Ezra 1 (Part 1) Bible Study (Introduction / The Proclamation of Cyrus) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Father, we do ask you from the bottom of our hearts that you would go before us as we begin a new journey in your word. We also want to give you all our thanks that you have consecrated these Friday nights in this ministry to be an oasis for our souls. That so many times we've been able to come and be refreshed, and to be convicted, and to be comforted, and to be equipped, because your word here is proclaimed. And we are not ashamed of it, Lord. And so, we ask now that you would provide an awareness of the anointing that is promised in first John.

That anointing within that teaches us the truth and the deep things of God. We we come in faith, oh God, and we pray that the delivery of this introduction would be Spirit empowered, and that our hearts would be prepared to receive everything that you have in store for us this night. Lord, we pray that you would apprehend every wandering thought, every renegade emotion, anything that is outside of your will, we pray that it would come in total alignment with your desire for each of us. We bless you, Lord. We give you thanks in advance for what you have planned through your word in our midst.

Jesus' name, amen. In May, the Babylonian Empire completely conquered the Kingdom Of Judah. And you and I are well aware of the Old Testament, in that many places have described to us just how swift and just how dramatic the destruction of Jerusalem was. We also learned a few weeks ago that Babylon completely removed the remaining people in the Kingdom Of Judah, with the exception of a few poor people and the prophet Jeremiah. And so we have realized at the closing of second Kings that God's promise of an expulsion from the promised land indeed came to pass.

And even the Davidic dynasty was not exempt from it. But along the promises and the warnings of this exile were comforting words through the same messengers of God who constantly reminded this people who are now displaced that their exile into a foreign place was not permanent. It would not remain that way. In fact, the leading prophetic voice of that time, the prophet Jeremiah, gave this wonderful assurance in the middle of his prophetic book. In Jeremiah 29 verse 10, it reads, for thus says the Lord, after the seventy years for Babylon are completed, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise to you and will bring you back to this place.

That was not the only time Jeremiah reminded the people that this was an act of discipline, but it was not a canceling of God's covenant. And this prophecy in Jeremiah twenty nine ten is ranked among the most precise in all of Holy Scripture. It's a remarkable thing that we find in our Bibles. And so paramount was it that when it came to the fulfillment, God has given us two books in great detail to tell us how it all came to pass. And those books are Ezra and Nehemiah.

And it's gonna be our great privilege to consecrate the next few months to study these books with great attention and excitement. So that's what we're here to do. Now, some might be wondering why after finishing second Kings, we're not going to first and second Chronicles, because those books immediately follow second Kings. And the answer is quite simple. If you've been with us through first and second Kings, we have frequently visited the chronicles.

Right? In a way to help complete certain stories and accounts, and so I think it will be more helpful to revisit first and second chronicles at a later time as a series. But for now, we are going to enjoy the book of Ezra. And I invite you to turn there with me, Ezra chapter one, because we are going to read a few verses in a moment, but allow me to offer a few introductory thoughts. And listen, again, if you're here, this is a great time to be at Bible study.

It always is a great time, but especially when we start a new book, Because you get to start fresh, and you get to be right at the beginning of a study where you don't get lost if you come later on, or you feel like you have to catch up. So really absorb this time, and I want to encourage you to be faithful in the coming weeks, to actually remain in this journey so that you can fully benefit from it. So, a few things to review in terms of background of this book. Ezra and Nehemiah originally are considered a single unit. In fact, that is still the case in the Tanakh, which is the Hebrew Bible.

And though in our Bibles, they are identified as separate books, they complement one another so well because both of these books cover the return of the exiles to their country. And the record of this journey back is done so in incredible fashion. Does anyone remember how many deportations it took for the people to be removed from Judah? No. Three.

Three. And interestingly, what we're going to find in our study is that it will actually be three cycles of return from exile back to their homeland. And these waves of return will actually serve as a general, yet helpful outline for these texts. So, if you're taking notes, this is a good place to put this in your margins or wherever you put your thoughts. The initial wave of return will happen between Ezra chapter one and Ezra chapter six.

And it will be through the leadership and guidance of a man by the name of Zerubbabel, and we're gonna learn more about him in the coming weeks. Zerubbabel. The second group of returnees is described, described in Ezra seven to Ezra chapter 10. Under the direct leadership of Ezra himself. Now, here's what's interesting.

