Response to God's Revival Call: Lessons from Ezra 1:1-6

RESPONSE TO GOD'S REVIVAL CALL: LESSONS FROM EZRA 1:1-6

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

We learn from the opening statement of this passage that God first stirred up the heart of King Cyrus in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah and laid in his heart the vision for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus proclaimed a royal decree for the reconstruction of the Jerusalem temple in Judah (Ezra 1:1-4).

Cyrus was instrumental as God's divine agent for the preservation of His people and for the restoration of the Jerusalem temple. God used him to inspire religious revival among His people. 

Notice further that Cyrus acknowledged that God had given him the dominion he held. His inspiration that came five years into his reign is historically critical. God allowed Cyrus to first settle down in his kingdom before touching his heart to proclaim the restoration of the Jerusalem temple. Everything has its time and space in God's divine calendar and no royal or ruler on earth is immune from divine influence! 

Proverbs 21:1 proclaims that "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,

Like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes."

God is in the business of influencing religious and secular leadership so that His divine purposes for His covenant people are fulfilled. He used Cyrus, Darius, Nebuchadnezzar and many other heathen kings to minister to His people under exceptional circumstances during the captivity. 

No matter what circumstances prevail in our contemporary society today, God still influences the affairs of people around us, including the nobility and civil authorities for our purposes in Christ. We should therefore not shy away from standing out for God wherever we are. We should be agents of God's transformation in our secular society. 

The vision to rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem mirrors our responsibility as God's people who have been charged with the noble task of proclaiming Christ and growing church ministry today. 

The Jerusalem temple lay in ruins for nearly 50 years following the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Despite these unpleasant circumstances, God was not done with His people. He sought to raise men to prepare the way for the return of His people to the holy land and for the reinstitution of religious worship in Israel. 

Bible scholars say that the first set of Jewish returnees set foot in Judah at around 538BC. This community settled down and soon forgot their true calling from God. They continued to worship at the altar of the collapsed ruins of the temple until God spoke through prophet Haggai in about 520BC and rebuked them for their dereliction (see Haggai 1-2). When the people arose and set out to rebuild the temple, God was pleased with them and He blessed them (Haggai 2:18-19). 

We learn from the Book of Nehemiah that the reconstruction work received great opposition from the enemies of God's people, notably identified with Sanballat and Tobiah, who had been settled by the Babylonians during the captivity period but this work was finally completed. Sanballat is mentioned in negative light seven times in Nehemiah (see Nehemiah 2:10,19, 4:1, 13:28). 

God is today calling men and women to arise and serve Him in ministry using the skills, resources and opportunities at their disposal. The prevailing conditions may never be ideal for us but the call to serve still stands out. It takes courage and fortitude to stand out and be counted in the same manner that some among the captivity arose in response to God's call for ministry through Cyrus. 

Could you be procrastinating over God's calling in a particular area of service? Is it possible that God's work could be slipping away through your feeble hands? It is time to arise and respond to God's calling in Christ Jesus. The Macedonian call is beckoning... 

Isaiah 60:1-2 says "arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you." (NKJV). 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023