My God, my God....

Wait… sooo…..
I never knew how God brought Judah out of the Babylonian captivity until now. Read it for yourself, it’s a trip. For exactly 70 years they were brought into exile because of their disobedience to Him and His law. God told them beforehand through Jeremiah, that they would be in captivity for exactly 70 years, and they didn’t listen. And then, God let Nebuchadnezzar take them captive in Babylon, where they would be captives for 70 years. Why 70 years? I didn’t know this either but the 70 years made up the Sabbath for the land that Judah didn’t keep in disobedience.

“And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”

-2 Chronicles 36:20-21

There's no mistaking God's sovereignty in this. Everything perfectly lines up. It's not like he was like, "oh well, I guess I'll let them fend for themselves and see what happens..." No, this was a parent disciplining his children. His eyes never left them. Even while He "removed his hand of protection," He was in complete control. And then how does he get them out? This is crazy. Ok, first imagine living in captivity for 70 years (assuming you weren’t killed by the sword when Babylon invaded, and assuming you survived the 70 years, and assuming you were young enough when taken captive to not die of old age). At least more than half of Judah after 70 years had to have been born in captivity. They never even knew their homeland. They didn’t know what it was like to be a people group set apart for a purpose, let alone a nation that governs themselves. Ok with all that in mind, in comes God. I don’t even want to paraphrase this one, here it is:

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.”

-Ezra 1:1-4

Nuts right? And what about the Israelites? Sure they're freed, but they've been in exile for 70 years. How can God expect them to find unity under one banner, to gather the strength and hope needed to believe in Him now that they are on their own? Oh, let's look at the next verse:

"Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem."

-Ezra 1:5

God raised up leaders. His spirit had moved them at the necessary time. He is sovereign. He is loving. My God, my God....