Ezra is mentioned and introduced to us for the first time in chapter seven. That's kind of strange, isn't it? Since the book is named after him. So in the last three chapters of this book, do we see Ezra taking center stage of the narrative. Now, the final cycle, the final round of return is the entire book of Nehemiah.

And it's gonna be through Nehemiah's leadership. So, the focus really of Ezra now as an overview is going to be studying the first two significant recoveries of the people as they make their way back to their home, rebuild their community, and more importantly, reestablish their relationship with the living God. Now, let me make another mention here. Those three waves are led by three distinct individuals, And if you look carefully, they're, they're all builders in their own way. When Zerubbabel will lead the people in the first wave, his primary responsibility is going to be rebuilding the temple.

He's gonna lay the foundation of the temple. We're gonna look at that in greater detail in the weeks to come. Ezra follows and when he comes back, he also rebuilds something. Does anybody know what it is? The people.

He's going to rebuild the people of God. He's going to rebuild their faith. He's going to rebuild their consecration. He's going to rebuild their worship. And finally, Nehemiah will arrive on the scene, and what will he rebuild?

The walls. And that observation alone is an encouragement to us, because God has his men and women who have their distinct responsibility in building some part of God's kingdom. You don't have to be in leadership, though leaders are very, very paramount in this narrative. You don't have to be a leader to play some part in contributing to the fortification, to the sanctification, to the effectiveness of God's purposes on the earth. Now, with this in mind, perhaps you are wondering if Ezra is introduced to us in chapter seven, why is this book named after him?

And that's a good question. And the answer beyond Jewish tradition, attributing it to him, is that there is wonderful internal evidence that shows us that he is indeed the author of it. So, generally, Ezra is written in the third person, but a shift takes place once you come to chapter seven. Let's go there quickly. Look at chapter seven and verse 27 with me.

I'll wait for you to turn there. Ezra seven twenty seven. Here's what we read. Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

So, now we're we're seeing it in the first person. And this isn't the only place where this happens. It actually reappears, excerpts in the first person will show up following chapter seven, all the way to chapter 10. So, we are left with only two options concerning the author of this book. You either have an anonymous author, who is, you know, just telling and recording what took place historically, and then included Ezra's personal memoirs, or you have Ezra, who is indeed the one who penned this book.

And once the narrative shifts to his inclusion and his leadership in this return, speaks in the first person. And that's what we believe, that Ezra indeed wrote this. In fact, Ezra seems to have more authorship, real estate in the Bible than one might actually think. If indeed, we do conclude that Ezra wrote this, then we can actually say that he penned first and second Chronicles. Why would we say that?

Because the way second Chronicles ends, the last verses, is virtually identical to how Ezra begins. Almost word for word. And that alone may showcase to us that the same writer was involved in both works. And I encourage you to compare those texts at your own time later. Now, there's so much more that we can say about the background of this book, but I want to transition with this final question, and it's an important one.

Is there an overarching theme to the book of Ezra? There usually is with every book. And there are more than one. But I want to say that one of them jumps out at us at the very opening of this book. The very first verse, actually.

So, let's read it together in verse one. Ezra one verse one reads, in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing. Look at that sentence there, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. That is a major emphasis in this remarkable historical account. Whatever God says he will do, he will do.

So the faith the faithfulness of God is is very much a filter at the outset of this text. And it's not only seen here in God actually accomplishing the hopeful message that Jeremiah proclaimed. You will be there for seventy years, but you will come back. That's the word that's gonna be fulfilled. It is interwoven throughout this book in micro testimonies, where we see little stories and anecdotes, and we realize over and over, it's compacted how God is reliable.

He is trustworthy. And what he says, he will actually do, and he's never late. And I am eager to discover these insights. I'm I'm so looking forward to see what every chapter has to offer us. But, with the plan tonight, we're actually going to just stay in verse one.

Ezra one, verse one. And I think and I hope and I pray really that by the end of the study you will see why that is valuable, not to rush. I mean, it's only a few chapters. This this study is not going to be very long. At least, I don't anticipate it to be very long.

But we can't rush what we see here in the very first words of this book. So, here's what we're gonna do. Verse one is gonna serve as a launching pad to other scriptures, But I want us to read down to verse four, just to get a more complete picture, and then we will do what we are here to do. Let's read again verse one. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing.

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you, of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And that each survival in whatever place he sojourns be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides free will offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. The first thing that should strike you and I is this individual that we are introduced to by the name of Cyrus, who is the king of Persia.

