Nehemiah : WK 1 - MON
Prologue - Cyrus
Ezra 1:1-4
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:
“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
We begin our study of Nehemiah by stepping back to consider the context.
In 605 B.C., after repeatedly ignoring warnings, God allowed Jerusalem to fall to the Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar. Over the next twenty years, a series of deportations and the city's destruction sealed the disaster. During this time, both Daniel and Jeremiah prophesied that their captivity (beginning in 586 B.C.) would last for seventy years, from the temple’s destruction to its eventual rebuilding.
However, over the seventy-year period, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylonians and took control of the Jewish exiles. The Babylonian strategy of subjugation involved capturing all leaders and influential individuals and transporting them to their capital city. Consequently, Daniel and others were taken. They also confiscated every significant worship artifact, including candlesticks, goblets, and other items from the temple, transforming them into playthings for their king. Thus, Daniel recounts the story of King Nabonidus’ son, Belshazzar, and his noblemen drinking wine from the Hebrew temple goblets as the city fell to the Persians (Daniel 5).
The Persian approach to subjugation was more benevolent. They sought to help captives thrive under their rule, often permitting them to return to their homelands while still paying taxes. The first chapter of Ezra records Cyrus doing this with the Hebrew exiles. However, there are a few interesting points to consider before continuing with the story.
First, the historian Josephus presents an intriguing motivation for Cyrus’ decree of liberation. Somehow, the Persian king learned that many years earlier, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah had written about a forthcoming king named Cyrus and requested that scrolls of this prophecy be made available for his study. Then, in Isaiah 44:28, the king read:
[I am the Lord] 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.”
Cyrus concluded that Isaiah’s words referred to himself. Here’s the crazy part: this prophecy was given 140 years before the temple's destruction. Do you grasp what this means? Long before the problem arose, God was already devising a solution. I wonder what challenges make you feel isolated, trapped, and hopeless. Consider that Jesus has always known what you need and has been working for your rescue from the very beginning.
The second surprise is this: Ezra 2:64-65 records that nearly 50,000 Jews responded to Cyrus’ invitation and left for Jerusalem to undertake the rebuilding project. Scholars suggest there were around one million Jews in Persian exile at that time. Hold on… this means that nearly one million of the Children of Israel preferred captivity over following Yahweh's call to return home.
I wonder… Is it possible that you or I could become so comfortable in our enslavement to sin and the comforts of this foreign land that, despite His ongoing work for our salvation, we would prefer to stay put rather than respond to Jesus’ invitation to come back home?
Ezra 1:1-4
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:
“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
We begin our study of Nehemiah by stepping back to consider the context.
In 605 B.C., after repeatedly ignoring warnings, God allowed Jerusalem to fall to the Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar. Over the next twenty years, a series of deportations and the city's destruction sealed the disaster. During this time, both Daniel and Jeremiah prophesied that their captivity (beginning in 586 B.C.) would last for seventy years, from the temple’s destruction to its eventual rebuilding.
However, over the seventy-year period, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylonians and took control of the Jewish exiles. The Babylonian strategy of subjugation involved capturing all leaders and influential individuals and transporting them to their capital city. Consequently, Daniel and others were taken. They also confiscated every significant worship artifact, including candlesticks, goblets, and other items from the temple, transforming them into playthings for their king. Thus, Daniel recounts the story of King Nabonidus’ son, Belshazzar, and his noblemen drinking wine from the Hebrew temple goblets as the city fell to the Persians (Daniel 5).
The Persian approach to subjugation was more benevolent. They sought to help captives thrive under their rule, often permitting them to return to their homelands while still paying taxes. The first chapter of Ezra records Cyrus doing this with the Hebrew exiles. However, there are a few interesting points to consider before continuing with the story.
First, the historian Josephus presents an intriguing motivation for Cyrus’ decree of liberation. Somehow, the Persian king learned that many years earlier, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah had written about a forthcoming king named Cyrus and requested that scrolls of this prophecy be made available for his study. Then, in Isaiah 44:28, the king read:
[I am the Lord] 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.”
Cyrus concluded that Isaiah’s words referred to himself. Here’s the crazy part: this prophecy was given 140 years before the temple's destruction. Do you grasp what this means? Long before the problem arose, God was already devising a solution. I wonder what challenges make you feel isolated, trapped, and hopeless. Consider that Jesus has always known what you need and has been working for your rescue from the very beginning.
The second surprise is this: Ezra 2:64-65 records that nearly 50,000 Jews responded to Cyrus’ invitation and left for Jerusalem to undertake the rebuilding project. Scholars suggest there were around one million Jews in Persian exile at that time. Hold on… this means that nearly one million of the Children of Israel preferred captivity over following Yahweh's call to return home.
I wonder… Is it possible that you or I could become so comfortable in our enslavement to sin and the comforts of this foreign land that, despite His ongoing work for our salvation, we would prefer to stay put rather than respond to Jesus’ invitation to come back home?
- What food, place, or thing makes you feel exceptionally comfortable?
- What habit have you been unable to break? What is one you would like to begin?
- What major issue are you currently facing? What would you like to say to Jesus about it?
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