Introduction

My boys, like many other boys in the church, really enjoy watching Dude Perfect videos. How many of you have seen some of these? For those who aren’t familiar, Dude Perfect is a group of guys who have built a massive following on their YouTube channel primarily by doing trick shots like bouncing a ping pong ball 5xs across a parking lot and landing it in a Solo cup. They take videos of these incredible shots, and a big part of the fun is how they go crazy celebrating as if they just won the Super Bowl.

Some of the clips are quite impressive. The odds are not on your side when you are trying to bounce a ping pong ball off four different structures and into a cup. But guys love trying that stuff. I don’t know how much time my friends and I wasted in elementary school trying to make half court shots. We’d airball shot after shot, but when one finally went in, we celebrated like we won the lottery!

We get excited when surprising things happen that defy the odds. I imagine that we’ve all had experiences that you look at and think, “I can’t believe that just happened? What are the odds that it would turn out like this?”

Thankfully, our world is not governed by the odds or by chance. No, a sovereign God rules every corner of our universe. He displays his mighty power in the incredible story of our text, Ezra 1–2. It’s a story that from a human perspective looks like a random stroke of luck, but it was truly a work of a sovereign God. The story begins with a stunning royal decree.

I.  The Decree (1:1–4)

To fully appreciate this decree, we must remember the historical context we covered last Sunday when I introduced the series (timeline).

Remember that the major event which sets the stage for Ezra is the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. The previous page in your Bible details these tragic events (2 Chron 36:11–21).

The narrator reminds us that God had graciously and patiently called Israel to repent, but they ignored his warnings and dishonored his Word. So, God kept his Word. The Babylonians destroyed the city, killed many of its citizens, and carried most of the rest into captivity.

Imagine standing amid the rubble afterwards. It looks like a tornado has ripped through this once glorious city. Nothing of value is left just piles of rubble, small puffs of smoke from burning buildings, and the stench of rotting bodies.

Yes, God had repeatedly prophesied through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others that someday he would restore his people. But it would be hard to believe those promises if you were standing in the rubble following such a violent and overwhelming destruction. The odds seemed insurmountable.

Yet remarkably, 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1:1–4 follow by saying that kept his Word, and Cyrus made a way for the Jews to come home! It is hard for us to comprehend how amazing these verses would have sounded to the Jews living in that time. I’d like to highlight 3 characteristics of God that are evident in vv. 1–4.

God is faithful. Granted Cyrus didn’t care about Israel’s prophets; rather, as I mentioned last week, he was primarily concerned about challenging situation he inherited when he conquered Babylon. Suddenly, he is the ruler of a massive empire, and most of his subjects don’t have any natural loyalty to him. Instead, the Babylonians had brutally conquered most of his subjects and displaced from their homes. They hated Babylon, and they probably assumed Cyrus was just another brutal dictator.

But Cyrus was a shrewd leader who understood the importance of uniting his kingdom vs. holding it together by sheer force. So, rather than humiliating the gods of his subjects as the Babylonians had done, he honored them. For example, he worshipped the Babylonian god Marduk instead of mocking it.

And he further distanced himself from the Babylonian brutality by developing a broad policy of helping captives from many nations to return home and rebuild their temples and forms of worship.

Again, archeologists have recovered this fascinating quote from Cyrus, “I returned to these sacred cities…, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I (also) gathered all their (former) inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations…May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily Bel and Nebo for a long life for me…; to Marduk, my lord, may they say this: ‘Cyrus, the king who worships you, and Cambyses, his son.’”

So, from Cyrus’s perspective, the decree that is recorded in vv. 2–4 is simply an application of this policy. However, the narrator understands that something far greater was at work (v. 1a).

Again, Jeremiah had prophesied “This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation” (Jer 25:11–13).

Think about the fact that when Jeremiah gave this prophecy, it had to sound insane. Babylon was mowing down every nation in their path. No one could resist them. They seemed invincible. And they were bearing down on Jerusalem. Yet Jeremiah prophesied that after only 70 years, Babylon would be crushed, and Israel would come home. It had to sound crazy!

So, imagine the reaction of the Jews to Cyrus’s decree. Babylon had fallen just as Jeremiah had prophesied. You’re thinking, “Wow, Jeremiah was right, but there’s no way we are going home.” Then one the day Cyrus’s heralds show up and begin reading this decree, and your jaw hits the ground. “Wow, God is fulfilling his Word. He is faithful.”

And we must recognize that what’s happening here is much bigger than just the prophecy of Jeremiah 25, as big as that is. No, imagine how happy Satan must have been when Jerusalem fell. God had promised David that Messiah would be his descendant and that he would rule from Jerusalem over an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7:12–16). Going back further, God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3). So, when Jerusalem fell, Satan must have thought, “I did it. I destroyed Israel and David’s line. I ruined God’s plan!”

