1. Ezra 1:1–11 (ESV)
  2. Christocentric focus

Christ as Lord of lords

Ezra 1:1–11 (ESV)

1 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:

Is Jesus in our text today? The answer is yes. Firstly, he is the Deliverer of the captives. He is the One who builds his church. He is the Messiah. He is the ruler of this man Cyrus, who is called the messiah, who is a picture of the Christ, but God is ruling Cyrus. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Lord's anointed and he is the Ruler over the kings of the earth, and he can turn and change the heart of the king. As Proverbs says, as of channels of water, so the heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord and he turns it any way he wants. So we see in this passage the fulfillment of that particular Proverb. God directs Cyrus, maybe even against his will, saying, this is what you are going to do, and he did it. The heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord; that Lord is Jesus.1

Michael Voytek