What does the kingdom of Persia and its ruler have to do with the people of God, who are supposedly trapped in Babylon? The answer should be clear to us, that while the people were in exile, the kingdom of Persia replaced Babylon as a superpower in the ancient Near East. There's been a shift of governance. There has been a transfer of power. Babylon no longer is the dominating force.

It is Persia. And, in fact, all the events in Ezra and Nehemiah take place under the Persian government. This is a significant change, one that is detailed to us in the book of Daniel chapter five. You remember, that is precisely where we see this shift taking place, and history accounts to the reality of this. It's an actually amazing thing to compare what we find here in the Bible and archaeological discoveries.

But there's something deeper here for us. Looking at Cyrus king of Persia, here in Ezra and Daniel and other mentions, offers more than just how the bible is historically accurate. Here's what I want to propose to you tonight. If you and I actually gather everything the Bible has to say about Cyrus, then we will actually come to the place of having one of the strongest arguments for the divine authorship of the Bible. In other words, if someone were to ask me, why do you believe that the Bible is divinely inspired?

One of my answers would be, and I don't say this was an exaggeration, I mean it. I would respond with, have you ever considered what the Bible has to say about one of Persia's most notable kings? Here's what I mean. Long before Jeremiah prophesied, when the people of God were returned to Babylon, or, or Jerusalem, he actually had another prophet explain and predict how it would happen. And that's where we need to go.

Isaiah. Isaiah 44. And look with me at the very last verse. Isaiah 44 verse 28. You can't afford to miss this.

This has massive implications for the veracity of the Bible. Isaiah 44 verse 28, Who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose. This is God speaking. Saying of Jerusalem, she shall be built, and at the temple, your foundation shall be laid. The prophecy continues in chapter 45.

Let's look at adverse one. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him, that gates may not be closed. I will go before you and level the exalted places. I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hordes in secret places that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name.

I name you, though you do not know me. To truly grasp how astounding this prophecy is, you and I have to understand the timing of it. There is no dispute that this was compiled, this prophecy was given close to two hundred years before Cyrus was even born. Do you understand what we have in our hands here? One of the most accurate and robust prophecies in all of scripture, in all of scripture.

Now, let's try to, let's try to understand the magnitude of this. It would be like, just imagine with me now, a pastor living in the days of George Washington. And this credible minister boldly proclaims on public record for the whole nation to hear, there is a president coming by the name of George W. Bush, who became president nearly two hundred years after Washington. That's why I'm using him.

There is a new leader who will arise by the name of George W Bush, and not only does he name him by name, but he actually explains what he will accomplish in his administration that will actually bring about historical significance, a shift in nations. What would that sound like for those who would hear such a prediction? It would be a sounding. It would be amazing. And for such a thing then to come to pass, well, it's it's hard to imagine what would transpire after that.

But that is the kind of precision and foresight we're dealing with in Isaiah's prophecy here. This is not vague at all. It's naming names. It's actually foretelling what's going to happen on a global scale. History to this day can't ignore it.

And this is something for us to consider. And we have to look at this prophecy more carefully because the more familiar we become with it, the more confidence that we will have concerning the validity of the Word of God. And I'm sure the the greater your boldness will be in your preaching to the lost. So, let's look at this. Let's come back to chapter 45 of Isaiah.

Look carefully at verse one. Thus says the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus. So, Isaiah's prophecy is not just about Cyrus. It's a message for him. It's to Cyrus.

It's to this man who is anointed. Now think about that. Who who was anointed in Israel? Kings, prophets, priests. It's very rare where you have somebody who's a gentile outside of the confines of Israel who is told to be anointed.

Well, it's happening here. So, this was something not just for Israel to know about though. That's my main point. It's something for Cyrus somehow to encounter. And it is widely believed that Daniel was the prophet who exposed Cyrus to this prophecy.

That's what Jewish tradition claims. And it's not so far fetched, because we learn in the book of Daniel that he knew Cyrus personally. And more than that, we know that Daniel had copies of the scriptures. He had prophecies at his disposal. Did he not?

How do we know that? In Daniel nine, one and two. While Daniel is in exile, while Daniel lived through this transfer of governance, He says, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet. What is he saying? I perceived in the books.

He had books. He was studying. And we have great reason to believe that Daniel was very bold in the palace. And with his great influence, he made known the truths of God. And so it it would not be a stretch to say that somehow, someway, Cyrus was exposed to this scroll, to this message.

It came to him eventually. Now, whether or not Daniel was the means by which Cyrus came to know this divine message, Ezra confirms that he was aware of it. We read that earlier. We'll see it again at the closing of the study. What we do know for certain is the essence of the message, like Cyrus did.

What's the summary of this? The whole purpose of this prophecy is that once Cyrus is born, once he's raised up, once he accomplishes amazing things, he would realize the God of Israel has always known me, and he is the reason for my success and my exaltation. This was to humble this man. This was to move this man. This was for Cyrus to be introduced to the true God.

And I want you to imagine the impact of coming across the writings of a prophet from a different land, who lived a hundred and eighty to two hundred years before you, and in those records, your name shows up. And your greatest achievement in life has been predicted and fulfilled. That's huge. That's massive. And as personal as this account is, it conveys a broader truth.

One that would have challenged the hearts of the Jewish people and stir the hearts of Gentiles at the same time. What is it? That God's compassion, God's power are not limited to Israel. He works beyond those borders. He actually can deal with the hearts of those who have no understanding, no relation, no access to what Israel had.

And so, yes, this this prophecy, it profoundly displays the sovereignty of God over kings and over lands, but you can't miss the personal ambition in it. Is God flexing his ultimate power over all things, his knowledge of all things? Yes. But to what end? What's the goal?

Well, I want to make a case here so that people would not only be introduced to him, including Cyrus, but that they would actually know him. That they would be so moved by how this God has gone out of his way to make himself real. That they would then pursue him in an intimate way. Look back at Isaiah 45. Let's look here at verse five.

The Lord continues in verse five. I am the Lord, and there is no other. Besides me, there is no God. I equip you, though you do not know me. Still speaking to Cyrus.

But notice what he says in verse six. That people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. Highlight those words in the beginning of verse six, that people may know. I want people to know me.

And I'm gonna call out a man who's not even born, who's not doesn't even exist. I'm going to write out how he actually is going to take over the world, so that when those who in his lifetime and beyond realize it, they would understand that I am the true God. No other deity can do this. And that from that place, they would know me in a real way, in a saving way. Can it really be?

Can it really be that this God who has proven that He knows every detail of the future, who can even tell us in advance about it in writing, wants all people, no matter your background, no matter your race, no matter your education level, no matter anything, to know Him. And yes, it is true. And in case you doubt that there is a personal element to this, look down a little bit further than verse nine. Isaiah 45 verse nine. Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, A pot among earthen pots.

Does the clay say to him who forms it, what are you making? Or your work has no handles? So what's happening here? This is the Lord's way of reminding the reader how futile it is for anyone to resist the future predicting nation shifting God. Woe to you.

Woe to you if you actually try to raise your fist against this God. That's what he's saying here. But there is an application contextually that speaks deeper to the heart. It's almost as though this verse is saying, why would you oppose this God, who again, has gone out of his way to provide a record of him predicting the future with specifics, and at the same time is inviting you to embrace him, and to enjoy him, and to walk with him. Why would you do that?

And maybe that's a question for some people here, or who are gonna listen to this in the future. Can I ask you something please? If you're a skeptic in this place, welcome. But let me speak to your heart. What do you do with a prophecy like this?

What do you do about this actual foretelling of a man named Cyrus two hundred years before he existed? What do you do with that? Do you just ignore it? Do you just scoff at it? Are you not at least intrigued to explore further?

Like, do you do you not comprehend the potential ramifications, the consequences, if this conclusions is indeed true? Where do you go with this? Do you just move on and grab a late night snack after a study like this? What do you do? I'll tell you what many have done, because I wanted to know what atheists and agnostics have done with this prophecy.

And, I wasn't surprised, unfortunately. Many refused to believe that Isaiah penned us before the time of Cyrus. And doubters of the divine inspiration of God's word say, Isaiah must have wrote this after Cyrus came on the scene. And you'll even have liberal theologians who will claim that. How convenient.

How convenient. It's a sad thing what people will do and if that is you, this verse in verse nine is actually for you. Woe to him who strives with him who formed him. You are fighting against God. You are intentionally resisting him.

You are suppressing the truth. What more does God need to do to prove that this book is from heaven? Well, there's one more thing I'd like for us to take away from this prophecy, and it's something that concerns the people of God, specifically. Look again at verse four of Isaiah 45. God says, for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name.

