Thursday, September 30: Ezra 1- the Supreme Sovereignty of God

Merriam Webster’s Free online dictionary defines sovereignty as:

a : supreme power especially over a body politic

b : freedom from external control : autonomy

c : controlling influence

Free dictionary.com defines it as:

1. Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.

2. Royal rank, authority, or power.

3. Complete independence and self-government.

One more definition, Merriam Webster online for sovereign:

a : one possessing or held to possess sovereignty

b : one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere

 

Cyrus sovereign over Persia and its expansive empire is moved by a greater sovereignty… God’s ultimate and supreme sovereignty. There is no disputing the plain reading of this chapter, God is in control. God’s will moves kings and princes, even those who do not worship God.

Before I venture deeper into this thought, let me say outright, when I use the English word God (capital ‘G’ God) I am referring to the God who reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This God must not be confused with the god of any other religion or belief system. The Old and New Testaments are filled with accounts of other gods over which the Lord God Almighty is sovereign. According to the Bible there is only one true God, creator of all that is seen and unseen, the God of the Old and New Testament Scriptures. His names and character are defined in the scriptures and this God is not to be confused with any other god, whether from ancient or modern times.

Back to my main observation… God, not Cyrus, is ultimately sovereign. God orchestrated the entire scene played out in this chapter. God moves Cyrus (1b: the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation …) and God moved the hearts of returnees to Jerusalem (5 …everyone whose heart God had moved--prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem). Every player in this chapter is moved by the Lord.

Many thoughts, questions and ideas emerge as I ponder this chapter.  One is this… I would much rather serve and worship the one ultimate God, who is sovereign over all things, than any other.

O, God, may I serve and love You well. In Jesus name, Amen.