Ezra: The Lord HelpsSample

At first, these verses seem to be no more than a list of the family silver. If you like the Antiques Roadshow, you might find a catalog of gold and silver pots and pans interesting, but otherwise, this appears to be little more than a record of expensive bowls and dishes. Don’t be fooled: it is so much more than that. 

In verse 7 Cyrus is returning all the temple articles that had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon who took the people of Judah into exile (see Is. 39 and Dan. 1:1–2; 5:4). What looks like nothing more than an inventory of costly artifacts is in fact a powerful demonstration of the reversal of the exile and with it a powerful declaration that the Lord is God. 

When Nebuchadnezzar first took the people from Jerusalem to Babylon, he quite deliberately deposited items from the Jewish temple into the ‘treasure house of his god’ (Dan. 1:2). Doing so was a provocative proclamation that the Lord was weak and that He had been defeated by the gods of Babylon. 

But now, at the end of Ezra 1, Babylon no longer exists and the articles belonging to the Lord’s temple are being returned there. So who’s in charge now? This inventory speaks powerfully of the Lord’s ultimate authority. It declares the end of the exile and the fulfillment of God’s promise to his people – they are on their way home. 

As the Bible unfolds, we discover that exile from God doesn’t end by moving dishes and pans to Jerusalem, or by any kind of return to an earthly city. The exile is ended in Christ. In Christ, we discover all of God’s promises are fulfilled. As we come to Christ, we are brought back into relationship with the one true, living God. In Christ, a true reformation of God’s people begins. Today we declare that the Lord is King by proclaiming the gospel and ensuring the church is all that it should be. 

Then when Christ returns, God will finally and fully end the exile of His people as He ushers in the heavenly new creation. He will show Himself indisputably to be God over all.

Reflection 

Consider the circumstances that cause people to suggest the Lord is not God. Think about the times when we appear to be far from the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you the faith to believe that He is indeed in charge, and has shown His sovereign rule in history.