| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Ezra Chapter
One
Ezra 1
Chapter Contents
The proclamation of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the
temple. (1-4) The people provide for their return. (5-11)
Commentary on Ezra 1:1-4
(Read Ezra 1:1-4)
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. The hearts of
kings are in the hand of the Lord. God governs the world by his influence on
the spirits of men; whatever good they do, God stirs up their spirits to do it.
It was during the captivity of the Jews, that God principally employed them as
the means of calling the attention of the heathen to him. Cyrus took it for
granted, that those among the Jews who were able, would offer free-will
offerings for the house of God. He would also have them supplied out of his
kingdom. Well-wishers to the temple should be well-doers for it.
Commentary on Ezra 1:5-11
(Read Ezra 1:5-11)
The same God that raised up the spirit of Cyrus to
proclaim liberty to the Jews, raised up their spirits to take the benefit. The
temptation was to some to stay in Babylon; but some feared not to return, and
they were those whose spirits God raised, by his Spirit and grace. Whatever
good we do, is owing to the grace of God. Our spirits naturally bow down to
this earth and the things of it; if they move upward in any good affections or
good actions, it is God who raises them. The calls and offers of the gospel are
like the proclamation of Cyrus. Those bound under the power of sin, may be made
free by Jesus Christ. Whosoever will, by repentance and faith, return to God,
Jesus Christ has opened the way for him, and raises him out of the slavery of
sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Many that hear this
joyful sound, choose to sit still in Babylon, are in love with their sins, and
will not venture upon a holy life; but some break through all discouragements,
whatever it cost them; they are those whose spirit God has raised above the
world and the flesh, whom he has made willing. Thus will the heavenly Canaan be
filled, though many perish in Babylon; and the gospel offer will not have been
made in vain. The bringing back the Jews from captivity, represents the
redemption of sinners by Jesus Christ.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Ezra》
Ezra 1
Verse 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,
Fulfilled —
Nebuchadnezzar carried many of the Jews into captivity in the first year of his
reign (the fourth of Jehoiakim). He reigned forty-five years, his son
Evil-merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar, three years, which
make up the seventy years foretold by Jeremiah.
First year — Of
his reign in Babylon: for he had been king of Persia for many years.
Verse 2
[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.
All, … — In
those parts of the world; all that vast empire formerly under the Assyrians and
Babylonians. The gift of which he ascribes to the great God; by that express
prophecy of Isaiah concerning him, Isaiah 44:28; 45:1,13, so long before he was born; which
prophecy the Jews had doubtlessly shewed him, which also carried a great
evidence with it, especially to him who was so highly encouraged by it: or by a
special illumination which God vouchsafed to him, as he did to Nebuchadnezzar
and Darius, and some other Heathen princes.
Verse 5
[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.
Then rose up, … —
These being a new generation, went out like their father Abraham, from this
land of the Chaldees, not knowing whither they went.
Verse 6
[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.
Strengthened their hands — God can, when he pleases, incline the hearts of strangers to be kind to
his people; yea, make those strengthen their hands, who formerly weakened them.
Verse 8
[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.
Sheshbazzar —
Zerubbabel; the Chaldeans called him Sheshbazzar, that is, Joy in tribulation,
but among his own people he was called Zerubbabel, a stranger in Babylon. So he
looked upon himself, tho' (Josephus says) he was captain of the life-guard.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Ezra》
01 Chapter 1
Verse 1
Now in the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord.
The discipline of the captivity
The captivity is clearly
represented as God’s judgment upon His people for their sins, but it was a
judgment so tempered with mercy that it brought them much of blessing in the
way of spiritual development. Their trials became a means, in various ways, of
spiritual discipline. Losing the temple with its solemn ritual they found that
God was a spirit and could be worshipped anywhere; at Jerusalem they had been
able to hear His voice in the holy ordinances, but now they were dependent upon
the revealed Word; hence diligent attention was paid to the preservation and
transcription of the sacred writings, a service which prepared the way for the
arrangement, not long after, by Ezra of the Old Testament canon. All such good
impulses helped to work out a gradual but sure deliverance from their old sin
of idolatry. In Judea the service of idols had become strangely confused with
the service of Jehovah. It was thought by many not so very wrong to worship
images if at the same time they worshipped God. The evils which assail us now
are different in form, but are working along the same line; we have other
idols, but the same snare. Natural history has an interesting chapter called
“Mimicries of Nature,” the description of certain creatures which have, in a
wonderful degree, the appearance of vegetable life and are able thereby to
seize more surely upon their unsuspecting prey. It illustrates the peril that
surrounds us on many sides in the moral world; evil takes the shape of good;
pleasures that seem harmless hide the sting of death, etc. Through such subtle
temptations among the Jews idolatry became almost universal. But when they came
to Chaldea they saw idolatry in all its naked deformity; it was not confused
with true worship, it stood alone. They saw how it denied and despised Jehovah,
and it filled them with horror. If idolatry bore such fruit their course was
clear; they would have nothing to do with it. Not likely there were some whose
religion in Judea had not been very pronounced who in Chaldea were among the
foremost champions of Jehovah. In any Christian community there are good
citizens who take no sides in the conflict between Christianity and unbelief.
But imagine one of them suddenly removed to a community where infidelity
prevails, where Christian worship is prohibited, where the Bible is
dishonoured, where the prevailing sentiment is that of defiant atheism--how
long would it be before he would be found standing out resolutely among the
friends of Christ? In a recent revival multitudes signed this simple covenant: “I am trying to live
a Christian life, and am willing to be counted on that side.” An impulse like
this must have come to many of the Jews in Babylon. The contempt heaped upon
their religion strengthened their constancy, and they refused to “sing the
Lord’s song in a strange land.” It is not meant that their harps were kept
silent through all those years; but they would never sing the songs of Zion for
anybody’s sport; they would die first. Their spirit recalls the drummer-boy in
the Irish Rebellion of 1798 who, being ordered by some rebels who had captured
him to play for their entertainment, laid his instrument on the ground and
leaped into it, tearing the parchment to shreds, and exclaiming,” God forbid
that the king’s drum should be beaten for rebels!” whereupon they spiked him to
death. (Sermons by Monday Club.)
Returning from the captivity
God rules. His throne is
the centre of history. His sovereignty is the key of all the mysteries in
providence and grace. We look behind and speak of history; before and speak of
prophecy; but He looks neither behind nor before. Yesterday and to-morrow are
alike to Him. One glance sweeps the whole horizon. Does ii seem wonderful that
Cyrus should have been called and commissioned two centuries before his birth?
We forget that telling and foretelling are the same with God. The map of
eternity and the universe has always been spread out before Him.
I. The
captivity. It was in the year 604 b.c. that Nebuchadnezzar reduced Jerusalem
and returned with his first deportation of captives. The date is important
because it furnishes the prime factor in all calculations respecting the
deliverance from Babylon. The captivity was for an appointed time, seventy
years. There was a special reason why it should be precisely seventy years. The
Lord had required of Israel the observance of every seventh year as a season of
Sabbatic rest; for a period of four hundred and ninety years this injunction
had been practically ignored. Seventy Sabbatic years have been desecrated,
seventy years of Babylonish” chastisement shall expiate the sin. So true is
retribution. “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. But the
captivity was not mere retribution, it was discipline. Its purpose was not so
much to punish as to reform. Bearing a filial relation to God, the chosen
people experienced the children’s portion of chastisement (Hebrews
12:6-11). The
Jews had a mission. God had called them from among the nations to take charge
of His oracles. Monotheism must be kept until Christ. For this Abram was chosen
out of Ur of the Chaldees. However superior to other tribes and nations in many
particulars, they had not been loyal to their trust. They needed chastening.
God had no alternative but to inflict it. Hence the captivity. Nor was the
discipline vain. It will be profitable to note some of the lessons which they
learned in captivity.
1. They
were cured of idolatry. They had previously been unable to resist the imposing
rites and ceremonies of their pagan neighbours. Familiarity with the
abominations of the Babylonish gods nauseated them. They longed for the living
God, saying, “When shall we return and appear before God?”
2. They
con-calved a new devotion to the Lord’s sanctuary. Its holy ordinances had once
been a weariness; but now they were homesick for Zion. The institution of the
synagogue is traced to this period.
3. They
learned the value of the Scriptures (Nehemiah
8:1-18.)
4. The
stock of Israel was culled and improved. Only the choicest and best joined the
restoration.
5. They
were greatly knit together during the captivity. “One touch of nature make the
whole world kin.” A common sorrow will erase the enmity of years. Pain is a
mighty solvent. The Jews of to-day scattered abroad over the earth are a living
witness to the unifying power of adversity.
6. The
heart and intellect of the nation were broadened. This widening of vision is
manifest in all their subsequent history. Thus it appears that the captivity
was an essential part of the Divine plan.
II. The
proclamation of Cyrus. This also was in pursuance of the Divine plan. The clock
struck at precisely the right moment. Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar in
604 b.c. The proclamation was issued 586 b.c., leaving time for the beginning
of the second temple in May of the year 534 b.c. The intervening period was
just seventy years. Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyprus. How?
1. By the
voice of His Spirit in the inner man.
2. Probably
Daniel brought the matter to his attention. He may have read to him the
prophecy of Jeremiah (Jeremiah
29:10) and
the prophecies of Isaiah (Isaiah
44:24-28; Isaiah
45:1-4).
3. It may
have shaped itself in his mind as a suggestion of policy,
4. Or
possibly there was a religious motive. He was a monotheist. He may have
received the message and commission from Jehovah as from his own Ormuzd.
III. The
return to Jerusalem. It was a voluntary movement. None were compelled to go.
All were encouraged. They set forth prayerful and hopeful. In the 126th Psalm
we have one of the songs of this pilgrimage. (D. J. Burrell, D. D.)
The exile ended
We may safely conclude
from the events stated in this and the following chapters--
I. That
the long exile of the Jews had done its appointed work. God sent them into
captivity partly to punish and partly to purify them. They had now been
sufficiently chastened and they had been cleansed from their iniquity.
1. We may
argue from the fact of the Jews commending themselves so much as they did to
Cyrus that their lives were estimable and honourable.
2. We
know that after the captivity in Babylon they left idolatry behind them for
ever. Trouble will sometimes teach us what nothing else will. The Church and
the school may have failed to lead us into the kingdom of Christ, but the
sadness of orphanage or the loneliness of the first absence from home may lead
us to find a refuge in “the God of all comfort,” in the unfailing Friend of the
human heart.
II. That
God acts with gentle power on the minds of men.
1. On
those of His own people. He “raised the spirit” of many of the Jews (Ezra
1:6). He
caused them to feel deeply how excellent a thing it would be to repeople the
city of Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple of God. He kindled in their hearts
the fires of patriotism and of piety. He lifted them up above unworthy and
unmanly fears. He made them brave and strong.
2. On
those outside the Church. He girded Cyrus though that king knew Him not (Isaiah
65:5). It
was by His all-wise direction that Greece prepared her thought and her
language, and Rome her highways for the gospel in “the fulness of time.”
Therefore--
III. That
at the call of god we should be ready to undertake arduous or dangerous work.
It was a long journey and a perilous one to Jerusalem.
1. It was
uncertain what they would find when they reached the city of their fathers; no
such tidings came to them as now come daily to our countrymen in England who
are emigrating to America; they went forth not knowing what would await them.
Moreover, they left behind them some home, kindred, occupation, property. Where
God clearly calls us we need not be daunted by danger or by difficulty. He who
summons us will clear the way, and will sustain us under every trial.
IV. That
those who cannot render the greater are welcome to offer the smaller service.
Of those who declined to return there would be some who might have gone but
would not, either because they were too timid or because they had attachments
which they were unwilling to break away from. Others there were that would have
gone but could not, either because they were too aged or infirm, or because
they had ties which they felt it would be wrong to sunder. Of the latter there
were many who, as they could not do the best possible, did the best practical
thing. They could not swell the number of the returning, but they could
strengthen the hand of those who went (Ezra
1:6). We
may be unable to serve Christ by missionary or ministerial or evangelistic
labours, but we can strengthen the hands and cheer the hearts of those who can.
We can give them gold or silver or pence. We can speak the inspiring word. We
can pray for them and let them know that we are praying. We can write to those
who are absent or send them that which others have written.
V. That
when we obey the voice of our Master we do more than we know. The Jews who
returned from Babylon no doubt believed that they were acting as patriots and
were serving their country; but they could have had no conception of all that
would grow out of their courageous conduct. We never know what will be the long
and large result of a true and brave course. Carey did not foresee the fruits
of his self-denying seal, nor Wesley of his “more abundant labours,” nor
Livingstone of his travels and his lonely death. It is a cheering and inspiring
thought that our present faithfulness may be a living seed from which a large
harvest of blessing may spring.
VI. That
there is a better restoration than that of precious vessels to the house of God.
It was a kindly act of Cyrus (see Ezra
1:7-11), and
the Jews rejoiced greatly when they saw those ancient and hallowed vessels
beneath the roof of the new temple which they built. But there is a deeper joy
in heaven, and there well may be on earth, when a human heart that has been
taken away from the service of Christ is brought back again and is included
among the spiritual treasures of the kingdom of God. (W. Clarkson, B. A.)
The captivity of evil
Sin may be conceived of as
an object, but also as a power--as something to which our actions are directed,
but also as something from which our actions proceed. Sin is an internal
principle, and he who “commits sin,” who lives in it, obeys it in this
sense--obeys it as a force. The whole and constant tendency and bias of the
soul is a despotic rule. It is more than an external authority or verbal law.
It has a more vigorous and relentless rule. It is more besetting; has a more
constant presence and constraining power; it acts directly on the will; it
controls and stimulates volition. That is a great bondage that overbears the
will, which brings it against itself into subjection, which ignores and defies
its active choice, but that is a greater far which corrupts and perverts it.
There is no slavery like that in which the very seat and source of freedom is
held captive. It is the salt losing its savour; it is the light leading astray;
it is the king and leader falling in battle. (A. J. Morris.)
The return from the captivity--an argument
for Daniel’s history of the Jews in Chaldea being true
The return of the Jews
from the captivity of Babylon is not only a proof of the Divine authority of
the Scriptures, considered as the accomplishment of a prophecy, but it is an
additional proof of it in this light, that it affords a strong internal
presumption that the history which Daniel gives of the manifestations of Divine
power in Chaldea, during the residence of the Jews in that country, were true. That
we may place this argument in a stronger light, let us consider the full
importance of the measure which Cyrus now adopted, and of the benefit which he
conferred upon the Jews. The practice of slavery among the ancient nations is
well known. The slaves were, in that period, one great branch of property. The
slaves cultivated the land, did the household business, exercised the necessary
trades, and, in general, performed all that labour in which the mass of the
people are now employed. The slaves, therefore, formed one great portion of
private property, and of the national stock. The slaves arose chiefly, among
ancient nations, from the captives taken in war. This was the great fund from
which they were supplied, and constituted a very considerable branch of the
profits which accrued to the conquerors in the ancient wars. They estimated the
profits of the war, not more by the extent of territory which they gained than
by the number of slaves whom they captured. From this view we will be enabled
to conceive how very difficult it must have been in ancient times for men who
were once reduced to slavery to regain their liberty. The interests of the
State, as well as the rights and properties of individuals, were all against
them. Where there were so many interests to be consulted, so many properties to
be separated, and so many private rights to be resumed, we may conclude that
the liberating of the slaves, among the ancient nations, must have been a very
arduous State measure. This accounts perfectly for the difficulty which the
Jewish nation found in their attempt to emigrate from Egypt. Private persons
have sometimes given a slave his liberty as a reward for some distinguished
service; but it was impossible, under the ancient manners, for any considerable
body of men to be set free without some cause which was very extraordinary. In
the edict of Cyrus, then, and the return of the Jews from Babylon, we have a
very uncommon piece of history presented to us. That conqueror, among the other
valuable property of the vanquished empire, found a whole nation of slaves.
This, according to the ideas of these times, was an immense acquisition. It
was, in fact, an immense property, the value of which, to a political prince
like Cyrus, must have been fully known. Yet we find this politic and wise
prince giving liberty at once to this whole nation, and sending them back,
after seventy years’ captivity, into their own country. It is this
extraordinary circumstance which Isaiah describes, and of the value of which he
appears fully sensible, when he says, in his prophecy of Cyrus, “He shall build
My city, and he shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward.” Nor was
this a sudden resolution. It was not adopted in the moment of victory, nor
meant to exhibit a momentary triumph over the vanquished, The Jews remained in
the same state in which they had lived under the Chaldeans during one entire
reign of the new empire. I say, then, that this transaction affords a strong
proof of the credit in which the Jewish nation then were in Babylon, and that
the history which Daniel gives of the manifestations of Divine power which were
made, during that period, and by the agency of that nation, in the province of
Chaldea, were true. The transaction proves itself. There are no data here necessary,
but to believe that the nation of the Jews were in Babylon, and that they
returned from it. Their return proves the history. It supposes all that is
related, and cannot otherwise be accounted for. It is affirmed that, in this
period, the God of the Hebrews wan acknowledged throughout the extensive
provinces of Chaldea and Persia. At last the body of the Jews, whom the people
they lived with regarded as a sacred nation, obtain their liberty, and are
restored to their country. This is the history which is presented to us by
their own writers; and the actual return of the Jews from their captivity, and
resettlement in their own country, in opposition to so many complicated rights,
in opposition to so many great interests, and in opposition to the universal
practice of mankind in that period, suppose this history, and are a full proof
of its authenticity. (J. Mackenzie, D. D.)
