called by God – Be Still…

Read Ezra 1:5-11

Those returning from exile to rebuild the temple will not be empty-handed. God continues to stir the people into action. Cyrus, the Persian king, was certainly doing his part to help facilitate the good will called for in his proclamation from our last reading. Isn’t it something that God knew Cyrus by name before he was even born when the prophet, Isaiah, spoke of this moment in history? (See Isaiah 44:28)

God orchestrates this whole process. How does that make you feel? One minute the people are living their normal lives and the next some are packing up to move back to their homeland. When I think about seventy years, that’s a long time to get comfortable in the land of exile. Those being stirred by God in today’s reading have likely never even seen Jerusalem.

Read 1 Kings 11:14-25

multiple hands being raised as if to say pick me

This passage really makes us think about the people God uses to complete his plans. He is raising up Hadad the Edomite and Rezon son of Eliada. It was helpful to have the background stories for these individuals. They are certainly not “household names” that we are familiar with.

God’s plan was to bring adversaries into Solomon’s life. We’ll see how all of that plays out. In our last reading, we were told that God was going to rip the kingdom away from Solomon’s son, who would be King David’s grandson. Because of his promise to David, he will let the grandson remain in power, but he will split the kingdom in two.

Tag: called by God

Ezra 1:5-11 – When God Stirs

Read Ezra 1:5-11

1 Kings 11:14-25 – Who The Lord Uses

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