Ezra 1:1-11: The LORD Stirs Up Cyrus to Send His People Home

Cyrus’ foreign policy of allowing conquered peoples to go to their homes was unique in the ancient world, but it was not an accident of history. In fulfillment of what He had spoken through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up Cyrus to make this decree. Cyrus’ decree in 538 BC allowed the people of Judah, who had been exiled in Babylon, to begin their journey back to the Promised Land. Those whose hearts the LORD stirred to go took along with them the vessels of the house of the LORD for use when the temple would be rebuilt. Rev. Dr. David Adams, Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezra 1:1-11. "God Brings His People Home” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. After 70 years in exile, the LORD began to fulfill His promise to bring His people back to the Promised Land. In the years that followed, faithful clergy and dedicated laity worked together to rebuild Jerusalem physically and restore the people of God spiritually. Through it all, God was at work to keep His promise of bringing the Savior into the world in the fullness of time.