The first year of Cyrus
After making himself
master of Persia and building up an empire in Asia Minor and the north, Cyrus
swept down on the plains of Chaldea and captured Babylon in the year b.c. 538.
To the Jews this would be the first year of his reign, because it was the first
year of his rule over them, just as the year a.d. 1603 is reckoned by
Englishmen as the first year of James I., because the king of Scotland then
inherited the English throne. (Walter F. Adeney, M. A.)
Cyrus
The valley of the
Euphrates was the centre of three out of the five great empires of
antiquity--the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian. In the eighth and seventh
centuries before Christ the first of these was in its strength, and from its
capital, Nineveh, dominated peoples and lands from the Persian Gulf on the
south to the Euxine Sea on the north; from Palestine on the west to the Caspian
on the east. But among the many subject cities and tribes there was one city
and there was one tribe which with special impatience bore the yoke and with
special vehemence sought to east it off. The rival city was Babylon, some three
hundred miles further south, situated on and watered by the Euphrates, as
Nineveh was by the Tigris. In the province of Babylonia one caste or tribe, the
Chaldeans, became distinguished for its energy and enterprise and gradually
imprinted its character and its name upon the people of the whole province. But
despite all efforts to throw off the yoke, the Assyrian grip held fast. Nineveh
ruled Babylon; the Assyrian dominated the Chaldean. The rival tribe was that of
the Medes, to the east and north of the province of which Nineveh was the
centre. Closely allied with and kindred to the Medes was another tribe,
destined through Cyrus to give a famous name to history--the Persians. As yet
the more civilised Medes have the mastery, and the hardier warriors follow the
standard of the Median king; but both perforce acknowledge the supremacy of the
lord of Nineveh. Thus it was till nigh the close of the seventh century b.c. A
common policy and hatred and the presence of two able leaders then brought
Babylonians and Medes into a temporary alliance. The city of the south and the
tribes of the east joined hands and forces. Nineveh was besieged and taken, and
the Assyrian empire ended. Babylon now entered upon a brief but brilliant
career. Hers is the “Golden Empire” of antiquity. Under Nebuchadnezzar she
mounted to the very zenith of her greatness. Meanwhile the Median kingdom
became consolidated; and still the Median supremacy over the Persians is
unchallenged. But about 560 b.c. a youthful hero-prince named Cyrus summoned
the archer horsemen of the clans to arms. A long and bloody struggle ensued; in
the end, by the aid of the young commander’s genius, the conquerors were
conquered and the foundations laid of the mighty Persian Empire. Cyrus is one
of the most benign figures of history. His name (from the sun, “the sunny one”)
indicates his nature. When Xenophon sought a sovereign of sagacity and piety to
sit as a model for his ideal king he found what he sought in Cyrus. On the
downfall of the Medes, he conciliated the good-will of the vanquished by
permitting one of their own race to be titular king, whilst the real power of
both nations resided in himself. The nominal king reigns but Cyrus rules at
Ecbatana. Powerful as he is, his position is one of even greater danger than
power. An alliance of three out of the four Great Powers of the day is formed
against him. The young lion awaits not the huntsman but prepares to spring. He
selects as his first foe Croesus, the king of Lydia. He surprises and storms
the city of Sardis, Croesus is taken prisoner, and the Lydian dominion is
ended. The Greek cities that fringe the coast of Asia Minor next feel his power
and acknowledge his sway. Then he turned his attention to the east, and
compelled the Bactrian and Parthian warriors to own him as their master. Cyrus
is now free for the great enterprise of his career, the struggle which is to
decide whether the Persian or the Chaldean is to rule in Babylon, the seat of
the world’s empire. He is now brought within the sweep of the Biblical record.
There is an ethnological as well as a religious interest attached to this
Persian advance upon Babylon. It is the first great collision on which clear
light of history falls between two great families of nations, the final result
of which was to push back the Semitic races from the front rank of humanity and
to place in their stead the Aryan nations who were henceforth to occupy the
high places of the field. Aryan and Semitic thus meet in arms before the walls
of Babylon. It is most fitting that the advent of the leader of a movement which
had such far-reaching results should be inaugurated with so sublime an
expectation as that with which Cyrus is hailed by Isaiah. He was the Morning
Star of the Aryan races. Persia made way for Greece, and Greece prepared for
Rome, and out of Rome has sprung the modern world, and in the modern world the
most vigorous branch of the Aryan stock more and more unmistakably rules. On
the downfall of Babylon, Cyrus does not immediately take possession of the
position he has won. With the same politic end in view as had previously caused
him to make a Median Prince precede him at Ecbatana, he now places another of
the same nationality upon the vacant throne of Babylon. For two years Darius
reigns, then dies; and Cyrus quietly takes possession as the sole ruler of the
territories he had inherited and conquered. Henceforth the Persian who rules
from Babylon is “The Great King.” The edict for the return of the exiles and
the rebuilding of the temple was issued 536 b.c. It was the Declaration of the
Imperial Policy, and the basis of all that came after. It announced by
implication friendship between the empire and the Jews--a friendship to which
the Jews remained faithful till, two hundred years afterwards, Alexander the
Great erected the Brazen Empire upon the ruins of that of Silver. Cyrus was a
man of war to the close, and died in battle, disastrous according to one
account, victorious according to another. (G. M. Grant, B. D.)
That the word
of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.
The fulfilment of the word of the Lord
Here are four things which
claim our attention.
I. The
Regard of God for His word. “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of
Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled,”
etc. (Jeremiah
29:10; Numbers
23:19).
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” “The Word
of the Lord endureth for ever.” “He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
We have in this--
1. An
assurance that the prophecies and promises of His Word will be fulfilled. “As
the architect progressively executes every part of the plan which he has
delineated, till the whole design is completed, so God in His providence
performs in due order all the prophecies of His Word: a great proportion of His great scheme has
already been accomplished, and revolving ages will hasten the performance of
all the rest in the appointed periods.”
2. An
encouragement to trust in Him. “Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be
set on high” (Psalms
22:4-5; Psalms
18:2).
II. The
mercy of God to His people. This mercy is seen--
1. In the
design and effect of the captivity. “Thus the Divine word of chastisement,”
says Schultz, “ever goes hand in hand with His word of salvation.”
2. In the
release from captivity.
It was an assurance of the
Divine forgiveness of their sins. Their release was also the commencement of
many and great blessings. “What a fulness of salvation after the night of
misfortune--the entire extent of Messianic redemption.”
III. The
influence of God upon the spirit of man. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia.”
1. The
nature of this influence. “This does not mean,” says Schultz, “that Cyrus was
influenced in the same way as were the prophets, upon whom, with their greater
susceptibility, the Spirit of the Lord came; but yet an influence in
consequence of which Cyrus made the will of God his own will, and executed it
in the things under consideration. God gave him the resolution and the desire
to execute His intention.” All the good in human life is the result of Divine
influence.
2. The
subject of this influence:
Cyrus king of Persia. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the
rivers of water; He turneth it whithersoever He will.” He is now using the
powers of the world to promote the interests of His cause.
3. The
design of this influence. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, that he
made a proclamation,” etc. In all the inspirations and impressions He imparts
to man, His aim is to save and bless him, and to make him an agent in blessing
others.
IV. The
suitable response of man to the influence of God. “Cyrus made a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom,” etc. (W. Jones.)
The Lord
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.--
Inspiration tested
The soul of man is the great
arbiter. We need not, therefore, bow down before every man or woman who claims
inspiration. We listen respectfully to the claim, and say, “What does it amount
to? what end would you accomplish? to what purpose does this inspiration you
claim point?” and if in answer there should come replies indicative of reform,
progress, purification, liberation, enlargement, beneficence, verily the answer
will prove the inspiration that is claimed. No man is inspired who wishes to do
evil. Disclaim and repudiate, not with sorrow, but with indignation, the
inspiration that would seek to curtail liberty, arrest progress, hinder the mission of
philanthropy--that would overload the weak, still further impoverish the poor,
and shut off from the meanest dwelling any beam of daylight. (J. Parker, D.
D)
Divine communications
Last week I was in
the office of one of our great Glasgow merchants, and, while we were conversing
together, he suddenly asked to be excused for a moment, as there was a summons
to speak with another Glasgow firm. Without moving from his seat, without being
put about in the slightest, or even turning his head, he lifted from before him
the telephone connection. A few minutes passed: not a word did I hear of that conversation
except “Goodbye.” That was all I heard; but I knew that the man to whom I was
talking had been put in possession of a fact which I knew nothing about, and yet all the
while I had been in his presence. He had heard, through the special connection
that he had, the business and the object of the firm with which he was in
communication. Ah me! Sometimes at your side a man gets a communication from
Almighty God that you know nothing about, and that is the reason of his
activity, and that is the programme that he resolves to carry out at all hazards.
He has heard from God; he has been in communication with the Almighty. (John
Robertson.)
Cyrus selected
It seems strange at first
that this man should have been chosen for such commission. God might have
employed some one of His own people, Ezekiel, for instance, investing him with
supernatural power, as Moses was invested when he delivered the nation from its
first captivity in Egypt. But no; He selected rather a pagan king, whose
appoint ment had been foretold by Isaiah more than a hundred years before.
Often since then God has pursued a like course, employing for His purposes
those who were not His professed servants--men of wealth, of learning, of
position, of power. He does not count their service as excuse for withholding
from Him the trust and obedience which are His due; He does not condone their
idolatry; but He permits them to be His helpers, sometimes, it would seem, in
order that, brought thus in line with His beneficent designs, they may be
persuaded to come heartily into His kingdom. (T. J. Holmes.)
Divine stirrings in the human soul
It is taught that, besides
the general moral influences, unconscious and diffused--as it were distilled,
like the dew, in silence and darkness--there is an active energy, arousing,
filling, impelling the souls of men. It is said that the Spirit of the Lord
came upon judges, that it came upon kings, upon prophets, upon apostles--came
mightily and stirred them all up. As sudden and mighty winds make trees rock,
and wrench them, and even overturn them, so, as by a mighty rushing wind, the
Spirit of God has descended on men--on Samuel, on David, on Isaiah, on Paul. It
is taught likewise that, while this energy of the Divine mind prepared certain
men for emergencies, and prepared them to act official parts, all true
Christians, all godly souls, are opening to a quickening influence, if not so
mighty, yet of the same general kind--an influence which stimulates, assists,
ripens, and so finally sanctifies.
Revivals
There have been great
awakenings in literature. Suddenly a nation has, so to say, sprung to its feet
and said, “Let us read!” That is a mere matter of what is called profane
history. Ages have passed in which men cared not to read, or write, or think;
if there were any books to be opened, as a rule they lay untouched; but quite
suddenly there has been what is termed a literary revival. Is such a thing
possible? If it is possible to have a literary revival--that is, a revival of
the love of learning, the love of reading, the love of writing--why may there
not be such a thing as a religious revival, in which men shall say suddenly,
but unanimously, “Let us pray”? And when men so moved to pray they shorten the
distance between earth and heaven. It would be perhaps most difficult to
believe in a religious revival if there had not been analogous
revivals--revivals of learning, revivals of art. (J. Parker, D. D)
That he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom.--
The edict of Cyrus
I. The
devout acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty.
1. In the
bestowment of His favours.
2. In the
authority of His commands.
II. The
magnanimous emancipation of god’s people.
1. The
spirit in which this emancipation was made.
2. The
purpose for which the emancipation was made.
III. The
generous exhortation to assist God’s people,
1. Its
purport.
2. The
persons to whom it was addressed.
3. The
pattern by which it was enforced. Rawlinson regards “the free-will offering for
the house of God” as the gift of Cyrus himself.
He not only wished them
well, but helped them to realise his wishes. Lessons:
1. Be
prepared to acknowledge and appreciate moral excellence outside of the visible
Church of God (Luke
7:1-10; Acts
10:22).
2. Imitate
Cyrus in his practical acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God.
3. When
we cannot offer our labours in good enterprises, let us cheerfully offer our
gifts. (William Jones.)
The proclamation of Cyrus
View it--
I. In a
way of literal interpretation.
1. The
person by whom this proclamation was issued.
2. The
proclamation itself.
II. In a
way of spiritual improvement.
1. What a
sad state the men of the world at large are in. They are slaves, being in
bondage to their lusts, to the world, to Satan, and to the grave (Romans
6:12; Romans
8:21; Ephesians
2:2; 2 Timothy
2:26; 2 Peter
2:19; 1 John
5:19.)
2. What
an invaluable blessing the gospel is.
3. What
will be necessary to obtain what it offers?
4. What
is our bounden duty when it has become effectual for our good? God is said to
“raise the spirits” of such as are ambitious for liberty; and it need not be
mid to whom we are indebted if we differ from others (1 Corinthians
4:7; 1 Corinthians
15:10; James
1:17). (William
Sleigh.)
The proclamation of Cyrus and the
proclamation of the gospel minister compared
The text suggests to us a
resemblance between the proclamation of Cyrus and that of a gospel preacher.
I. The
proclamation of both is merciful. The proclamation of Cyrus meant restoration.
1. Restoration
of lost liberty; and--
2. Of
lost religious privileges. The gospel preacher has to preach deliverance to the
captives and set men to rebuild the temple of the soul that has fallen into
ruins by reason of sin.
II. The
proclamation of both is divine. The God of heaven gave Cyrus this
commission--it did not spring out of his own policy or philanthropy; it had its
origin in God. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.” The true gospel
minister is a messenger of heaven. He has not to proclaim his own theories, but
the Word of God. No man is a true gospel preacher whose spirit has not been “stirred
up” by the Lord, and who does not feel that necessity has been laid upon him.
How does God stir up a man to preach now?
1. By a
powerful revelation to his soul of the miserable moral condition of humanity.
He is made to see all men in bondage and in ruin.
2. By
firing him with the spirit of Christly philanthropy. The love of Christ is made
to constrain him, etc.
III. The
proclamation of both is universal. The proclamation of Cyrus was to every Jew.
Not one excluded. It is so with the gospel minister: his message is to all “Go ye into all the
world.” He calls upon every man to repent, to believe; he invites every man to
liberty and peace.
IV. The
proclamation of both is practicable. Cyrus laid down no terms difficult to
fulfil.
1. The
power to return every Jew possessed. All necessary helps were promised.
2. Cyrus
furnished them liberally with the means to rebuild their own temple (Ezra
1:7-11), so
every man is enabled to obey the gospel.
V. The
proclamation of both is extensively disobeyed. (Homilist.)
To build Him an
house at Jerusalem.--
God is calling men to build
God is calling men to
build--not necessarily in wood and stone and iron, but to build character,
life, utility. And this can be done everywhere. Not to public building are all
men called. What sweet homes some men have built! The moment you pass within
the door you feel the genius of home welcoming and blessing you; the traveller
says, “I must tarry here”; the hungry man says, “There is bread within these
wails; I know it though I do not see it.” What businesses some men are
building, marked by high policy, reputable for known morality, uprightness,
straightforwardness--compli-cated businesses, yes every line palpitating with
conscience. This kind of building is not always recognised as it ought to be;
but it ought to be pointed out as a possibility to every man. We cannot all
build upon the mountain-top or in the great thoroughfares of the city, but we
can build privately, quietly, secretly: we can build up broken hearts, we can be
confirming feeble knees, we can be towers of strength to men who are enfeebled
and impoverished. (J. Parker, D. D)
God’s house built for the sake of man
What need had God for a
house? He made the stars; He wears the constellations as a garment; the heaven
and the heaven of heavens cannot sin, in him: what does He want with a house? Nothing;
but He knows that we do; He knows that the building of the house is necessary
for our education. What need has He of our prayer? None. Cam we tell Him
anything? No. Does He not know what things we have need of before we ask Him?
Yes. Why, then, should He call upon us to tell Him what He knows, to ask Him
for what He well understands we need? Why should there be any throne of grace
or altar of prayer? For our sakes. This is a means of education. We lean things
by doing them. (J. Parker, D. D)
Verses
2-4
Verse 3
Let him go up
to Jerusalem.
The release of the Jews
from Babylon an illustration of the redemption of man from sin
We discover an
analogy in these two things as regards--
I. The subjects. The Jews were exiles and captives in Babylon.
“Whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). In his sinful state man is an exile from his true condition and
place, and the bondsman of evil powers.
II. The agents. Cyrus and Jesus Christ. The analogy between them is st
least twofold.
1. Both were called of God to this work. Ages before his birth Cyrus
was prenominated for this work (Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 14:6). And Jesus Christ is pre-eminently the Servant, the Anointed,
the Sent of God (Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19; John 3:16-17; Galatians 4:4-5; 1 John 4:9).
2. Both effected this work by battling with and overcoming the
oppressors. Cyrus had to conquer the Babylonian Empire before he could release
the captive Jews. And our Lord and Saviour, as the Son of Man, encountered sin
and mastered it.
III. The source. In both cases the blessing flowed from the free and
unmerited grace of God. The Jews had no claim upon Him against whom they had so
Persistently rebelled. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
IV. The extent.
1. It is offered to all.
2. It is accepted only by some. Great numbers preferred to remain in
Babylon.
V. “Go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.” A
striking illustration of the grand end of redemption. (W. Jones.)
Our choice of the true
life
I. Cyrus presented these exiled Jews with the chance of a free
choice. Cyrus did not compel. These Jews might, or they might not, go to
Jerusalem. It was for each one of them to choose. So Christ, in His call to the
true life and heaven, puts before men the chance of an utterly free choice. “Ye
will not come unto Me that ye might have life.”
II. This choice which Cyrus presented to these exiled Jews was a
choice of exclusions. If they chose to go to Palestine they must yield what
things would keep them in Babylon. They might carry with them many things (Ezra 1:7-11). But their houses and lands, every detaining thing, must be
surrendered. So this choice which Christ presents to men is necessarily a
choice of exclusions. Christianity is not narrowness. Read the charter of a
Christian liberty in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23. But Christ comes to save a man from sin. What Babylonish and
preventing sins you cleave to must be yielded.
III. It was a choice toward nobleness which Cyrus gave these exiled
Jews. Surely it was better, nobler to go to Jerusalem and rebuild God’s temple
than to dwell in exiled ease in Babylon.
IV. This choice which Cyrus opened for these exiled Jews was a choice
necessitating faith. Between Babylon and Palestine stretched vast wide sandy
plains. But for the heartening of the Jews choosing the nobler destiny there
was the Divine promise. So for the Christian, the man who accepts Christ’s call
to the nobler life, there are Divine promises,
V. This necessity of choice. For every one of us, in high spiritual
way, this choice confronts Babylon or Jerusalem. (Homiletic Review.)
His God be with him.--
God with us
Notice--
I. THE DEVOUT WISH EXPRESSED: “His God be with him.” It is equivalent to
our “goodbye,” which is an abbreviation of “God be with you.” The wish
comprises two things.
1. Personal relation to God: “His God.” This expression may be
viewed in two aspects.
2. Realisation of the presence of God: “His God be with him.” His presence is a
guarantee of all the help and blessing which we need. But in uttering this wish
in respect to the Jews, Cyrus probably had an eye to two things which the
presence of God would secure to them:
II. The kind expression of this wish. The expression of this wish
indicates on the part of Cyrus--
1. Reverence towards God. He does not utter these words
thoughtlessly, but seriously.
2. Kindness towards the captives. He wished them well, and proved the
sincerity of his wishes by practically helping them in their best interests.
Conclusion:
1. Do we sustain this personal relation to God?
2. Do we realise the blessed presence of God?
3. Do we desire that others also may realise His gracious presence? (William
Jones.)
Our God
As He is not a
God without infinite wisdom, and infinite power, and infinite goodness, and
infinite blessedness, etc., so He passes over in this covenant all that which
presents Him as the most adorable Being to His creatures. He will be to them as
great, as wise, as powerful, as good as He is in Himself; and the assuring us
in this covenant to be our God imports also that He will do as much for us, as
we would do for ourselves were we furnished with the same goodness, power, and
wisdom. In being our God He testifies that it is all one, as if we had the same
perfections in our own power to employ for our use; for He being possessed with
them, it is as much as if we ourselves were possessed with them for our own
advantage, according to the rules of wisdom and the several conditions we pass
through for His glory. (Stephen Charnocke, B. D.)
Verse 4
Let the men of the place help him with silver.
Spontaneous offering
“Not many years since,” writes a clergyman, “I had occasion to
solicit funds to aid in the prosecution of a work of benevolence. I stepped
into the office of a Christian friend, with whom I had a partial acquaintance,
and incidentally mentioned the unpleasant business before me, and inquired of
him for the residence of a certain benevolent individual, and added that I
hoped to get one dollar of him. After receiving directions, I turned to go out.
‘But stop,’ said this brother, ‘suppose you let me have the privilege of
contributing a little of the money which the Lord has lent me to this cause.
Put down £20 for me.’ I expressed my surprise that he should contribute so
liberally, and remarked that I should feel myself in duty bound not to call on
him very soon on a similar errand. ‘Well, then,’ said he, ‘my brother, I think
you will very much mistake your duty. If you knew how much pleasure it gave me
to contribute of my substance to the Lord, you would feel no reluctance in
calling again. And now let me charge you, when engaged in similar business,
never to pass me by. Call, and I think I shall be able to do something; and if
not, my prayers shall go with you.’“ (Signal.)
A stimulus to generous offering
Two weeks ago I told you that three thousand dollars had got to be
raised to pay for the repairs of this house. The plates were sent round, and
about six hundred dollars were raised. I was heartily ashamed, and have not got
over it yet. Last week the trustees came, and asked me if I would name the
matter again, and I said, “No, I will not.” But this week, upon their renewed
application, I have consented to speak once more. If this don’t do, you may pay
your debt how you can, for I will never mention it again. I’m not going to be a
pump to be thrust into men’s pockets to force up what ought to come up freely.
When the surgeon comes to a place where he must cut, he had better cut. For
more than a year I’ve seen that our plate collections grew meaner and meaner. I
didn’t want to face you with such things as I’ve got to say to-day, and I put
it off as long as I could. Now I shall speak plainly once for all, not having
the face to bring the matter up again. This debt has got to be paid, and will
you meet it honourably, and pay it like men, or will you let it drip, drip,
drip out of you reluctantly, a few dollars st a time? You can take your choice.
I’m not going to try to drill money out of you as I would drill stones. The
amount of meanness among respectable people is appalling. One needs to take a
solar microscope in order to see some men. (H. W. Beecher.)
Verses 7-11
Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the
Lord.
The restoration of the sacred vessels
I. The
preservation of the sacred vessels (Ezra 1:7-8). These are
the vessels which are mentioned in 2 Chronicles
36:7 and Daniel 1:2. In the
providence of God most of these vessels were remarkably preserved, to be in due
time restored to their original place and uses. Learn: Since God is so careful of the mere vessels
consecrated to His service, may we not rest assured that He will much more
preserve His consecrated people?
II. The numeration
of the sacred vessels. This numbering indicates--
1. The reverent
care of Cyrus for these sacred vessels.
2. The grave
responsibility of Sheshbazzar for these sacred vessels.
Learn:
That persons, places, and things which are devoted to religious uses should be
reverently regarded by us.
III. The restoration
of the sacred vessels (verse 11).
1. This was a
fulfilment of prophecy (Jeremiah 27:22).
2. This is an
illustration of the restoration of perverted things to their true uses.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the great restorer of the violated order
and the broken harmony of the universe of God. (William Jones.)
The restitution of the stolen vessels
This appears to be more than an act of generosity or justice. A
certain religious import belongs to it. It put an end to an ancient insult
offered by Babylon to the God of Israel, and it might be taken as an act of
homage offered to Jehovah by Cyrus. Yet it was only a restitution, a return of
what was God’s before, and so a type of every gift man makes to God. (Walter
F. Adeney, M. D.)
Mithredath
It is not without significance that the treasurer who handed over
their temple prosperity to the Jews was named “Mithredath”--a word that means
“given by Mithra,” or “devoted to Mithra.” This suggests that the
Persian sun-god was honoured among the servants of Cyrus, and yet that one who
by name at least was especially associated with this divinity was constrained
to honour the God of Israel. Next to Judaism and Christianity, the worship of
Mithra showed the greatest vitality of all religions in Western Asia, and later
even in Europe. So vigorous was it as recently as the commencement of the
Christian era, that M. Renan has remarked that if the Roman world had not
become Christian it would have become Mithrastic. In the homage paid by
Mithredath to the God of Israel may we not see an image of the recognition of
the claims of the Supreme by our priests of the sun--Kepler, Newton, Faraday?
(Walter F. Adeney, M. D.)
A restoration of misappropriated property
There was a great restoration of misappropriated property. What a
restoration there will one day be. What have men taken away from God’s Church?
Nearly everything they could lay hands on. They have taken away gold, art,
music, miracles, inspiration, rationalism, morality, science, and they have
left God a very bare house. When the period of spiritual revival has come, and
the holy issue is wrought out in all its meaning, all these things will be
brought back again. Art will come with her brush and pencil, and say, “I will
beautify the house of God’s revelation.” Music will bring back her harp and her
instrument of ten strings, and her cymbals and organs, and say, “Make me a
handmaid in God’s house, for all I have and am must belong to Him”; and
Reason--exiled, expatriated Reason shall return, saying “They have kept me in
vile servitude; admit me to my Father’s house.” And Science will come and pray;
and Morality will say, “They have been trying to divorce me from theology, from
right religious motive and impulse, and I have died like a flower that has been
plucked; restore me to my vital relations, and I will once more bloom in the house of God.” (J.
Parker, D. D)
.
Verses 7-11
Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the
Lord.
The restoration of the sacred vessels
I. The preservation
of the sacred vessels (Ezra 1:7-8). These are the vessels which
are mentioned in 2 Chronicles 36:7 and Daniel 1:2. In the providence of God most
of these vessels were remarkably preserved, to be in due time restored to their
original place and uses. Learn:
Since God is so careful of the mere vessels consecrated to His service, may we
not rest assured that He will much more preserve His consecrated people?
II. The numeration
of the sacred vessels. This numbering indicates--
1. The reverent care of Cyrus for these sacred vessels.
2. The grave responsibility of Sheshbazzar for these sacred vessels.
Learn:
That persons, places, and things which are devoted to religious uses should be
reverently regarded by us.
III. The restoration
of the sacred vessels (verse 11).
1. This was a fulfilment of prophecy (Jeremiah 27:22).
2. This is an illustration of the restoration of perverted things to
their true uses.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the great restorer of the violated order
and the broken harmony of the universe of God. (William Jones.)
The restitution of the stolen vessels
This appears to be more than an act of generosity or justice. A
certain religious import belongs to it. It put an end to an ancient insult
offered by Babylon to the God of Israel, and it might be taken as an act of
homage offered to Jehovah by Cyrus. Yet it was only a restitution, a return of
what was God’s before, and so a type of every gift man makes to God. (Walter
F. Adeney, M. D.)
Mithredath
It is not without significance that the treasurer who handed over
their temple prosperity to the Jews was named “Mithredath”--a word that means
“given by Mithra,” or “devoted to Mithra.” This suggests that the
Persian sun-god was honoured among the servants of Cyrus, and yet that one who
by name at least was especially associated with this divinity was constrained
to honour the God of Israel. Next to Judaism and Christianity, the worship of
Mithra showed the greatest vitality of all religions in Western Asia, and later
even in Europe. So vigorous was it as recently as the commencement of the
Christian era, that M. Renan has remarked that if the Roman world had not
become Christian it would have become Mithrastic. In the homage paid by
Mithredath to the God of Israel may we not see an image of the recognition of
the claims of the Supreme by our priests of the sun--Kepler, Newton, Faraday?
(Walter F. Adeney, M. D.)
A restoration of misappropriated property
There was a great restoration of misappropriated property. What a
restoration there will one day be. What have men taken away from God’s Church?
Nearly everything they could lay hands on. They have taken away gold, art,
music, miracles, inspiration, rationalism, morality, science, and they have
left God a very bare house. When the period of spiritual revival has come, and
the holy issue is wrought out in all its meaning, all these things will be
brought back again. Art will come with her brush and pencil, and say, “I will
beautify the house of God’s revelation.” Music will bring back her harp and her
instrument of ten strings, and her cymbals and organs, and say, “Make me a handmaid
in God’s house, for all I have and am must belong to Him”; and Reason--exiled,
expatriated Reason shall return, saying “They have kept me in vile servitude;
admit me to my Father’s house.” And Science will come and pray; and Morality
will say, “They have been trying to divorce me from theology, from right
religious motive and impulse, and I have died like a flower that has been
plucked; restore me to my vital relations, and I will once more bloom in the house of God.” (J.
Parker, D. D)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》