time and I
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want to encourage you to be faithful in the coming weeks to
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actually remain in this journey so that you can fully benefit
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from it. So a few things to review in
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terms of background of this book.
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Ezra and Nehemiah originally are considered a single unit.
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In fact, that is still the case in the Tanakh, which is the
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Hebrew Bible. And though in our Bibles they
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are identified as separate books, they complement one
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another so well because both of these books cover the return of
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the Exiles to their country. And the record of this journey
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back is done so in incredible fashion.
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Does anyone remember how many deportations it took for the
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people to be removed from Judah NO33?
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And interestingly, what we're going to find in our study is
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that it will actually be three cycles of return from exile back
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to their homeland. And these waves of return will
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actually serve as a general yet helpful outline for these texts.
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So if you're taking notes, this is a good place to put this in
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your margins or wherever you put your thoughts.
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The initial wave of return will happen between Ezra chapter 1
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and Ezra chapter 6, and it will be through the leadership and
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guidance of a man by the name of Zerubbabel, and we're going to
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learn more about them in the coming weeks.
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Zerubbabel, the second group of returnees, is described
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described in Ezra 7 to Ezra chapter 10, under the direct
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leadership of Ezra himself. Now here's what's interesting.
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Ezra is mentioned and introduced to us for the first time in
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Chapter 7. That's kind of strange, isn't
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it, since the book is named after him.
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So in the last three chapters of this book, do we see Ezra taking
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center stage of the narrative? Now the final cycle, the final
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round of Return is the entire book of Nehemiah, and it's going
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to be through Nehemiah's leadership.
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So the focus really of Ezra now as an overview is going to be
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studying the first two significant recoveries of the
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people as they make their way back to their home, rebuild
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their community and more importantly, reestablish their
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relationship with the living God.
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Now let me make another mention here.
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Those three waves are led by three distinct individuals.
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And if you look carefully, they're they're all builders in
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their own way. When Zerubbabel will lead the
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people in the first wave, his primary responsibility is going
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to be rebuilding the temple. He's going to lay the foundation
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of the temple. We're going to look at that in
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greater detail in the weeks to come.
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Ezra follows. And when he comes back, he also
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rebuilds something. Does anybody know what it is?
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The people he's going to rebuild the people of God, he's going to
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rebuild their faith. He's going to rebuild their
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consecration. He's going to rebuild their
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worship. And finally, Nehemiah will
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arrive on the scene. And what will he rebuild?
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The walls. And that observation alone is an
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encouragement to us because God has his men and women who have
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their distinct responsibility in building some part of God's
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Kingdom. You don't have to be in
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leadership. The leaders are very, very
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paramount in this narrative. You don't have to be a leader to
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play some part in contributing to the fortification, to the
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sanctification, to the effectiveness of God's purposes
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on the earth. Now, with this in mind, perhaps
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you are wondering if Ezra is introduced to us in Chapter 7,
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why is this book named after him?
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And that's a good question. And the answer beyond Jewish
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tradition attributing it to him, is that there is wonderful
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internal evidence that shows us that he is indeed the author of
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it. So generally, Ezra is written in
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the third person, but a shift takes place once you come to
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Chapter 7. Let's go there quickly.
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Look at Chapter 7 and verse 27 with me.
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I'll wait for you to turn there. Ezra 727.
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Here's what we read. Blessed be the Lord, the God of
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our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of
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the king, to beautify the House of the Lord that is in
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Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the
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king and his counselors, and before all the King's mighty
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officers. I took courage for the hand of
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the Lord. My God was on me, and I gathered
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leading men from Israel to go up with me.
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So now we're we're seeing it in the first person.
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And this isn't the only place where this happens.
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It actually reappears. Excerpts in the first person
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will show up following Chapter 7 all the way to chapter 10.
