A Stirred Heart - Ezra 1:1-5

In our Wednesday evening Bible Study, we have been looking at the rebuilding of the “house of God”. Because of the sinful living of God’s people, they were carried away into Babylon and were there for seventy years. The temple (house of God) which was in Jerusalem lay in ruins. This massive temple that was constructed under King Solomon had been burned, and the massive stones had been toppled. The walls of Jerusalem were torn down as well, and the poorest of the people were left in Jerusalem by the king of Babylon.

After seventy years under Babylonian rule, Persia now becomes the new world empire.

Almost all of the Jewish people are still in captivity about 900 miles from Jerusalem; about a four month walk! It seems impossible that the house of God could be rebuilt and worship would return against all the odds! A Gentile king, so far from Jerusalem, and the materials needed to rebuild made it seem impossible….BUT GOD!

Ezra 1:1, “...the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia”! God put it into the heart of this Gentile king not only to rebuild the temple, but to let the Jewish people go back to Jerusalem!

In vs 3, Cyrus says, “he is the God”. It is amazing what God can do! Not only the king, but in vs 5, our Lord speaks concerning the Jews, “all them whose spirit God had raised”. What God did in the heart of the king, He also did in the hearts of His own people. He stirred up their spirits! Cyrus would have never allowed the people to return to do such a thing like building the house of God, and the people would never have been willing to travel such a long and dangerous journey to do such an incredible undertaking to build the house of God if God had not have stirred up their spirits.

I believe in our day it seems like the things concerning our Lord have come under great attack. Morality seems to be at an all time low in many places, and it seems that it is impossible that God can or will do something amazing. Maybe the most amazing thing we could do today is to ask God to stir up our spirits that we might be willing and able to be builders of His glorious church!

It’s hard to stop what God stirs up!