They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. (Ezra 6:14)
SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT A CONCEPT or doctrine that is frequently talked about anymore. Often, we have become convinced that we can take care of things if we are industrious enough. Many theologies exist today that are human centered instead of being God centered. The other day, I even heard that you can control your own destiny in life if you would only focus yourself on the epicenters of the universe. Frankly, I don’t even know what that means.
The decrees to rebuild God’s temple flowed through the approvals of three earthly kings. Yet, God is the one who commanded that his temple be finished. While no one may have realized the earthly kings were not in control of the entire situation, the God of Israel was.
He still is. God, in his sovereignty, is the one who is in control of all things whether we recognize that fact or not. Kings, you, and I are simply God’s instruments to accomplish his will. His power of volition is supreme over all rulers, all oppressors, and even all the pagan libraries where the building plans were ultimately found during Darius’s reign.
Will we be able to understand God’s sovereign will fully? No. Do we need to trust that God knows what he is doing? Definitely!
Trust in the command of the Lord, not the limited decrees of humankind.
Jim Dunn is the vice president of church relations for the Wesleyan Investment Foundation. He resides in the Indianapolis area.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