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So we're left with only two options concerning the author of
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this book. You either have an anonymous
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author who is, you know, just telling and recording what took
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place historically and then included Ezra's personal
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memoirs, or you have Ezra, who is indeed the one who penned
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this book. And once the narrative shifts to
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his inclusion and his leadership in this return speaks in the
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first person. And that's what we believe that
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Ezra indeed wrote this. In fact, Ezra seems to have more
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authorship real estate in the Bible than one might actually
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think. If indeed we do conclude that
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Ezra wrote this, then we can actually say that he penned
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First and Second Chronicles. Why would we say that?
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Because the way Second Chronicles ends the last verses
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is virtually identical to how Ezra begins, almost word for
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word. And that alone may showcase to
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us that the same writer was involved in both works.
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And I encourage you to compare those texts at your own time
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later. Now, there's so much more that
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we can say about the background of this book, but I want to
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transition with this final question, and it's an important
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one. Is there an overarching theme to
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the book of Ezra? There usually is with every
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book, and there are more than one.
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But I want to say that one of them jumps out at us at the very
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opening of this book. The very first verse, actually.
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So let's read it together in verse one, Ezra 1.
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Verse one reads in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
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that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be
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fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit
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of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation
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throughout all his Kingdom and also put it in writing.
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Look at that sentence there, that the word of the Lord by the
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mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.
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That is a major emphasis in this remarkable historical account.
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Whatever God says he will do, he will do.
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So the fate, the faithfulness of God is, is very much a filter at
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the outset of this text. And it's not only seen here in
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God actually accomplishing the hopeful message that Jeremiah
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proclaimed. You will be there for 70 years,
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but you will come back. That's the word that's going to
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be fulfilled. It is interwoven throughout this
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book in micro testimonies where we see little stories and
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anecdotes and we realize over and over it's compacted how God
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is reliable, He is trustworthy, and what he says He will
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actually do. And He's never late.
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And I'm eager to discover these insights.
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I'm, I'm so looking forward to see what every chapter has to
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offer us. But with the plan tonight, we're
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actually going to just stay in verse one, Ezra one, verse 1.
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And I, I think and I hope and I pray really that by the end of
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the study you will see why that is valuable not to rush.
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I mean, it's only a few chapters.
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This, this study is not going to be very long.
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At least I don't anticipate it to be very long.
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But we can't rush what we see here in the very first words of
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this book. So here's what we're going to
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do. Verse 1 is going to serve as a
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launching pad to other Scriptures, but I want us to
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read down to verse 4 just to get a more complete picture, and
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then we will do what we are here to do.
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Let's read again in verse one in the first year of Cyrus, king of
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Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah
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might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit
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of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation
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throughout all his Kingdom and also put it in writing.
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Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, The Lord, the God of heaven, has
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given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to
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build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
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Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him,
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and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild
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the House of the Lord, the God of Israel.
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He is the God who is in Jerusalem, and that each
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survival in whatever place he soldiers be assisted by the men
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of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with
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beasts, besides free will offerings for the House of God
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that is in Jerusalem. The first thing that should
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strike you and I is this individual that we are
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introduced to by the name of Cyrus, who is the king of
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Persia. What does the Kingdom of Persia
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and its ruler have to do with the people of God who are
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supposedly trapped in Babylon? The answer should be clear to us
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that while the people were in exile, the Kingdom of Persia
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replaced Babylon as a superpower in the ancient Near East.
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There's been a shift of governance.
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There has been a transfer of power.
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Babylon no longer is the dominating force, it is Persia.
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In fact, all the events in Ezra and Nehemiah take place under
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the Persian government. This is a significant change,
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one that is detailed to us in the book of Daniel chapter 5.
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You remember that is precisely where we see this shift taking
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place and history accounts to the reality of this.
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It's an actually amazing thing to compare what we find here in
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the Bible and archaeological discoveries.
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But there's something DP here for us.
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Looking at Cyrus, king of Persia here in Ezra and Daniel and
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other mentions offers more than just how the Bible is
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historically accurate. Here's what I want to propose to
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you tonight. If you and I actually gather
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everything the Bible has to say about Cyrus, then we will
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actually come to the place of having one of the strongest
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arguments for the divine authorship of the Bible.