But God’s plan for redemption will not be denied. Against all odds, God moved in the heart of Cyrus and put his redemptive purposes back on schedule. And we know where the story goes from there. Jesus was born as a descendant of David. He fulfilled many prophesies throughout his life. He died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for sin, and he rose again.

And he will most certainly come again and fulfill every remaining promise. He will glorify his people and establish an everlasting kingdom and rule from the throne of David. He will reconcile all things to himself.

Therefore, you can entrust your soul to God’s redemptive promise. You don’t have to face death with fear or merely hoping that you make it to heaven. No, the Bible promises, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

If you have never been saved, confess to the Lord your need of salvation and put your faith wholly in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. You can know that your sins are forgiven and that your soul is secure in Christ. We’d love to speak with you about how you can enjoy the assurance of being in Christ.

If you are saved, continue trusting God’s redemptive promises. Your spiritual life may feel like the rubble Nebuchadnezzar left in Jerusalem, but God is able to restore the mess, and he is always faithful to his promise. Don’t lose heart. Endure by faith believing that God will be faithful, and he will finish the work he has begun. As we sang earlier, he will “hold you fast.”

Praise the Lord that he is faithful. A 2^nd characteristic of God that is evident in this decree is that…

God is sovereign. Again, imagine what it must have been like as a Jew to hear a pagan king’s herald declare what this decree says about God. Our county has a deep Christian heritage, so it’s not uncommon for our politicians to speak about God. But Persia had none of that heritage.

Yet look at what Cyrus says in v. 2. To be fair, Cyrus was a polytheist; therefore, he didn’t have any problem saying these things about the true God and then turning around and saying similar things about any other god. This is not a confession of salvation.

But the narrator understands that this is not just another royal decree. He says in v. 1, “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.” As a result, v. 3 gives the Jews royal permission to return home and to rebuild their temple. And this permission is crucial. We’ll see later in the book that rebuilding sacred sites was widely considered an act of rebellion. So, this decree was vital to rebuilding the temple.

And finally, notice the provisions in v. 4. It’s worth noting that this appeal was probably directed to fellow Jews, not to the Babylonians because they wouldn’t have any motivation to help the Jews. Rather, Cyrus assumed that many Jews would return, but a pagan king urged them to assist in rebuilding the temple by giving generous gifts to those who did return.

It really is incredible. And it is a reminder to us that our God is truly sovereign. We know this, but sometimes we struggle to believe. World governments seem so powerful and so do the evil philosophies that are rapidly transforming our nation. It’s easy to despair and to think that evil will win the day.

But our God is still sovereign. “Behold Our God” reflects the truth of Isaiah 40:12, 15, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales?...Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.”

The same God who turned the heart of Cyrus is still Lord of all. He is sovereign over every man, woman, and child. He can save any soul, and he can fix any problem. It’s up to us to simply trust him. A 3^rd characteristic of God that is evident in this decree is that…

God is worthy of praise. Again, history demonstrates that Cyrus never converted to the exclusive worship of God. But it is still incredible that the confession of vv. 2–4 came from the mouth of a pagan emperor. It is so theologically accurate that it makes you wonder if someone like Daniel assisted in writing it.

But regardless of Cyrus’s sincerity, it is still significant that a pagan king put his royal seal on this statement. God received glory from the most powerful man on earth. It’s another reminder that God is worthy of honor and praise from every corner of his creation. He must receive glory, and someday he will receive glory from all creation.

In sum, vv. 1–4 are not just the decree of a great human king. They are a testament to the faithfulness, sovereignty, and glory of our God. Like Israel we should stand amazed at who our God is, we must trust his Word, and we must worship him for his majesty. Then vv. 5–11 follow by describing…

II.  The Return (vv. 5–11)

God’s not done! Instead, vv. 5–6 say that…

God moved Israel. It is important that we appreciate the fact that as exciting as this decree must have been, actually returning to Jerusalem would have been a incredibly difficult step of faith.

And you can see on this map that the journey was long! Just imagine spending roughly 4 months walking with your family and all your earthly possession along this route. It would be exhausting. And don’t forget the fact that they didn’t have modern security. Thieves preyed on traveling caravans.

And I said last week that many of the exiles had significant jobs and profitable businesses in Babylon. It would be very hard to leave all of that behind and take off in this caravan because they had no guarantee that they could make similar profits in Jerusalem or enjoy the same security they had in Babylon For many, life would be potentially much harder.

Despite all of this, v. 5 says that God “stirred” the many of those from Judah and Benjamin to return. These are the two tribes who had populated the Southern Kingdom.

I imagine that some from the other 10 tribes returned, but it is sobering to consider the long-term consequences of the Northern Kingdom cutting itself off from the temple in Jerusalem and God’s anointed kings. Many of the Northern Kingdom’s citizens lost their religious identity entirely.

