Scripture: Ezra 1:1-11
Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return
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:
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.’”
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.
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.[a] 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 dishes30silver dishes1,000silver pans 2910 gold bowls30matching silver bowls410other articles1,000
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. (NIV)
Observation:
The prophet Jeremiah had prophesied about a ruler that God would inspire and Cyrus was appointed to fulfill that prophesy. “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. 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. 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.’” (Ezra 1:2-4)
Application:
The Lord our God moves people to fulfill His plans for His people. God inspired Cyrus to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. Similarly, just as the Egyptians were moved to give silver and gold to the Israelites as they left Egypt—materials later used in the tabernacle—Cyrus moved the neighbors of the Israelites to provide silver and gold for the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, as we consider Your guidance in today’s scripture, we are reminded of Your constant presence in creation. You are not a distant God but deeply engaged with those who bear Your name. Help us stay close to You and nurture good relationships with others in our lives. Amen.