The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets over it whom He wills.

— Daniel 4:17b

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails

— Proverbs 19:21

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all

— Psalm 33:10-11

The king’s heart is like rivers of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

— Proverbs 21:1

From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

— Acts 17:26

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

— Colossians 1:17

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

God moved King Cyrus to allow the exiled Israelites to return to their homeland to fulfill His purposes. This demonstrates the heavenly King’s unrivaled reign over time and space. God steadfastly governs history. He chooses when to reveal the future before it comes to pass. God’s preordained tomorrow unfolds His power and faithfulness. The consummation of His will for Israel did not depend on Cyrus’s decisions.

To fulfill His plan, God moved the heart of King Cyrus of Persia, the greatest conqueror the ancient Near East had known at that time. Cyrus showed deference to Israel and their God and referred to “the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.” Cyrus released the exiles to reestablish worship of God in the Jerusalem temple where He had chosen to dwell with them. Cyrus’s religious tolerance did not minimize God’s sovereign power in this decree. God used Cyrus to confirm His presence and finish what He started.