But not Judah and Benjamin. God moved many of them to take a tremendous step of faith and a great risk to restore their national identity and the rightful worship of God. Praise God for these people because they are vital to the story of the NT.

In addition, v. 6 adds that God stirred the Jews who didn’t return to generously support the endeavor. They provided the returnees with a generous supply of money, livestock, and supplies, which is going to be vital for a massive project like rebuilding the temple.

And when vv. 4, 6 mention the returnees receiving offerings and support on their way, what does that remind you of? It’s a clear allusion to the exodus from Egypt. The point is that Israel had not lost its identity. This is the same nation that God brought out of Egypt. And just as God provided for his people the first time they escaped foreign captivity he provided for them again.

God never breaks a promise; he is always faithful to his own. So, as the returnees gathered all these gifts, I’m sure the excitement was palatable. God was working among his people.

In addition to all this, vv. 7–11 add that…

God moved the Persians. It was a big deal when Nebuchadnezzar plundered the temple and took its sacred utensils back to Babylon. Daniel 5 says Belshazzar took this dishonor to extreme ends when he used these items in a drunken party the night Babylon was destroyed.

But all that changed when Cyrus removed these sacred items from Babylon’s pagan temples and returned them to the Jews. God was working!

Specifically, v. 8 says that he returned them to “Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.” I must mention that it’s not entirely clear who this guy is. His name only appears 4xs (1:8, 11; 5:14, 16) in Ezra, and Zerubbabel gets most of the attention as the leader of the returnees.

It’s possible that they are the same person and that Sheshbazzar was this man’s Babylonian name, and Zerubbabel was his Hebrew name. It’s also possible that Sheshbazzar had more political clout with Cyrus, so he was the official leader, but the Jews mostly recognized Zerubbabel. It’s also possible that Sheshbazzar died early on, and Zerubbabel succeeded him. We don’t know.

Regardless, through Sheshbazzar, Cyrus returned many sacred items that would connect the new temple to the old. Again, when Nebuchadnezzar carried these things away, it looked like they were gone for good. But God is sovereign. He’s not limited by any human power; therefore, despite all human odds, the temple utensils were now on their way home.

God brought a remnant home. I’m sure that we all would love to know all about that 4-month journey. Hollywood loves to make movies about that sort of thing. But God didn’t give us the Bible to satisfy our curiosities but to make theological points.

I’m sure it was a grueling journey, but the Lord protected his people, and v. 11 closes out the chapter by simply stating, “Sheshbazzar brought…” God brought his people home.

III.  The Returnees

Chapter 2 proceeds to tell us about the brave people who made the journey. It’s a long chapter that probably doesn’t seem very relevant to us. I’m not going to read it (in part because I would slaughter a lot of the names), and we aren’t going to spend much time on it today.

However, it’s clearly very important to the message of the book; otherwise, it wouldn’t be here. I believe it communicates two primary points.

God preserved his people. From a human perspective, the captivity should have wiped out any sense of ongoing Jewish identity. It did for many other nations. Even in Jesus’ day, there was no unified group of Philistines, Edomites, or Moabites. Captivity destroyed their identity.

But the two little tribes of Benjamin and Judah didn’t just survive; their identity crystalized in Babylon. Chapter 2 is a loud testimony to this fact. These lists declare that these people knew their ancestry, and they were the continuation of God’s people. God was faithful to his people. The captivity did not destroy his covenants with Abraham or David. God preserved a remnant.

God provided holy seed for a new nation. Again, vv. 1–60 tell us about the remnant which God preserved. This makes vv. 61–63 stand out (read). These verses highlight the fact that the returnees were not going to be sloppy in rebuilding their new community. They were committed to holiness and to rebuilding a holy nation.

So, v. 64 says that 42,360 people returned. Yes, that’s a lot of people, but it is a tiny fraction of the group who departed Egypt. At the height of David’s glory, Israel had 1.3 million men who were fit for war (2 Sam 24:9). In comparison 42,000 total people is not much. And as I mentioned last week, they came home to a territory that was 1/10 the size of our county.

The odds still aren’t looking good. And yet from this tiny but holy seed, God rebuilt the nation of Israel, and he fulfilled his promise to send Messiah to be the perfect atoning sacrifice. And someday, he will come again and fulfill every remaining promise of God.

Conclusion

We do not live in a world that is governed by chance or the law of averages. Our sovereign and faithful God rules over all. No matter how strong evil may seem out in the world or inside your own heart, God is the ruler yet. He will preserve his people. He will build his church. Someday, he will glorify his children and take us to heaven. He will conquer evil. He will reconcile all things to himself. Trust the Lord to accomplish his purpose.