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. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
(Ezra 1:1-4 ESV)
Another disappointing election year. As the crowd begins to thin, our choices don't look so great. Finding a leader of character and values seems illusive. But God can do and does things through those leaders we ourselves might not choose. Case in point: the end of the exile. As we saw yesterday, Daniel was in the king's court "until the first year of King Cyrus." That year brought great change, and a new beginning for many people. Cyrus did not have a completely clear theology on every point - like many in his day, he saw the God of Israel as somewhat restricted to heaven and Jerusalem; but Cyrus did have a part in God's plan, of which he seemed somewhat conscious. Let us pray for the perfect president, but let us realize God can and does do great things with far less to work with.
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