“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

“This is unbelievable…check it out! Can it be true?” I often hear comments like this when I visit my grandchildren. Nearly always, the exclamation relates to some amazing feat or supposed fact that the grandchild viewed online. Even as adults, when we hear improbable stories or extravagant advertising offers, we hesitate to take them at face value. We wonder (and often, rightly so), Can that possibly be true? 

Reading the opening events in the Book of Ezra, I wonder if the Jewish people reacted in a similar way when they heard of King Cyrus’ decree. It was amazing enough that Persia’s ruler was allowing them to return to Judah to rebuild their Temple, even though they knew the prophesied seventy years of their captivity must be drawing to a close. But how astonished they must have been when they heard the information in our focus verses: Cyrus was returning the sacred vessels taken from the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar’s forces when they ravaged Jerusalem! They must have wondered, Could it be true that those precious, consecrated emblems of worship had been preserved all these years? If that was the case, was it possible that Cyrus really had given them to Sheshbazzar to be carried back to their homeland? No doubt the Jewish people asked among themselves, Can this possibly be true? 

We too might wonder if God’s promises are true, especially when we are confronting what seems like an insurmountable problem or have waited a long time for an answer to prayer. Today’s text proves the reliability of God’s Word. It records an event prophesied by Isaiah around 150 years before the time of Ezra. That prophecy, recorded in Isaiah 44:28, even mentions Cyrus by name long before he was born! 

The fulfillment of God’s promise to the exiled people of Judah is detailed several times in His Word. Ezra 1:1-3 repeats 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 almost word for word, and the entire Book of Haggai also gives a record. Additionally, the writings of secular Jewish historian Josephus tell of the events described by Ezra. 

When we are perplexed or doubt arises, the Book of Ezra can bolster our faith in God and remind us that He is in control of the events in our lives. Though we may not see an immediate solution or the answer to our prayers yet, God will always fulfill His promises!

BACKGROUND

The Book of Ezra describes the re-establishment of the people of Judah in their homeland after a seventy-year exile in Babylon. It opens with a brief explanation of how the return came about. Early in his reign over Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia reversed the Babylonian policy of keeping the people of conquered nations in captivity. Verses 1-4 describe the decree he made allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, and verses 5-11 describe preparations for that journey. 

The dating of Cyrus’ proclamation as the “first year of Cyrus king of Persia” in verse 1 was a reference to the first year the Persian monarch reigned over Babylon (about 539 B.C.) rather than the first year he ruled over Persia (550 B.C.). 

The Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient clay artifact inscribed with an account of Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon, was discovered in 1879 in present day Iraq. Its words imply that Cyrus’ lenient attitude toward conquered nations was part of his political strategy. This strategy may have been based on a recognition that enslaving conquered people increased the potential for rebellion. A policy of allowing these people to return to their own homelands may have been designed to win their fidelity, thus establishing a protective buffer zone around the borders of his kingdom. 

While political prudence may have been the basis for Cyrus’ decree, verse 1 establishes that it was “the word of the Lord” that stirred the spirit of Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to their native land. The Jewish historian Josephus and other scholars suggest that the words of the prophet Isaiah foretelling a Gentile ruler named Cyrus who would rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple (see Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1-6) were brought to the attention of the Persian king. Whether or not that was the case, it was God who prompted Cyrus to liberate the people of Judah. 

Cyrus’ statement in verse 3, “the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,)” could seem to imply that the Persian king was a Jehovah worshipper. However, the Cyrus Cylinder shows that Cyrus was a polytheist who was equally willing to worship the gods of Babylon. 

Since the territories of both the former Northern and Southern Kingdoms were part of Cyrus’ empire, his proclamation of liberation went to all twelve tribes. Verse 5 seems to suggest that only Judah and Benjamin responded to the permission to return, but 1 Chronicles 9:3 states that some also came from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Ezra’s account likely only mentions Judah and Benjamin because most of the returnees were from those two tribes. Josephus stated that one reason so many of the exiles remained in Babylon was that they did not want to leave their possessions behind. 

In verse 4, Cyrus instructed those who chose to remain in Babylon to provide offerings to support the rebuilding of the house of God in Jerusalem. Accordingly, the Jews who did not join the returning exiles “strengthened their hands” by offerings of gold, goods, animals, and precious things. Verse 7 notes that Cyrus himself returned the Temple vessels that the Babylonians had removed from the house of God in Jerusalem, some of which had been used in their own idolatrous celebrations (see Daniel 5:2-4). In verses 8-11, the Persian treasurer Mithredath officially counted out the vessels and gave them to Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel), a leader of the tribe of Judah.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

I. The reconstruction under Zerubbabel
    A. The return under Zerubbabel
          1. The decree of Cyrus (1:1-4)
          2. The preparation for the journey (1:5-11)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verses 1-2, what occurred to allow the Jewish people to be released from Babylonian exile?
2. In verse 4, why do you think King Cyrus instructed those who would remain in Babylon to supply offerings to those returning to Judah?
3. The decree by King Cyrus was prophesied well in advance of his own birth. How does this fulfillment of prophecy encourage us today?

CONCLUSION

Cyrus’ release of the Jewish people from captivity and his return of the sacred Temple vessels remind us that God will always keep His promises.