Fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah in which the Lord called Cyrus by name 150 years before his rule, King Cyrus now reigned over the entirety of Babylon. He incorporated his new conquest into an expanding Medo-Persian empire, which was represented by the chest and arms of silver in the human figure of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, found in Daniel 2. The great statue in this dream represented the succession of human empires, and their derivatives, which will reign on earth until God’s kingdom ultimately replaces all of them, at the return of Jesus Christ.
Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon was part of God’s plan to end Judah’s seventy-year exile, on a timetable that had been prophesied by Jeremiah. It would now be part of Cyrus’ job to begin the process of returning the exiles home to Jerusalem, to begin laying the foundation of a new temple there. This decree of Cyrus is recorded in the Old Testament book of Ezra.
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to rebuild for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, the people of that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’” Ezra 1:1-4 (NASB)
The exiles were now permitted to return home after seventy years in Babylon, although it would be on a voluntary basis. Many people chose to return to Jerusalem to begin the work of rebuilding the temple, while others chose to remain in Babylon, sending along money and material support, instead.
Cyrus also directed that God’s holy articles taken from the original temple in Jerusalem, which had been shamefully dishonored by Belshazzar before his fall (Daniel 5), be respectfully returned there.
7 Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; 8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah. 11 All the articles of gold and silver totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra 1:7-8,11 (NASB)
The seventy-year exile was extremely difficult for the people of Judah, but it was necessary, and in the end, successful, in extracting them from the clutches of idol worship, which had formerly held them in their grip. Now, they were “in the grip” of God, which is a much safer and better place to be, as He is the God who had established them and blessed them in the Promised Land of milk and honey.
The returning exiles’ journey home would not be an easy one. The travelers would face many difficulties, and encounter much opposition on their journey of temple reconstruction. But, despite the challenges, they obediently sought to follow the will of God. One might assume that the Lord would make life easy for them after such a long and difficult exile, but, just as with people of faith today, God sometimes permits such rigors, heartaches, and attacks of the enemy to come into our lives. And, like many believers today who experience such setbacks and griefs, personal faith is often miraculously strengthened by the trials and fires of life, supported and magnified by the loving hand of God.
The decree of Cyrus permitted the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. God had made the right choice in putting that king on the throne, a choice made and declared long before Cyrus was even born.
Reflection
What trials or troubles are you in the midst of today? God is right here, wanting to bring you His comfort and support.
Lord God, You know our challenges, hurts, and heartaches. We place these into Your loving hands, and ask for Your strength, guidance, and healing touch. Hold up our burdens until they can be removed, and help us to continue walking forward on Your path of righteousness. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 