Fri.’s Devo - God Always Fulfills His Word

Read: Ezra 1:1-2:70; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 20:22-23 God put it on Cyrus’s heart to build a Temple to God. This had been prophesied by Jeremiah. In Cyrus’s proclamation he told any Jew that he had permission to go back and rebuild the Temple. Their neighbors should give them silver and gold and supplies for their journey. Sounds just like what happened when they left Egypt. King Cyrus took things out of his treasury that had been taken from the Temple 70 years ago and gave it to them to replace in the new Temple. There were 5,400 articles in all. A list was given of all the people who chose to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. You will recognize Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, Mordecai and maybe others. Some of the people could not be found in the registry of the priests and were held for further proof. A total of 42,360 people returned with their servants and singers. They brought horses, mules, camels and donkey. They brought gifts of 61,000 gold coins, 62,50 pounds of silver and 100 robes for the priests. The people settled in villages near Jerusalem or in their own towns throughout Israel. I wonder is they knew what a great deal this was. God was fulfilling his word. In Romans, Paul explains that the cross is foolishness to those who are destined for destruction, but the power of God to those who are the children of God. Isaiah said that God would destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent. God made is so that the world would never know him through their own wisdom. The way of the cross is offensive to the Jews and foolishness to the world. But to those who are called by God to be saved, Christ is the power and wisdom of God. God uses simple people in his Kingdom to confound the wise of the world. God made Jesus to be wisdom and made us righteous, through Christ. Our boast can only be in the Lord. Lord, thank you for your power and strength. We wait on you to handle all our matters.