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In other words, if someone were to ask me why do you believe
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that the Bible is divinely inspired, one of my answers
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would be, and I don't say this was an exaggeration, I mean it.
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I would respond with, have you ever considered what the Bible
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has to say about one of Persia's most notable kings?
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Here's what I mean. Long before Jeremiah prophesied,
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when the people of God were returned to Babylon or or
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Jerusalem, he actually had another prophet explain and
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predict how it would happen. And that's where we need to go.
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Isaiah, Isaiah 44. And look with me at the very
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last verse, Isaiah 44, verse 28. You can't afford to miss this.
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This has massive implications for the veracity of the Bible.
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Isaiah 44, verse 28, Who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and he
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shall fulfill all my purpose. This is God speaking, saying of
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Jerusalem, she shall be built another temple, your foundation
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shall be laid. The prophecy continues in
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chapter 45. Let's look at verse one.
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Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right
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hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, and to loose
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the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may
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not be closed. I will go before you and level
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the exalted places. I will break in pieces the doors
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of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
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I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hordes in
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secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God
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of Israel, who call you by your name.
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For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I
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call you by your name. I name you, though you do not
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know me. To truly grasp how astounding
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this prophecy is, you and I have to understand the timing of it.
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There is no dispute that this was compiled.
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This prophecy was given close to 200 years before Cyrus was even
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born. Do you understand what we have
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in our hands here? One of the most accurate and
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robust prophecies in all of Scripture and all of Scripture.
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Now let's try to let's try to understand the magnitude of
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this. It would be like, just imagine
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with me now, a pastor living in the days of George Washington
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and this credible minister boldly proclaims on public
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record for the whole nation to hear there is a president coming
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by the name of George W Bush, who became president nearly 200
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years after Washington. That's why I'm using it.
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There is a new leader who will arise by the name of George W
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Bush, and not only does he name him by name, but he actually
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explains what he will accomplish in his administration that will
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actually bring about historical significance, a shift in
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nations. What would that sound like for
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those who would hear such a prediction?
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It would be astounding. It would be amazing.
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And for such a thing then to come to pass, well, it's, it's
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hard to imagine what would transpire after that.
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But that is the kind of precision foresight we're
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dealing with an Isaiah's prophecy here.
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This is not vague at all. It's naming names.
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It's actually foretelling what's going to happen on a global
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scale. History to this day can't ignore
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it. And this is something for us to
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consider. And we have to look at this
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prophecy more carefully because the more familiar we've become
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with it, the more confidence that we will have concerning the
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validity of the Word of God. And I'm sure the the greater
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your boldness will be in your preaching to the lost.
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So let's look at this. Let's come back to chapter 45 of
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Isaiah. Look carefully, verse one thus
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says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus.
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So Isaiah's prophecy is not just about Cyrus, it's a message for
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him. It's to Cyrus, it's to this man
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who is anointed. Now think about that.
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Who was anointed in Israel? Kings, prophets, priests.
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It's very rare where you have somebody who's a Gentile outside
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of the confines of Israel who is told to be anointed.
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Well, it's happening here. So this was something not just
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for Israel to know about, though.
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That's my main point. It's something for Cyrus somehow
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to encounter. And it is widely believed that
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Daniel was the prophet who exposed Cyrus to this prophecy.
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That's what Jewish tradition claims.
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And it's not so far fetched because we learned in the book
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of Daniel that he knew Cyrus personally.
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And more than that, we know that Daniel had copies of the
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Scriptures. He had prophecies at his
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disposal, did he not? How do we know that in Daniel 91
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and two, while Daniel is in exile, while Daniel lived
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through these transfer of governance, he says, I Daniel
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perceived in the books the number of years that according
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to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet.
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What is he saying? I perceived in the books He had
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books he was studying. And we have great reason to
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believe that Daniel was very bold in the palace, that with
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his great influence, he made known the truth of God.
