Passage
Ezra 1:1 - 2:70 (ESV)
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:26-40
Key Verse: 8:35
Great is God’s Faithfulness
Date: Sep. 22, 2014
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 1:1
First, God moves people’s hearts (1:1-11). After ascending to power, King Cyrus proclaimed that the Jewish exiles could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God. King Cyrus ordered the treasurer to return the temple articles confiscated by Nebuchadnezzar. He encouraged the Jews to give freewill offerings for the rebuilding effort. Cyrus’ personal motives are not clear. Yet God used this worldly ruler to rebuild the temple. Thus, God fulfilled his promise to his people spoken through Jeremiah (Jer 25:11, 32:37-41; Isa 44:28). God uses his sovereignty to restore his people to worship him.
Second, the exiles’ obedience (2:1-70). God prompts the hearts of people but people must also respond in faith and obedience. 42,360 exiles courageously went back to a land many had never seen to rebuild God’s temple and resettle the land. Some were excluded from the priesthood when their lineage could not be proved. The exiles tried to obey God’s word from the start (Nu 16:40).
Prayer: Lord, thank you for keeping your promises and for leading people, including me, to worship you.
One Word: God faithfully restores his people
