God Over the Nations

The "Cyrus Cylinder" records a declaration of King Cyrus of Persia to release his captives and support their efforts to rebuild their homelands.

OT: Ezra 1-2
NT: Romans 13:1-6

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Ezra 1:1-4 — In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you — may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

The prophet Isaiah foresaw it three hundred years before: the Lord would call a pagan king to become His servant and set His people free from captivity (Isa 44:28). And history records that it happened in the year 529 B.C. , when Cyrus, the great king of Persia, conquered Babylon and released the captives of Babylon. He blessed them and asked them to pray to their gods for blessing on Persia. He even funded the resumption of their religious systems. This included the Jews and Jerusalem. YHWH, the sovereign of the universe, chose to use a pagan king who did not believe in the one true god, to carry out His purposes. He works through tyrants and the timid, dictators and presidents, to accomplish His will. Cyrus was one of those leaders.

Romans 13 says that God establishes authorities in every nation and asks His followers to be subject to those authorities. We may bemoan the atrocities of evil men, and rightly so, but we also need to remember that there is a cosmic drama playing out that we often cannot see. God is at work among the nations. He raises some nations and crushes others. He raises kings and presidents and casts them down. The Lord alone is God. And He is at work in this world. Are you type of person who frets over world events, whether they be near or far away? Are you worried about elections, near and national? Don't be. God has never lost control. And He will establish authorities and work through them to accomplish His purposes. Even if those people are on the other side of the aisle. Just as He did with Cyrus, King of Persia.

Be God's.