Return from Exile: Ezra 1-3 (1)

Pray Psalm 126.1, 2.
When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”

Sing Psalm 126.1, 2.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
When God restored our fortunes all, we were like those who sweetly dream.
Our mouths with joy and laughter filled, made Him our constant song and theme.

Read and meditate on Ezra 1.1-4.

Preparation
1. What did Cyrus do?

2. Why did he do this?

Meditation

How did the Lord stir up the spirit of Cyrus to return His people to Jerusalem and Judah? Did someone read to him the prophesies of Jeremiah (Jer. 25.12)? Or, perhaps more startlingly, of Isaiah (44.24-45.13)? We know there were Jews in the royal court of the Medes, and doubtless they would have remained when that empire united with Cyrus and the Persians.

However He did it, God moved in Cyrus. He holds the heart of every ruler in His hands and turns it howsoever He will (Prov. 21.1). Cyrus eagerly took on the role of God’s anointed, positioning himself as the one chosen by God to rule all nations and to build His temple (v. 2). Again, we can easily see why Cyrus is a type of Jesus. Cyrus did not command the Jews to return from captivity; he invited them (v. 3). Those who remained and did not choose to return, he ordered to support the returnees “with silver and gold, goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem” (v. 4).

We can imagine the shock waves of delight that would have swept through Jewish communities throughout the empire. It was like a dream come true (Ps. 126.1). God was doing great things for them, and even the nations had to agree (Ps. 126.2). The singing and rejoicing that ensued must have reminded some of the people of David’s vision in Psalm 53.6: “When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.”

But, as we shall see, this rejoicing was focused on temporal and material conditions, not on eternal gratitude and love. Unless our true hope and joy are grounded in God and His salvation, any satisfaction we take in temporal conditions will be fleeting. Pray that God will stir our hearts like He did the heart of Cyrus.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Voting in a general election is a privilege that all people, who live in a free country, possess. It is a way to participate in governmental activities. However, we put way too much trust in our elected officials’ abilities to do anything. Sadly, Christians today think that just the right leader, or maybe a godly judge, will solve the dilemma of sin’s power over a people. Our dreams should not be focused there.

No, our hope should be firmly placed upon God, and what He has been doing since the beginning of time and trusting fully in His Sovereign ability to orchestrate the world He has created. Just like He did with Cyrus.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21.1).

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new?’ It has already been in ancient times before us” (Eccl. 1.9, 10).

David wrote of Solomon’s kingship, but beyond that, of God’s:
“Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.
The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy,
and will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure,
throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace,
until the moon is no more” (Ps. 72.1-7).

And until that time, God has us and all we do, has all our kings and presidents and all they do, in the palm of His hand. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” (Deut. 33.27).

Our joy, wellbeing, and security are found only in Him. And “unless our true hope and joy are grounded in God and His salvation, any satisfaction we take in temporal conditions will be fleeting” and ill-placed.

As Peter and John said to the authorities of their day: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4.19, 20). Good for them! They longed to have the King’s Heart, just like David did (1 Sam. 13.14; Acts 13.22).

For reflection
1. God is sovereign over the hearts of all people. How should knowing this encourage you today?

2. How can you keep from thinking that your hope is anywhere but in the Lord?

3. How should you pray for the leaders of government in your country?

Just as Cyrus, after destroying the empire of the Chaldeans, freed the people of God, and sent them back to their homeland and ordered them to rebuild the temple, which had been set on fire in Jerusalem, taking care that his edict was proclaimed everywhere through letters, so that Jeremiah’s words might be fulfilled, through which he had predicted what would have happened in the future; so the mediator between God and humanity, after destroying all over the world the kingdom of the devil, called back from that tyranny his elect, who had been scattered, and now gathers them in his church. The Venerable Bede (672-735), On Ezra and Nehemiah 1.1

Pray Psalm 126.2-6.
Thank God for the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Call on Him to search your soul, to expose any areas where you are still captive to the world and need to be set free to follow Jesus. Confess and repent of any sins, and resolve to walk the path of obedience.

Sing Psalm 126.2-6.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
Then the astonished nations said, “The Lord has done great things for them!”
Indeed, great things our God has done, whose Name we praise, Amen, Amen!

Restore our fortunes, Lord our King! Let grace like flowing streams prevail.
All they with tears of joy shall sing who sow while yet they weep and wail.

They who in tears of sorrow sow and cast their seed on every hand,
with joy shall reach their heav’nly home, and bring the harvest of their land.

T. M. and Susie Moore

We are convinced that this new study, Return from Exile, will be one of the most important we have done. We encourage you to share this installment with friends. Use the icons at the top of this column to encourage your friends to join you in this study.

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.