Introduction to the Book of Ezra. Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return. Ezra 1:1-11

Transcription

1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell Introduction to the Book of Ezra Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return Ezra 1:1-11

2 2 Text: Ezra 1:1-11, Introduction to the Book of Ezra Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return 1. 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, 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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; 8. 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.

3 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, 10. Thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 11. 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. Introduction: I. To introduce this book adequately, the historical background surrounding it must be understood. A. For many years the Lord spoke to His people about the importance of maintaining allegiance to Almighty God. 1. But, as the book of Judges illustrates, the people traveled a path of confusion. 2. If there was a leader who insisted upon loyalty to the Lord, the people followed; if there was a leader who was indifferent to the Lord s way, then, again, the people followed that way as well. 3. This is not to say that when the leader was a righteous person that all the people of the land agreed with his actions and neither is it to say that when the leader was indifferent (or wicked) to the Lord that all the people subscribed to that which was evil. 4. It is to say that generally as leadership went, the people went. II. The book of Ezra is a story of a people who were beneficiaries of God s mercy.

4 4 A. Most of the people referenced in the book were born in Babylonian captivity and they are returning to a homeland they have never seen, but only heard about. B. The reason the people had gone into Babylonian captivity was that the Lord had had enough of the apostasy of His covenant people; thus, he had sent them into captivity (they had been taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar). 1. As the people returned from captivity in a foreign land (about 70 years later), their joy in their homeland turned into frustration, fear, and lethargy. 2. Thus, the Lord sent to them the prophet Haggai to inspire them to the work before them. 3. About a half-century later (between Ezra 6 and 7), Ezra arrived and led the people in a restoration of their lives and worship. C. This apostasy, among other things, illustrated itself in the people s refusing to observe the Sabbath as instructed by the Lord. 1. Thus, as the Lord had said: He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia to fulfill the word of the LORD BY THE MOUTH OF Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 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, so that he made a proclamation throughout all

5 5 his kingdom and also put it in writing... (2 Chronicles 36:20-22; ESV). III. James Burton Coffman gave a fitting introduction to this book. He gave a succinct summary of what occurred that led up to the momentous events in the Book of Ezra; viz., A. THE LORD MOVED TO FULFIL HIS PROMISE OF ENDING THE EXILE. The seventy years of Israel s captivity had expired, exactly as Jeremiah had prophesied; and one of the most unbelievable events in human history promptly occurred, when, during the very first year of Cyrus authority over the Chaldean kingdom (which at that time included Israel), the great ruler of Persia not only granted Israel permission to return to Palestine, but aided them very substantially in other ways also. There was no precedent whatever for such a thing. Where, in all the wretched history of the human race, was there ever anything that could be compared with a development like this? The very uniqueness of this return of Israel to their homeland is the only proof needed that it was accomplished b the direct intervention of God Himself in the sordid affairs of sinful men. Isaiah had prophesied the end of Israel s captivity, even foretelling the very name of the key instrument of God in the accomplishment of it, declaring emphatically that Cyrus would accomplish the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple (Isaiah 44:28-45:7). Only those who are blinded by the false axiom of radical critics who deny the possibility of predictive prophecy can accept their unfounded, passionate, and vehement denials of this passage in Isaiah. There it stands! And here in Ezra, as well as in the final verses of Second Chronicles, we have the record of God s fulfillment of his sacred word. 1. Isaiah 44:28, That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem,

6 6 Commentary: Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundations shall be laid. 2. Isaiah 45:1-7, Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant s sake, and Israel mine elect I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. Ezra 1:1-4, 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. 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

7 7 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. I. Cyrus Decree. A. The words of Jeremiah fulfilled. 1. Ezra 1:1, 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, 2. Cyrus came to the throne of Persia in 559 B.C. Ezra 1:1 took place in about 539 B.C. a. Why the difference of 20 years? b. The context shows that it is the first year of Cyrus at Babylon which is intended (Rawlinson, p. 1). 3. Yamauchi said that Persian kings were noted for paying particular attention to prophecies about them. 4. Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10 said the captivity of Judah would be seventy years in duration. a. Jeremiah 25:12, And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

8 8 b. Jeremiah 29:10, For thus saith the Lord that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. c. Babylon took Judah into captivity in B.C. d. Seventy years from that point would be about 536 B.C. e. Ezra is not affirming that Jeremiah said Cyrus would be stirred up. f. He is only saying that Jeremiah s words were fulfilled with respect to the duration of the captivity. 5. It was Isaiah who prophesied of Cyrus (by name, Isaiah 44:28-45:13) some 150 earlier that he would do what we read in the first 4 verses of this chapter. a. Isaiah 44:28, That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. b. Isaiah 45:1-13, Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For

9 9 Jacob my servant s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me, I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What has thou brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and His Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. c. In 1 Kings 13:2 we have something similar when the man of God prophesied about a person named Josiah some 200 years later. d. Though Cyrus was the Lord s servant, Isaiah tells us that Cyrus did not actually know God (Isaiah 45:4). Thus, he was the Lord s servant without even knowing it. i. Isaiah 45:4, For Jacob my servant s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy

10 10 B. The decree. name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 1. Ezra 1:2-4, 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. 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. 2. Cyrus instituted the enlightened policy of placating the gods of his subject peoples rather than carrying off their cult status as the Assyrians, Elamites, Hittites, and Babylonians had done before. His generosity to the Jews was also paralleled by his benevolence to the Babylonians. Ultimately, however, it was the Lord who had moved his heart (Yamauchi, p. 602). 3. If it was said that Cyrus did not know God, then how could the decree be written in such a way that suggests he did know god? There are a couple of responses. a. First, a Jewish scribe could have written the decree for the king. Barnes offered the following: It is a reasonable conjecture that, on the capture of Babylon, Cyrus was brought into contact with Daniel, who drew his attention to the prophecy of Isaiah, Isaiah 44:28; and that Cyrus accepted this prophecy as a charge to

11 11 rebuild the temple (E-Sword). If Barnes is correct (and this view dates back to the time of Josephus), then it is quite easy to image that the king was impressed and had a learned man write for him a decree he would sign. i. Isaiah 44:28, That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. b. Second, while Cyrus did not know God was using him, it is quite possible that he had come to know God in some respect. c. Remember Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:28-37? i. Daniel 4:28-37, All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and

12 12 his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. 4. Cyrus not only gave a decree that authorized the rebuilding of the Temple ( house ), but he also released the people to return to their homeland. More than this, Cyrus also returned to the Jews what was taken from them in the deportation (1:7-10). Truly, this king was a benevolent king! Rawlinson remarked,... and altogether it may be said that, so far as the evidence reaches, no nobler character appears in ancient history (p. 3). II. Cyrus Contribution to the Return.

13 13 A. Ezra 1:5-11, 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. 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. 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. B. Those who returned made the journey because they were moved by God to do so. 1. They consisted of the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and the Levites. 2. The decree was broad enough to include those of the other tribes, but these are the ones who answered. 3. What does that say about the ones who did not return? One might think this is easy to answer, but let us exercise caution in our reply for, I think, it is impossible to determine for certain all the factors involved in the making of their decision.

14 14 C. Yamauchi records the words of W. F. Albright (the foremost archaelogist of the 20 th century) about Israel s return. So far as we know, no people except Israel has even been restored to its native land after such a clean break (p. 604). D. Nebuchadnezzar took from Judah, as spoils of war, the wealth of the temple. Since the conquering army would customarily take the idol god of the conquered foe, and Israel had no idol god or an image of God, the next best thing would be to take possession of the temple and its contents, which represented what God owned. E. Sheshbazzar was prince (governor) of Judah. Who he actually was is uncertain; some think he is to be identified with Zerubbabel, while others doubt this possibility and say that he was the uncle of Zerubbabel. F. Concerning the apparent discrepancy of the number mentioned (1:11) and the total inventory quantified (1:9, 10), Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown said this: The vessels here specified amount only to the number of Hence it is probable that the larger vases only are mentioned, while the inventory of the whole, including great and small, came to the gross sum stated in the text (E-Sword).

15 15 Questions Ezra 1: Who was Cyrus? Give as much information as possible. 2. What did Cyrus do? 3. When did Cyrus do this? Be specific as to date. 4. Why did Cyrus do this? 5. What did Jeremiah say about all this?

16 What proclamation did Cyrus make? What were the terms of this proclamation? 7. Who prepared to travel to Jerusalem and for what purpose? 8. What did their neighbors do? 9. What, according to verse 7, did Cyrus do?

17 Who was Mithredath and what did he do? 11. Who was Sheshbazzar and what (Make a list.) was entrusted to him? What did he do with these things?