Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Cyrus Authorizes Rebuilding Jerusalem

Ezra 1:1-11

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,  Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:1-2) 

Jeremiah had prophesied of Jeerusalem and Judah being captives in Babylon more than forty years before, During the reign of Josiah, Judah’s last good king.  Jeremiah 25:11 states it would be for a period of seventy years.  “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”  According to historians, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem about 605 BC.  Cyrus the Great took Babylon in about 539 BC, and gave his decree in 538 BC.  There is considerable debate about all these dates, as no single group kept complete records and they don’t always match exactly.

In allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem, Cyrus was fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jeremiah 27:22, “They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.”  Jeremiah 30:3 made a similar prophecy.  "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it".

Daniel had been taken to Babylon with the first group of captives and had advanced to a very high position, retaining it through various administrations, until Cyrus became king.   About ten years before Cyrus conquered Babylon,  Daniel had read and understood Jeremiah’s prophecies, according to Daniel 9:1-2.  “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

Undoubtedly, Daniel had a part in Cyrus’ understanding of God’s plan, since his last recorded prophecy was made during Cyrus’ third year in power.    Cyrus clearly recognized it was God’s plan as II Chronicles 36:23 makes clear.  “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah…”

“Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.  And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:3-4) 

Like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus recognized God as the God of gods, the real God.  He authorized any Jew who wished to return to Jerusalem go back and rebuild the temple, instructing that neighbors donate money and supplies to be used in the project, as well as animals for the sacrifices.  He clearly understood that the sacrifices were to be voluntary.

“Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.  And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.” (Ezra 1:5-6) 

While many of the Jews were content to remain in Babylon, God had caused some of the leaders and the Levites and priests to want to go back and restore the worship of God as they were supposed to.  Their neighbors, whether Jewish or other groups willingly donated money, provisions and anything they thought would be useful for the project.

“Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.” (Ezra 1:7-8)

Nebuchadnezzar had carried off some of the vessels of the temple after his first attack on Jerusalem, in II Chronicles 36:7.  “Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.”  When they razed the temple eleven years later, in Zedekiah’s reign, the other vessels and service objects had been taken to Babylon as well.  Cyrus ordered that all the things from the temple be returned, and they were retrieved from storage in the Babylonian temples.  As leader of the expedition, Sheshbazzar was given responsibility for all those objects.

“And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.  All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:9-11)

Just to safely transport the items that had been taken from the temple would be a major responsibility, involving five thousand four hundred separate objects of gold or silver.

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