OUR LORD GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL FOR HIS PURPOSES!
OUR LORD GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL FOR HIS PURPOSES!
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. —Ezra 1:1-3
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: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’” —II Chronicles 36:22-23
…who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” —Isaiah 44:28
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” —Isaiah 45:1-7
I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.” —Isaiah 45:13
Here’s a king, Cyrus, who did not acknowledge our Lord, but our Lord called this king to a work He had for him to do— to allow and support the Jewish people to return to their homeland and to rebuild the Temple. Our Lord God Almighty can work through whoever He desires to accomplish His purposes. We must keep that in mind.
What would believers say today about an unregenerate leader that God desires to use. In our U.S.A culture, would believers vote against Cyrus if this was happening today? The Jewish people were on board with what Cyrus was declaring. Do you think Cyrus was a godly man? He did not know or even acknowledge the Lord and yet our Lord was going to work through Him to accomplish His will. I am sure the Jewish people supported this policy!
We need to look at policies that line up with our Lord’s desires when voting in America, remembering our Lord works through people, even unsaved people, to accomplish His plan. If the Jewish people responded according to the life of Cyrus, they probably would not have been open to his decree. Instead, they were open to his policy because it was in agreement with our Lord’s Word. May we consider this! Yes, Dear Father, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. Please help Your followers be discerning! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfiYWaeAcRw