April 16: God Delivered His People
Bible Passage: Ezra 1
Christ Connection: God keeps His promises. He chose King Cyrus as part of His plan to bring His people home from Babylon. God chose Jesus as His plan to rescue sinners and bring us home to His kingdom forever.
Bottom Line: I trust God always does what is best.
Context:
Rest. It’s a word that means something different to each one of us. For some, rest brings to mind a desire to momentarily break from the chaos of life to sleep, relax, and even recover. For others, rest is an unrealistic hope as they navigate a non-stop schedule of busyness. Yet for others, the word rest suggests an uneventful, quiet life of the mundane. Whether it’s a nap, a vacation, or boredom that comes to mind when you think of rest, it is likely a word that triggers some desire or response. And almost universally, the thought of rest is primarily physical. The Bible teaches that rhythms of rest are good and necessary for us; however, the Bible’s primary teaching on rest refers to the spiritual. In Ezra 1, God’s remnant is instructed to recover from their exile with … work. This work would be costly, demanding, and long; but this work actually aimed to bring rest. How could this be so? Because their work was to build the place where they would encounter the living God, the One who gives true rest to the soul. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Though God clearly teaches us the benefits of a rhythm of physical rest—Sabbath—He ultimately uses physical rest to teach us of our need for a greater spiritual rest—a rest for our soul, a rest that comes in understanding that we cannot save ourselves. God has done everything necessary through Christ to save us. We are invited into this rest through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. The people of God are instructed in Ezra 1 to begin the arduous work of building God’s dwelling place. But this work would ultimately lead to their place of rest—in God’s presence. We too may find ourselves physically exhausted from the demanding work of faithfully following the Lord in the context He has placed us. But take heart, there is rest for your soul in the presence of God and the person of Christ.
Takeaways
- The people of God lived in Babylon for decades.
- But God promised through the prophet Jeremiah that the exile would only last for 70 years.
- 70 years is a long time, but the people could trust and wait on God knowing what He promised.
- Ezra led the people to return to Israel just as God had promised.
- Today, we can know that God loves His people and will always do what is best for them.
- Bottom Line: I trust God always does what is best.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it important to trust God’s Word and not our feelings? Lead kids to consider instances in which our feelings can change. Remind kids that our feelings do not always tell us what is true and good. Invite kids to share a time they may have felt one thing, but knew God’s Word said another. Remind kids that God’s Word is always true and can always be trusted. Explain that God’s Word is always right, good, and leads us to Jesus.
- What can we do to remember God’s Word no matter what? Encourage kids to name practical ways they can remember God’s Word. Review different ways kids can memorize Scripture such as through song or hand motions or prayers. Invite kids to share a time when they remembered God’s Word. Lead kids to understand that the more time we spend reading God’s Word, the more we come to remember it.
- When do we need to remember God’s promises? Remind kids that we need to remember God’s promises every day. Help kids understand that God’s promises are not just for the future, but are given so that we can trust Him daily. Lead kids to understand that God’s promise to save us from our sin through Jesus is something we need to remember all of the time so we do not forget that we cannot save ourselves.