“Now 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, saying, Who 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 build
the house of the Lord God of Israel, for He is God.” (vv.1-4)
Here in
our text we read that, "the Lord stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation." And in that
proclamation Cyrus said he was releasing the captives in Babylon to, go home to
Jerusalem, re-establish their homes, and rebuild their temple after 70 years in
Babylonian captivity.
How did the LORD “stir up” Cyrus’s spirit to make such a
proclamation? Many Bible commentators believe it was through the prophet Daniel,
who was still alive at the time Cyrus overthrew Babylon and had the opportunity
to tell the conquering king his name was written in the Word of God (Isaiah 44
and 45). Some believe it may have been his understanding of what happened to
other kings who did not let God’s people go. The point is this, God stirred Cyrus’s
heart to let His people go, and Cyrus did so.
This story has great
implications for us today. In a world that seems out of control, we can rest
assured that God can move the hearts of leaders. The Lord, who is able to
change our own hearts (and that of our leaders), is in control. "For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities exist are appointed by God." (Romans 13:1)
The Truth
“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of
the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1)
