1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
Who is King Cyrus and what does he have to do with the Israelites? We have to dive back in history to understand why Cyrus is here and why he is making a proclamation to the Jews of Babylon. We first must understand what got the Jews to Babylon.
Back in about 1050 BC, Saul became the first king of Israel. Then David. Solomon was the third. Solomon was picked by God to be king (as they all were), and even though he did much good for the Lord (he built the temple and expanded Israel to its greatest land-size ever), he also collected women from other countries and these women corrupted his heart. He began to worship other gods. This brought a judgment upon him. The judgment was this: Israel would fracture, his great kingdom never to expand again. But this would only happen after Solomon’s death. He had to spend his remaining days knowing his kingdom would fall into chaos.
Once Solomon died, his son Rehoboam upset the working people of Israel and set off a civil crisis. The kingdom split and Jeroboam, the leader of the workers, headed the 10 northern tribes (Israel), while Judah and Benjamin stuck with Rehoboam (Judah). The twelve tribes, now fractured as God commanded, were on a separate historical course.
The two kingdoms eventually had a similar outcome. Israel’s kings were bad from the beginning and got worse over time until they were invaded by Assyria in 722 BC. The Assyrians deported many of the Jews to Assyria (modern day northern Iraq and southern Turkey). Many of the Assyrians imported to Israel. In both of these migrations the Israel bloodline was wiped out. Those in Assyria became Assyrians and those left in Israel became Samaritans.
Judah lasted longer than Israel, mainly due to a series of good and moderately good kings. But as the kingship continued, the kings grew worse and Judah was eventually invaded by Nebuchadnezzar in 608 BC. Judah was cleaned out of everyone who had a use to Babylon, all of those people deported in three waves to Babylon.
The Jews of Babylon lived under Babylonian rule for 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar, their first king, was a tyrannical leader. Many more came after him, ending in King Belshazzar. Belshazzar, the partying king of Daniel chapter 4 (the writing on the wall), is notable because he is holding a party as the Persians, coming from the east, have surrounded Babylon. Instead of defending the gates they are left open and the Persians simply come through and take the city. Babylon, in an instant, is now a Persian holding.
Enter King Cyrus. Cyrus probably didn’t take the city, but Cyrus was the ruler over a vast and expanding Persian Empire. Like a lightning bolt the Persian Empire takes over the entire known world, an empire as large as the Roman Empire.
There are a few things at play in the Persian occupation and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. The historical side is played out in bible as well as the spiritual side of it. In Ezra 1:2-4, Cyrus’ proclamation is read:
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 build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
The Persians were very aware of the gods around them. When Persia conquered a land, they were very aware of the gods of that land. They made appeasements to those gods to keep in alliance with them. The didn’t want to anger those gods. Cyrus was famous for cooperating with the regional religions. The information of how he interacted with the people and gods is recorded in the Cyrus Cylinder, a noteworthy archaeological recording of the many benevolent acts of Cyrus. In it, in Cyrus’ own hand we see this note:
‘I return to these sacred cities …, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I (also) gathered all their (former) inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations … May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily Bel and Nebo for a long life for me …; to Marduk, my lord, may they say this: ‘Cyrus, the king who worships you, and Cambyses, his son …’”
But the bible tells us that the Lord moved Cyrus’ heart. Can we verify this? Does the bible provide any information that God really did move his heart? There are two prophets who specifically point to what God was always up to. Jeremiah, the prophet left in Jerusalem at the time of the deportation, predicted this:
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Many years before the exile back to Jerusalem, Jeremiah predicted that the Jews would remain for 70 years. This was God’s plan to fulfill His promise to the Jews of care and restoration.
But there is an even more striking prophecy from the prophet Isaiah some 150 years before Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Isaiah 44:28 says this:
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’
Isaiah calls out Cyrus by name 150 years before the events! Even though the mechanism of history rolls along, we also see God’s hand moving many decades before. The rebuilding of the temple is a momentous way for the House of the Lord to return and for the people to once again restore themselves to God willingly.
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
Although the offer was open for all the Jews to return to Jerusalem, it is estimated that only about 2% actually returned. Why is that?
First, the 70 years was a time of repentance and renewal for the Jews. But 70 years is a long time. Many of the people who went there built a life there. Some were born and it was all they knew. Others assimilated into Babylonian culture. There were few who were old enough to even remember the first temple.
This trip was only for those who had a deep understanding of who God was and were willing to leave the comfort of Babylon for the ruins of Jerusalem. The wall was still down. It was filled with marauders and wild animals. The temple was completely destroyed. It would take only those who’s deep affection for God would propel them into action. It was only for the willing.
7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. 8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This was the inventory: gold dishes 30 silver dishes 1,000 silver pans 10 29 gold bowls 30 matching silver bowls 410 other articles 1,000 11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Before the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, he raided it of all its treasures. Those treasures, stored in Babylon, were returned to the Jews to seed the temple with. Meticulously the Persians returned what belonged to the Jews in hopes not to anger God, who they viewed as a regional god.
The name Sheshbazzar, called a prince of Judah, becomes a name to watch as we move forward in the story. There are a few theories as to who this is. He is either a partner of Zerubbabel or another name for him. Zerubbabel is the main builder of the temple, which after being built, is often referred to as Zerubbabel’s temple.