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And so it would not be a stretch to say that somehow, someway,
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Cyrus was exposed to this scroll, to this message.
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It came to him eventually. Now, whether or not Daniel was
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the means by which Cyrus came to know this divine message, Ezra
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confirms that he was aware of it.
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We read that earlier. We'll see it again at the
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closing of the study. What we do know for certain is
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the essence of the message. Like Cyrus did What?
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What's the summary of this? The whole purpose of this
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prophecy is that once Cyrus is born, once he's raised up, once
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he accomplishes amazing things, he would realize the God of
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Israel has always known me, and He is the reason for my success
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and my exaltation. This was to humble this man.
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This was to move this man. This was for Cyrus to be
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introduced to the true God. And I want you to imagine the
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impact of coming across the writings of a prophet from a
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different land who lived 180 to 200 years before you.
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And in those records, your name shows up and your greatest
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achievement in life has been predicted and fulfilled.
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That's huge. That's massive.
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And as personal as this account is, it conveys A broader truth,
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one that would have challenged the hearts of the Jewish people
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and stir the hearts of Gentiles at the same time.
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What is it that God's compassion, God's power are not
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limited to Israel. He works beyond those borders.
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He actually can deal with the hearts of those who have no
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understanding, no relation, no access to what Israel had.
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And so yes, this, this prophecy, it profoundly displays the
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sovereignty of God over kings and over lands.
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But you can't miss the personal ambition in it.
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Is God flexing His ultimate power over all things?
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Is knowledge of all things? Yes.
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But to what end? What's the goal?
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Well, I want to make a case here so that people would not only be
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introduced to including Cyrus, but that they would actually
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know him, That they would be so moved by how this God has gone
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out of his way to make himself real that they would then pursue
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him in an intimate way. Look back at Isaiah 45.
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Let's look here at verse 5. The Lord continues in verse
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five. I am the Lord, and there is no
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other besides me. There is no God.
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I equip you, though you do not know me.
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He's still speaking to Cyrus, but notice what he says in verse
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6, that people may know from the rising of the sun and from the
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West that there is none besides me.
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I am the Lord, and there is no other.
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Highlight those words in the beginning of verse 6 that people
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may know. I want people to know me, and
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I'm going to call out a man who's not even born, that
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doesn't even exist. I'm going to write out how he
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actually is going to take over the world so that when those who
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in his lifetime and beyond realize it, they would
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understand that I am the true God.
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No other deity can do this and that.
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From that place they would know me in a real way, in a saving
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way. Can it really be?
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Can it really be that this God who has proven that He knows
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every detail of the future, who can even tell us in advance
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about it in writing, wants all people, no matter your
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background, no matter your race, no matter your education level,
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no matter anything, to know Him? And yes, it is true.
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And in case you doubt that there is a personal element to this,
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look down a little bit further than verse 9, Isaiah 45, verse
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9. Woe to him who strives with him
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who formed Him a pot among earthen pots.
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Does the clay say to him who forms it, What are you making?
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Or your work has no handles. So what's happening here?
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This is the Lord's way of reminding the reader how futile
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it is for anyone to resist the future predicting, nation
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shifting God. Woe to you.
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Woe to you if you actually try to raise your fist against this
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God. That's what he's saying here.
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But there is an application contextually that speaks deeper
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to the heart. It's almost as though this verse
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is saying, why would you oppose this God who again, has gone out
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of his way to provide a record of Him predicting the future
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with specifics, and at the same time is inviting you to embrace
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Him and to enjoy him and to walk with Him.
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Why would you do that? And maybe that's a question for
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some people here or who are going to listen to this in the
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future. Can I ask you something, please?
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If you're skeptic in this place, welcome.
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But let me speak to your heart. What do you do with a prophecy
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like this? What do you do about this actual
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foretelling of a man named Cyrus 200 years before he existed?
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What do you do with that? Do you just ignore it?
