Ezr 1

To read this in Vietnamese, please click here.

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Waiting for the fullness of time...

I. Click here to READ Ezra 1 first.

II. One thing the Bible teaches: (About letting the Lord's people go home from captivity in Babylon...)

1 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: 2 “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. 3 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.

III. Reflection

* Questions: When did king Cyrus activate the liberation of God's people from exile?

IV. Application

Dear Lord God: I thank You for showing me that king Cyrus of the super empire of Persia considered the liberation of Your people after 70 years of captivity as his priority number one. But I thank You, God, for letting me know that the king's priority was actually Your long-awaited main priority. The one who longed most to see the day to return to the homeland after years of captivity was not the captive but the One who allowed them to be sent into captivity Himself. You disciplined, but when the fullness of time came, without any delay, You told king Siru to let Your people go--and that was what he did as soon as he ascended to the throne, in his first year of the 9 years that he reigned. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that throughout the ages of being slaves to Satan because of sins, You patiently waited; when the fullness of time had come, You descended from heaven to take on human flesh to start the salvation for all mankind (Galatians 4:4). O Lord! Today, please help me live a life of gratitude for Your salvation. More than that, please help me be grateful for Your willingness to wait for the fullness of time. Please help me wait for You. Amen

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Note: If you want to reflect on other books and chapters of the Bible, click here.

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