(REFLECTIONS ON Ezra 1:1-11)

I. QUICK RECAP

  • The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria in the 8th century BCE.
  • The southern kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon beginning in the late 7th century BCE to early 6th century BCE and the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

In the Book of Jeremiah 29:10, the Lord said, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.”

  • Babylon was then conquered by Persia in 539 BCE

II. THE LORD MOVES HEARTS

1 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 also to put it in writing:

As we begin the Book of Ezra, let us be clear on one thing. Cyrus king of Persia didn’t have this great idea on his own, but it was the Lord that moved his heart. It is the Lord that moves hearts to do His will, and not great men with great visions and plans. Why would Cyrus king of Persia care about building a temple for the Lord? Why would Cyrus king of Persia credit all he has to the Lord, the God of heaven? It is because the Lord moved his heart.

5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

In the same way, those that heard king Cyrus’ message and prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem wasn’t based on their own plans and ideas either, but because the Lord moves hearts. Everyone whose heart God had moved responded to the call and responded.

That it was everyone whose heart God had moved shows us the power, influence, and pull of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of mankind. It isn’t just His own people that He influences, but even Cyrus, king of Persia, responded to the Lord moving his heart.

III. MAY HE MOVE OUR HEARTS

May the Lord move our hearts, as he moved the hearts of Cyrus king of Persia and Israel. Not all descedents of Judah living in Persia went back to Jerusalem to help build the temple of the Lord, but only those whose hearts God had moved. However, for those hearts that the Lord did move, it wasn’t only some, but everyone responded to God.

May the Holy Spirit work in each of us, with the same force and influence as when Israel was called back to Jerusalem. May He move our hearts and may none reject His call. When we try to do things based on our own strength and motivations, it is very difficult to stay in line with God’s will.

However, when He moves hearts, we are aligned with Him, His purposes and will, and can come together to complete the good works He has planned for us to do. May He move our hearts, and may that be the push that we need to get ourselves moving, not for ourself, but for His kingdom.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Ezra 1