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Do you just scoff at it? Are you not at least intrigued
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to explore further? Like, do you, do you not
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comprehend the potential ramifications, the consequences
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if this conclusions is indeed true?
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Where do you go with this? You just move on and grab a late
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night snack After a study like this, what do you do?
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I'll tell you what many have done because I wanted to know
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what atheists and agnostics have done with this prophecy and I
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wasn't surprised. Unfortunately, many refused to
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believe that Isaiah appendix before the time of Cyrus and
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doubters of the divine inspiration of God's word say
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Isaiah must have wrote this after Cyrus came on the scene.
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And you'll even have liberal theologians who will claim that
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how convenient, how convenient. It's a sad thing what people
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will do. And if that is you, this verse
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in verse 9 is actually for you. Woe to him who strives with him,
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who formed him. You were fighting against God.
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You were intentionally resisting Him.
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You were suppressing the truth. What more does God need to do to
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prove that this book is from heaven?
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Well, there's one more thing I'd like for us to take away from
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this prophecy, and it's something that concerns the
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people of God specifically. Look again at verse 4 of Isaiah
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45. God says for the sake of my
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servant Jacob and Israel, my chosen, I call you by your name.
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I name you, though you do not know me.
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So OK, we we know that the Lord wants to reveal himself to all
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people through this prophecy, but he actually now focuses in a
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little bit more and he actually says Cyrus, the reason why I'm
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doing this also is because I have my people in mind.
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Here's a lesson God's sovereign governance over the rise and
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fall of nations, the promotion and demotion of rulers, even the
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rewriting of laws according to this is always tied to the
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growth and the formation of his own people always.
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You know, history reveals that when Cyrus actually made this
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edict, I'm talking about secular history, there's actually a
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cylinder that's been discovered, it's in the British Museum
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called the Cyrus Cylinder. It's this clay kind of vase
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looking thing with inscriptions on it and actually speaks to and
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speaks of what we find here in Ezra 1.
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It's a different vantage point, but it confirms what we find
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here. And what we discover there is
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that Cyrus actually made a proclamation to many displaced
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nations, and he actually makes an invitation for all peoples to
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return back to their homeland. This was a political strategy.
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It was for him to stabilize the region, to win favour within his
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empire. And so to the natural eye, what
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you would have seen is, you know, this is just a human
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rights policy. This is just, you know, a king
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who's just a rose to power. And he, he just wants to kind of
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introduce himself on the right path, right footing.
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And so he just says everybody can go back home.
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You go back to your gods, you go back to your families, you go
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back to your land. But what is God's word reveal?
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Here's what it reveals. This looks like maybe just a
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benevolent man, a shrewd man, you know, just implementing
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political strategy. But instead, it was all guided
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by God with his covenant people and focus.
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All of this, all of this movement is orbiting around the
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well-being of his own people. And you and I always have to
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remember that as a Church of Jesus Christ beneath everything
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that is happening. Listen, in this very city, in
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this nation, across the globe, what you have to remember is
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that God is orchestrating every piece in order to ultimately
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listen to this position. His church in a manner where she
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will be sanctified and most effective for His purpose.
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I'm not sure if we believe that, but here's a text to remind us
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of it. As followers of Jesus Christ,
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God has not changed. Yes, this is the old covenant.
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Israel was in focus. We are in the new covenant.
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We are the Church of Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile
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combined. As one new man, has God changed?
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No, he's not. In fact, what we learn here is
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that the Lord will accomplish such purposes even through kings
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like Cyrus who don't know God, and yet will use such a man to
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display and shower favor towards his people.
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But listen, that truth remains, even if governments are unjust
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and cruel towards God's own. And one of my favorite examples
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of this is something that we covered briefly a couple
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conferences ago. It's in Acts 18.
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Let's be reminded of that. I want you to see it again in
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Acts 18, verse one. This is when Paul left Athens
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and went to Corinth. Look at this example once again,
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Acts 18, verse one and verse 2. Here's a New Testament example.
