“Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:”
My Notes
What Does Ezra 7:27 Mean?
Ezra praises God for moving a pagan king's heart: blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers — Ezra's response to receiving Artaxerxes' decree (v.11-26) is worship. Before reporting the decree's contents, he praises the God behind it. The God of our fathers — the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — is the one who acted. The Persian king is the instrument. God is the agent.
Which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart — put (nathan — to give, to place) in the king's heart (lev). God placed the idea in Artaxerxes' mind. The king's decision was genuine — he made it. But the origin of the impulse was divine — God put it there. The sovereignty operates through human decision-making, not around it. The king chose freely what God placed sovereignly.
To beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem — the specific purpose: the beautification (paer — to glorify, to adorn, to make beautiful) of the temple. The temple that had been destroyed by Babylon and partially rebuilt under Zerubbabel now receives royal support for its beautification. A Persian king funds the beauty of Yahweh's house — because God moved his heart to do it.
The verse demonstrates a principle that runs through Ezra-Nehemiah and throughout Scripture: God uses pagan rulers to accomplish his purposes. Cyrus issued the original decree to rebuild (Ezra 1:1-4). Darius confirmed it (Ezra 6:1-12). Now Artaxerxes provides resources for beautification. Three successive Persian emperors serve God's temple — not because they worship Yahweh but because God moves hearts regardless of the heart-owner's theology.
Proverbs 21:1 states the principle explicitly: the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does God 'putting a thing in the king's heart' reveal about divine sovereignty working through human decisions?
- 2.How does Ezra thanking God rather than the king model the right response when pagan powers serve God's purposes?
- 3.How does the pattern of three Persian kings serving God's temple demonstrate that God uses whoever he chooses?
- 4.Where do you need God to move someone's heart — and how does this verse build your confidence that he can?
Devotional
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart. A Persian king — a pagan emperor who worships other gods — has just issued a decree that funds and supports the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem. And Ezra does not thank the king. He thanks God. Because Ezra knows: the king's decision came from the king's heart. And God is the one who put it there.
Put such a thing in the king's heart. God moves hearts. Not just your heart — the hearts of people who do not know him. The hearts of kings, rulers, decision-makers who have never prayed to Yahweh and never will. God places impulses, ideas, and decisions in hearts that do not recognize his hand. The king decides freely. God directs sovereignly. Both are true.
To beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. A pagan king beautifies God's temple. The irony is the theology: the most powerful man in the world serves the purposes of a God he does not worship — because God turned his heart like water in a channel.
Three Persian kings served God's temple: Cyrus ordered the rebuilding. Darius confirmed it. Artaxerxes funded its beautification. None of them were believers. All of them were instruments. God does not need the powerful to believe in him in order to use them for his purposes. He needs only to turn the heart — and the heart of a king is as easy for God to direct as a stream of water.
Whatever situation you face that depends on someone else's decision — a boss, a judge, a government official, a family member — God has access to their heart. He puts things in the hearts of kings. The decision you need may come from someone who does not know God. But God knows them. And he knows how to direct their heart toward his purposes.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
An abrupt transition from the words of Artaxerxes to those of Ezra. Compare a similar abrupt change in Ezr 6:6. The…
Ezra cannot proceed in his story without inserting his thankful acknowledgement of the goodness of God to him and his…
Ezra's Thanksgiving
Abrupt transition from the letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra's thanks giving. Compare chap. Ezr 6:8, the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture