DEVOTION – DAY 418

2 Chronicles 36:21-23 “God’s Sovereignty”

2 Chronicles 36:21-23 “The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus, king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord, their God be with them.”

The prophet Jeremiah came from a family of priests. God used him to warn the kings of Judah to turn back to Him. It was an unpopular message that many of Judah’s kings ignored. Jeremiah was even put under house arrest up till the time of Jerusalem’s fall at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would fall and the people would be exiled for 70 years. The prophecy was fulfilled exactly as Jeremiah had prophesied. However, God is in control over all things. 

When the seventy-year exile period was over, the Babylonians had been conquered by the Persians. Cyrus, became king of Persia. God moved Cyrus’s heart to issue a decree to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild Jerusalem as recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:21-23. Although Cyrus was a pagan ruler, he knew that the source of his military success was from the Lord, the God of heaven. Cyrus even allowed all the temple ornaments stolen by the Babylonians when they raided Jerusalem, to be returned to the Jewish exiles. God had used a pagan ruler to fulfill His promise made through Jeremiah, that the exile of the Jews would end after seventy years. God can use anything to fulfill His mighty purposes.

We see formation of Israel in the 20th century after the Jewish diaspora was scattered for centuries. In 1947, the United Nations approved a partition plan to allow the formation of Israel. The Promised Land would be partitioned into Israel and Palestine. But the partition plan triggered a civil war between the Jews and Arabs. Israel declared its independence. In retaliation, the armies of 5 neighboring Arab states invaded the area of what is known as Palestine starting the 1st Arab-Israeli war in 1948. Against the odds, Israel won and formed a truce in 1949 that left Israel with control over more territory than the original UN partition plan. Another 6th day war in 1967 resulted in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel’s enemy nations meant harm for Israel by starting the wars but God’s unseen hands enabled the creation of the nation of Israel that we know today. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for you are Sovereign and you keep your promises. Thank you for your promises that you will never leave us or forsake us. We pray this in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. The Bible has other examples of how God used pagans to fulfill His purposes like King Xerxes, King Nebuchadnezzar and others. What are some other examples you can think off that God used today or in past history to fulfill His plans for His people?
  2. How does this cause you to trust in God’s power and sovereignty?
  3. How does this enable you to continue to trust God despite your current circumstances?