Ezra 1 & 2 FREEDOM!

First, I want to apologize for the lateness of my post. I didn't have access to a computer yesterday so I couldn't write the blog.

I was so relieved when reading Ezra 1 and 2. It was like a breathe of fresh air. We've been reading some hard stuff lately. It's hard to continually be faced with the reality of a holy and just God who needs  to punish sin. While it was good to be reminded that God is a good and just judge, it is also refreshing to read about His deep love and grace. He moves in the heart of King Cyrus and he lets the Israelites go back to Jerusalem! And he doesn't have to be persuaded by plagues or change his mind like the Pharaoh when the Israelites left Egypt. It was so easy, in a way, to leave. They were given treasures and could restart their lives in Jerusalem. They could rebuild the temple with all the resources they were given by the Persians.

I can imagine what they were feeling. I mean, they were freed from captivity. And isn't this what Jesus did on the cross for us? They could go home and God kept His promise. We get to be with God forever and can look at this and know that God will keep His promises. There's so much hope in these chapters. The Israelites must've been continuously thanking God and I'm sure their spirits were soaring.

What can we learn from these chapters? First, that God is faithful and trustworthy. He said He would free them and He did. Not only did He free them, He made sure they had everything they needed. Second, God's spirit changes even the roughest hearts. He changed King Cyrus' heart so He would let the Israelites go. Not only that, he seems to even want to follow the One True God.