Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Character
- Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person. It is hearing from God and obeying. It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.
I really
like the hidden nature of Ezra 5. At
first this chapter seems like such a normal chapter. Here come complaints against the building
process once more. Here come more people
who want to interfere with what God is doing in the world. On the surface, this chapter seems to be
about the world and its disruptive influence.
However,
this is a chapter that sets us up to understand the character of God. Yesterday we learned that the sins of the
pre-captivity Jews earned them a reputation that caused work on the temple to
stop. But today we see that God is going
to use the decree and character of Cyrus to bring forth His righteousness. Because Cyrus followed God and listened to
God’s desires, he made a decree that the temple should be rebuilt. Cyrus’ character is the tool that God is
going to use to save the reconstruction effort!
Isn’t it neat how God can use the character of one person to pave
the way for His greatness into the life of another? Isn’t it neat how God can freely use our character
when we are devoted to Him?
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