I name you, though you do not know me. So, okay. We know that the Lord wants to reveal Himself to all people through this prophecy, But he actually now focuses in a little bit more and he actually says, Cyrus, the reason why I'm doing this also is because I have my people in mind. Here's a lesson. God's sovereign governance over the rise and fall of nations, the promotion and demotion of rulers, even the rewriting of laws, according to this, is always tied to the growth and the formation of his own people.

Always. You know, history reveals that when Cyrus actually made this edict, I'm talking about secular history. There's actually a cylinder that's been discovered. It's in the British Museum called the Cyrus Cylinder. It's this clay kind of vase looking thing with inscriptions on it and actually speaks to and speaks of what we find here in Ezra one.

It's a different vantage point, but it confirms what we find here. And what we discover there is that Cyrus actually made a proclamation to many displaced nations. And he actually makes an invitation for all peoples to return back to their homeland. This was a political strategy. It was for him to stabilize the region, to win favor within his empire.

And so, to the natural eye, what you have seen is, you know, this is just a human rights policy. This is just, you know, a king who just arose to power and he he just wants to kind of introduce himself on the right path, right footing. And so, he just says, everybody can go back home. You go back to your gods, you go back to your families, you go back to your land. But what does God's word reveal?

Here's what it reveals. This looks like maybe just a benevolent man, a shrewd man, you know, just implementing political strategy. But instead, it was all guided by God with his covenant people in focus. All of this, all of this movement is orbiting around the well-being of his own people. And you and I always have to remember that as a church of Jesus Christ.

Beneath everything that is happening, listen, in this very city, in this nation, across the globe, what you have to remember is that God is orchestrating every piece in order to ultimately, listen to this, position his church in a manner where she will be sanctified and most effective for his purpose. I'm not sure if we believe that, but here's a text to remind us of it. As followers of Jesus Christ, God has not changed. Yes, this is the old covenant. Israel was in focus.

We are in the new covenant. We are the church of Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile combined as one new man. Has God changed? No, he's not. In fact, what we learn here is that the Lord will accomplish such purposes, even through kings like Cyrus, who don't know God.

And yet, will use such a man to display and shower favor towards his people. But listen, that truth remains even if governments are unjust and cruel towards God's own. And one of my favorite examples of this is something that we covered briefly a couple conferences ago. It's in Acts 18. Let's be reminded of that.

I want you to see it again in Acts 18 verse one. This is when Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. Look at this example once again. Acts 18 verse one and verse two. Here's a New Testament example.

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, and he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus. Recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome, and he went to see them. What I find fascinating about this text is that the Holy Spirit could have simply told us that Paul met this couple. But, he doesn't just do that. He chooses to inform us how he met Aquila and Priscilla.

How did it happen? You know how it happened? It was through an anti Semitic law. It was through the ruler there in Rome who banished all Jews from the country. Now, put yourself in their sandals for a second.

Imagine that one day you get a knock at your door from officials saying you have to leave. You have to leave your business. You have to walk away from your family. You have to abandon your church for something that you can't even control. How disorienting is that?

How how frustrating would that be? I mean, who are you gonna call? The police? The police is escorting you out. So, you can imagine the tension, you can imagine the anger, you can imagine the sadness, you can imagine the tears.

They have no choice. You're being uprooted. And yet, it's this very edict from a secular God hating pagan government that would serve as the catalyst for this couple to meet the Apostle Paul in Corinth. And from there to form a relationship that would bless the early church. In fact, you know this very well, this couple is one of the most esteemed in all of the New Testament.

And they became one of Paul's closest companions. Where did it all begin? The Holy Spirit tells us. Claudia is saying, you Jews, you're out of here. We don't want you here.

So, whether it's a pro Jewish leader like Cyrus or an antisemitic rule like Claudius. What do you have? The same truth. God is in control. God is in control.

He's moving. He's orchestrating. He's he has his people in mind with all of this change, with favor or unfairness. And that is something, listen, you have to believe for your own life, especially if you are part of the church of Jesus Christ. So, I really hope we got a taste here of just how significant this man Cyrus was.

And I wanna encourage you to never hesitate to reference him and to use him in your witness to those who may challenge the reliability of the Bible. Get more familiar with Isaiah 45. Put it together with the rest of history, and ask somebody who would doubt, who it's Bible is written by man. Yeah. We know that it was written by man, but God moved by the Holy Spirit through these men to give the message that he wanted to give for all humanity.

And he moves in history and he's made prophecy about history, made known to us. So that what? All people would know him. Cyrus listen to this. Cyrus has been selected and inscribed in divine revelation for that very purpose, so that anybody who would learn about him would realize God is real.

