Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A Devotional Verse From Ezra

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.     Ezra 1:2

The LORD God of heaven (a.k.a. the One true God, the God of Israel, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ) gave a charge, a responsibility, to the Persian king, Cyrus. That charge was to build a house for God at Jerusalem. So he sent Israelis, willing to return to Israel from Babylon, to Jerusalem to begin building that Temple. Understand now, this is a pagan king, who worshiped false gods, who acknowledges the God of heaven, states that his own position as king of the kingdoms of the earth was given to him by the LORD God of heaven, and announces that God had given him a charge. This is a big deal. This is an amazing confession by a man who doesn’t even worship the LORD God of Israel.

Now here is a lesson: government leaders, even those who do not worship the God of the Bible, are in the position they are in because God allows, or raises them, as he did Cyrus. Though their charge may be specifically different than that of Cyrus, the general charge of government is to be righteous, to suppress evil, and to do good for their people and the people of the world at large. The charge includes (among others issues) respecting the national borders of other nations; stopping persecution and beheading and crucifixion in the land they rule; ending corruption in government; using foreign aid as it is intended; breaking down racial and religious barriers; providing religious liberty for all people; establishing freedom for all their people.


Sounds like a dream come true, and it is literally a possibility held in the hands of the world’s leaders. What will they do with it?

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