It's Not Over Until God Says It's Over

Seventy years is a long time. I admit that that I get frustrated when things don’t change after seventy seconds. 

But seventy years? If something’s not fixed after being broken for seven decades, I tend to lose hope. 

Good thing God didn’t ship me off to Babylon in the divine exile of His people. 

As we pick up the story in the beginning of the book of Ezra, Yahweh has relocated His chosen people from the Promised Land to to get their attention after they gave Him a spiritual stiff arm despite His overwhelming goodness. 

He warned them through the prophets ahead of time this was about to go down. He reminded them over and over that He would not forget about Him. 

He promised them He would eventually bring them back home. But after 70 years, their hope gauge had to be hitting E. 

The children of Israel are 500 miles from home. They’re providing cheap labor for one of the most brutal dictators history has ever known (and by “cheap” I mean “free”). 

They’re held prisoner under the world’s dominant super power without so much as a Super Soaker to fight back. 

And it’s been 70 years. Seventy. Years. 

But that’s when God gets involved. As a matter of fact, we know from Scripture that He was involved the entire time. 

The Israelites might think it’s a lost cause. They might think it’s over. But it’s not over until God says it’s over. 

We see through this amazing Old Testament book that absolutely nothing can stop the LORD when He decides to move. 

In the biblical epic motion picture “Animal House,” the great theologian Bluto Blutarsky boldly proclaimed, “It’s not over until we say it’s over!” (Okay, the folks at National Lampoon didn’t exactly produce “The Greatest Story Ever Told” but work with me here.) 

In the opening chapter of Ezra, we see God making it absolutely clear that it’s not over until He says it’s over!

Set the Flux Capacitor for 538 BC. That’s “the first year of Cyrus king of Persia” (v1). King Cy is NOT Uncle Si from “Duck Dynasty.” He’s the Persian dictator that has just knocked the Babylonians off as the toughest kid on the block. 

As part of kicking some Babylonian butt, King Cy inherits a ragtag bunch of Jewish slaves. Just when you might think things have gone from bad to worse for the Israelites, a funny thing happens. 

God rolls up His sleeves and gets busy. Seemingly out of nowhere, “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” (v1) and gets his attention. 

Through Isaiah, God made it clear “of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid’” (Is 44:28). 

So make sure you don’t miss Whose idea this was. It wasn’t King Cy. It wasn’t Ezra. It wasn’t the Israelites. It was God. That’s because it’s not over until He says it’s over!

And who would’ve believed that King Cy had a burning passion to make sure “that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled” (v1)? 

We’re talking about Gentile dictator in pursuit of world domination who is suddenly overcome by the desire to make sure a Jewish prophecy comes through. 

Yeah, I know. That’s crazy talk. But that’s EXACTLY how this all went down. So just what did God say through Jeremiah anyway? 

Let’s take a look. As the prophet witnessed the bloody Babylonian invasion of Israel and Judah, he proclaimed “These nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years” (Jer 25:11). There you go. There’s your 70 years.

Later the LORD used Jerry the Prophet to drop one of the most quoted passages in the entire Bible. “When the seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. 

"You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from I sent you into exile” (Jer 29:10-14). 

I think it’s really a good idea for you and me to remember that this divine promise of prosperity, hope, and a future were originally made to Israel as she was headed to Babylon. 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t lean on a similar promise. But let’s be VERY careful to not “claim this promise” for a Beamer in the garage and a six-figure income.

We see that our very good God is at work through very bad governments. Frustrated with that dumpster fire in DC? 

I don’t care if you’re democrat or republican. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a liberal or conservative. I’m NOT making a political statement here. What I am saying is that only God can unblock the gridlock. 

He not only has the whole world in His hands but the hearts of kings as well. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will” (Prov 21:1). 

That’s why they call Him the King of Kings. Never forget that. Ever. 

So stop ringing your hands over who’s in the White House. Stop freaking out about who controls Congress. 

Yes, we should pray, we should vote, and we should be active in the political process. But please remember that Jesus was not a registered member of any party. 

He loves both red states and blue states. If the LORD can motivate a bloodthirsty dictator like King Cyrus to ensure the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, He can certainly handle the few hundred knuckleheads that we’ve elected. 

That’s because it’s not over until God says it’s over.

©2014
Jay Jennings