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After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, and he found a
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Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy
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with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the
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Jews to leave Rome and he went to see them.
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What if I'm fascinating about this tax is that the Holy Spirit
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could have simply told us that Paul met this couple, but he
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doesn't just do that. He chooses to inform us how he
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met Aquila and Priscilla. How did it happen?
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You know how it happened? It was through an anti-Semitic
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law. It was through the ruler there
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in Rome who banished all Jews from the country.
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Now put yourself in their sandals for a second.
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Imagine that one day you get a knock at your door from
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officials saying you have to leave.
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You have to leave your business, you have to walk away from your
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family. You have to abandon your church
36:33
for something that you can't even control.
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How disorienting is that? How?
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How frustrating would that be? I mean, who are you going to
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call? The police?
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The police is escorting you out. So you can imagine the tension,
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you can imagine the anger, you can imagine the sadness, you can
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imagine the tears. They have no choice.
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You're being uprooted. And yet it's this very edict
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from a secular, God hating Pagan government that would serve as
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the catalyst for this couple to meet the apostle Paul in Corinth
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and from there to form a relationship that would bless
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the early church. In fact, you know this very
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well. This couple is one of the most
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esteemed in all of the New Testament and they became one of
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Paul's closest companions. Where did it all begin?
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The Holy Spirit tells us, Claudia is saying, you Jews,
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you're out of here. We don't want you here.
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So whether it's a pro Jewish leader like Cyrus or an
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anti-Semitic rule like Claudius, what do you have the same truth?
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God is in control. God is in control.
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He's moving, he's orchestrating, he's he has his people in mind
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with all of this change with favour or unfairness.
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And that is something, listen, you have to believe for your own
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life, especially if you are part of the Church of Jesus Christ.
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So I really hope we got a taste here of just how significant
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this man Cyrus was. And I want to encourage you to
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never hesitate to reference him and to use him in your witness
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to those who may challenge the reliability of the Bible.
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Get more familiar with Isaiah 45, put it together with the
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rest of history and ask somebody who would doubt who it's that
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Bible is written by man. Yeah, we know that it was
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written by man. But God moved by the Holy Spirit
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through these men to give the message that he wanted to give
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for all humanity. And he moves in history and he's
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made prophecy about history made known to us so that what all
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people would know him cyber listen to this.
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Cyrus has been selected and inscribed in divine revelation
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for that very purpose so that anybody who would learn about
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him would realize God is real. God is real.
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I don't remember the last time I've ever considered using Cyrus
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in my evangelistic efforts, but here we are now.
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There's so much more that we can say, but we're going to come
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back to Ezra one verse one and look at a final thought before
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we close Ezra one verse one. Let's read it one more time.
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In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, we learn just a
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little bit about him. Continues here to say that the
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word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.
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The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia so that
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he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom and
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also put it in writing. See that phrase there?
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The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia.
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That is very important in our understanding of this section of
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God's story. As we continue in this series,
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we're going to see a lot of stirring of spirits in the very
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chapter. We're going to see in verse 5
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that God is going to stir the spirits of some of the remnant
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to return. When it comes to the building
40:10
project of the temple. God's going to stir the spirits
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of the leaders of the leaders, including Zerubbabel and those
40:15
who have followed His lead into Jerusalem.
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Now, what you can take from this at face value is the obvious,
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that this just confirms once again that God can influence the
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hearts of even kings and that he can miraculously work in and
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through him to accomplish his own purpose, right?
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We know this, but there's a deeper truth.
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It's as though Ezra by the Spirit wants us right away the
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reader to understand that what's about to happen.
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It's not because necessarily of the goodness of this Pagan king.
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Cyrus in this moment will be an agent of Judah's renewal, of
40:55
Judah's healing, unless the people fall into the temptation
40:59
of giving the credit of their restoration to him.
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Ezra wants to let us know the true source, the true power at
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work behind the man who is making it happen, God, the
41:15
Spirit of God influencing and impressing upon the conscience
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and the deepest parts of this man.
