Ezra 1

We join the narrative in Ezra with the Israelites returning from exile to Jerusalem. Unlike our return to glory when Jesus comes again, this was quite a underwhelming affair.

God moves hearts

Look at the passage - it is not Cyrus who chose to send the people back. God was the one who moved his heart. God sees what's going on inside us, something you or I couldn't do, and He can move the heart for His will. Cyrus didn't know God personally, yet God still entered his heart and softened it so he was favourable to God's people. He went so far as to instruct the neighbours of Judeah to support them as much as they can. Isaiah had prophecied as much - that Cyrus would be the tool of God for bringing Israel back home after exile.

God can stir our hearts beneath the surface. The Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting for our hearts, we should submit to that and allow God to move us to serve His purpose.

Rebuilding the temple was of utmost importance to the Israelites. They needed that connection and commitment to God that the temple brought. The worship of God's name was central to their identity as a nation. With the coming of Lord Jesus, God's glory has touched earth in the same way, but also differently. We don't need a temple or building to meet God - we go to the cross. Sinners meet God as forgiven people at the foot of Jesus. We then become peices of a spiritual temple that God is building in the world today.

God fulfills His word

The move back to Jerusalem may have been started in the heart of Cyrus, but it was in fulfillment of God's plan revealed to Jeremiah many years before. Yet God went the extra mile (as always!). He moved Cyrus to even return the treasures of the temple that were stolen by Nebuchadnezzar. God shapes the turning points of history. No-one can go about anything without the allowance of God. So remember when we are in so much chaos in our world that He is in control. Do we still believe that? This ancient account teaches us that it was true then, and is true now. We must listen to the Word of God and watch as it comes to pass around us. That way we can be strengthened in our faith that He is in control.

God works with what remains

All the Jewish people who returned went back to their ancestral homes. If people were not listed in Ezra 2 as descendants, they were deemed unclean and cast away. There were not many who were able to return, and those that did came back to a ruin and desolation. Yet it was through this remnant that God would fulfill His purposes in the world, and that is what He continues to do. So be encouraged when you feel thin on the ground and are struggling with what you have. God will use even the weakest of His children to build His glorious kingdom.