Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart. Because of the great influence their position gives them, kings can affect large numbers of people. To cause all things to work together for good it is often necessary for God to turn the hearts of kings toward paths they would not otherwise have followed. Thus Cyrus was moved to order the Temple rebuilt (2 Chron. 36:22, 23; Isa. 44:28; Dan. 10:13). This directing of hearts does not interfere with a man’s freedom to choose whether or not he will follow the path of salvation. In the judgment every soul will see that God has done everything possible to awaken a determination to surrender to the re-creating power of the Holy Spirit, and that he is lost because of his own refusal to make that surrender and to permit that power to work in him (see Isa. 45:22-24; John 1:9; Titus 2:11; GC 668).