God is real. I don't remember the last time I ever considered using Cyrus in my evangelistic efforts, but here we are. Now, there's so much more that we can say, but we're gonna come back to Ezra one verse one and look at a final thought before we close. Ezra one, verse one. Let's read it one more time.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, we learn just a little bit about him, continues here to say that the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. So that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing. See that phrase there? The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.

That is very important in our understanding of this section of God's story. As we continue in this series, we're gonna see a lot of stirring of spirits. In the very chapter, we're going to see in verse five that God is going to stir the spirits of some of the remnant to return. When it comes to the building project of the temple, God's going to stir the spirits of the leaders, including Zerubbabel and those who have followed his lead into Jerusalem. Now, what you can take from this, at face value is the obvious.

That this just confirms once again that God can influence the hearts of even kings and that he can miraculously work in and through him to accomplish his own purpose. Right? We know this, But there's a deeper truth. It says though Ezra by the Spirit wants us right away, the reader to understand that what's about to happen is not because necessarily of the goodness of this pagan king. Cyrus in this moment will be an agent of Judah's renewal, of Judah's healing.

Unless the people fall into the temptation of giving the credit of their restoration to him, Ezra wants to let us know the true source, the true power at work behind the man who is making it happen. God. The Spirit of God influencing and impressing upon the conscience and the deepest parts of this man Cyrus. For what reason? So that you and I, including the people that Ezra immediately wrote to, would understand God is the one who's ultimately restoring us.

What's the lesson? Here's the lesson. Since Ezra, another theme of Ezra really is about restoration, what we can take from this is that true restoration can only take place through a work of God. Let me narrow it in. True restoration, that sense of contentment in your soul, that realization that you actually you actually can testify, I feel complete.

That can only happen through God. Only God. And the sooner you and I believe that and realize that, the quicker we will enjoy and capture the reason why we exist. And the more we doubt that, and entertain other thrills and ideas, the more you'll be disappointed. The mending of your spirituality, your identity, your purpose can only be found in him.

It was the Lord who stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. It was the Lord who ultimately is reeling his people back to who they were created to be. You know what verse came to mind? And here is where we're gonna end. The last part of the book of Lamentations.

Lamentations is rarely brought up in churches. It's it's not an easy book to talk about. It's a book of lament, intense lament. Most people believe it was Jeremiah who wrote it. Very likely so.

Jeremiah wrote Lamentations as his personal response to the tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem. And he says something at the end. It's in Lamentations five twenty one. Notice it with me. Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored.

Renew our days as of old. Do you see this? Do you see how precious this text is? Restore us to yourself. So what?

What? For what reason? O Lord, that we may be restored. What's Jeremiah bringing up here? What we're seeing here in Ezra one, true completion, healing, renewal, satisfaction, identity, purpose can only be known on the path of reconciliation with God.

Reconciliation with God is the sole path to restoration of our true selves. And here's the thing you have to understand. You could have your finances restored, your health restored, your relationships restored on a horizontal level, but if everything is going well, if everything else is intact, if everything else is flourishing, but not your relationship with God, you will never be truly restored. Restore us to yourself, so that we will be restored. It's exclusively and totally found in God, and how you engage with him.

You will always be an empty shell. You will always be broken. You will always be wandering, as long as you are not connected to God. This is what we find here in the beginning of Israel. True restoration, at the very first verse, comes from the one who made you and died for you.

Lord, we thank you for this brief introduction. We bless your holy name. Lord, we have indeed tasted the goodness of your truth. And we are longing to continue in it. Until then, Lord, may these things that we have heard marinate in our hearts.

May it seep to the deepest parts of who we are. And may it truly translate into transformation. Lord, we now respond to your voice and we acknowledge that you who know all things and can do all things strangely desire us. You actually delight in us. That for those who are brokenhearted, who are weary and heavy laden, you have the remedy for it and you invite us to yourself.

So Lord, for the person here who thinks that that fantasy is going to satisfy them, that those drugs and supplements are going to soothe them, That buying the latest clothes and putting on this kind of makeup is gonna make them feel fulfilled and beautiful. Lord, if you were not in the equation of us being saved and us being satisfied, please rescue us from our own deception and help us remain with you because true restoration is in you alone. We give you thanks for this truth and these reminders. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Let's stand. Let's worship the God who called a man named Cyrus and knows your name and mine.