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Cyrus, for what reason? So that you and I, including the
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people that Ezra immediately wrote to, would understand God
41:35
is the one who's ultimately restoring us.
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What's the lesson? Here's the lesson.
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Another theme of Ezra really is about restoration.
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What we can take from this? Is that true?
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Restoration can only take place through a work of God.
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Let me narrow it in. True restoration, that sense.
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Of contentment in your. Soul, that realization that you
42:06
actually, you actually can testify.
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I feel complete. That can only happen.
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Through God, only God and the. Sooner you and I.
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Believe that and realize that the quicker we will enjoy and
42:28
capture the reason why we exist. And the more we doubt.
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That and entertain other thrills and ideas, the more you'll be
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disappointed the mending. Of your spirituality.
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Your identity, your purpose can only be found in him.
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It was the. Lord, who stirred up the.
42:52
Spirit of Cyrus, it was the Lord who ultimately is reeling his
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people back to who they were created to be, you know?
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What verse came to mind? And here is where we're going to
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end. The last part of the book of.
43:10
Lamentations. Lamentations is rarely brought
43:13
up in churches. It's not an easy book to talk
43:16
about. It's a book of lament, intense
43:18
lament. Most people believe it was
43:21
Jeremiah who wrote it. Very likely so.
43:24
Jeremiah wrote Lamentations as his personal response to the
43:27
tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem.
43:30
And he says something at the end.
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It's a Lamentations 521. Notice it with me.
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Restore us to yourself, O. Lord, that we may be restored,
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Renew. Our days as of old.
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You see this you? See how precious this text is?
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Restore us to yourself. So what?
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What? For what reason, O Lord, that we
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may be restored? What's Jeremiah bringing up
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here? What we're seeing here in Ezra
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one true completion, healing, renewal, satisfaction, identity,
44:15
purpose can all be known on the path of reconciliation with God.
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Reconciliation with God is the sole path to restoration of our
44:27
true selves. And here's the thing you have to
44:29
understand. You can have your finances
44:31
restored, your health restored, your relationships restored on a
44:35
horizontal level. But if everything is going well,
44:37
if everything else is intact, if everything else is flourishing
44:40
but not your relationship with God, you will never be truly
44:44
restored. Restore us to yourself so that
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we will be restored. It's exclusively and totally
44:52
found in God and how you engage with Him.
44:56
You always be an empty shell, you always be broken, you always
45:02
be wandering as long as you are not connected to God.
45:10
This is what we. Find here in the beginning.
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Of Ezra, true restoration at the very first verse comes from the
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one who made you and died for you.
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Lord, we thank you for this brief introduction.
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We bless your holy name. Lord, we have indeed tasted the
45:30
goodness of your truth, and we are longing to continue in it
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until then. Lord, may these things that we
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have heard marinate in our hearts, may seep the deepest
45:42
parts of who we are. And may truly translate into.
45:47
Transformation, Lord, we. Now respond to your voice.
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And we acknowledge that you, who know all things and can do all
45:59
things, strangely desire us. You actually delight in us that
46:12
for those who are broken hearted.
46:15
Who are weary and heavy. Laden.
46:18
You have the remedy for it, and you invite us to.
46:21
Yourself. So Lord for the person.
46:24
Here, who thinks that? That fantasy?
46:28
Is going to satisfy. Them that those drugs and
46:33
supplements are going to soothe them that.
46:37
Buying the latest clothes? And putting on this kind of
46:40
makeup is going to make them feel fulfilled and beautiful.
46:46
Lord, if you. Were not.
46:48
In the equation of us being saved and us being satisfied,
46:53
please rescue us from our own deception.
46:59
And help us remain with you. Because true restoration.
47:03
Is in you alone. We give you thanks for this
47:05
truth and these reminders. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
47:10
Let's stand. Let's worship the God who called
47:14
a man named Cyrus and knows your name and mine.