The Proclamation of Cyrus (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Isaiah 45:1-25)
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.
Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels
King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils, 1030 gold bowls, 410 matching silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles. In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.”
King Cyrus of Persia is in the first year of his reign when he makes a startling proclamation encouraging Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Why might a pagan king make such a pronouncement? “He is the God who is in Jerusalem.” Cyrus may view the Jewish God as a local god seated in Jerusalem; however, he is wise enough to realize that he needs all the spiritual support he can get. The God of the Jews is the same God who destroyed an enormous Egyptian army and then did miracles in the wilderness. This same God has delivered the Jews many times. Why not rebuild His temple in hopes of propitiating Him?
“Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Wow! Is Cyrus encouraging a mass exodus of all of his Jewish subjects? Doubtful. Cyrus fully realizes that there are those who may have settled into Babylon so completely that they won’t want to return to Jerusalem. But Cyrus is a munificent king who does things in a big way and who expects his subjects to do the same. Amazingly, Cyrus’s subjects do respond generously, and Jewish family heads prepare to leave for Jerusalem.
Yet another miracle takes place when Cyrus has all the furnishings from the temple of Jerusalem brought out and itemized. Thousands of years later, not only do we know exactly which items were sent back to Jerusalem, but we also know the names of the Persian treasurer and the Jewish prince to whom the items were given. Remember that these items are not the same ones created by King Solomon; through the years, successive kings have looted the temple, sending its treasures out of the country to buy off marauding armies. But these vessels might be the same ones that Belteshazzar and his courtiers were using the night God’s handwriting appeared on the wall and Daniel gave the interpretation.
APPLICATION: In the time of Cyrus, the Persian Empire was vast and highly organized. The Book of Esther describes royal messengers traveling hastily throughout the kingdom. Ostensibly, Cyrus had no reason to pay attention to the God of the Jews, but he did. Cyrus had a better appreciation for God than some of the Jews had.
Sometimes viewing current events around the world can become quite depressing. As I am writing this, Russia is still attacking Ukraine. There are political upheavals and economic downturns in several countries. Chaos appears to be the order of the day. We wonder if there is any hope left in the world. That might have been exactly the way the Jewish exiles in Persia felt. Seventy years had passed and there appeared to be no changes in their situation. The prophet Daniel even began special prayers when he realized that the seventy years foretold by Jeremiah had passed. It was when Daniel prayed that the Angel Gabriel came to him, encouraging him.
We all should be encouraged by the story of Cyrus. Even though the Jews thought that God had abandoned them in Persia, that was not true. When the time came for the delegation to leave for Jerusalem, Cyrus made the announcement and then ensured that the delegation would have everything it needed to be successful. While Daniel did not accompany that delegation, Daniel’s prayers helped assure them of success as well.
God can swiftly turn tragedies into celebrations and mourning into dancing. Psalm 126 tells us:
“When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.”
The phrase about “streams in the Negev” refers to the fact that dry stream beds can suddenly fill with water when it rains in the mountain watershed that feeds those streams. In a few minutes, a stream bed can go from being empty and dry to being full to overflowing. God can move in an instant! Do not be discouraged or down – hearted! If you are continuing to serve the Lord, He is watching. At the right time, God will move and help you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust Your timing and Your provision. Keep us free from doubt, knowing that You are the One who orders the stars and the planets, the seasons and the weather. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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