1:1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred the mind of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict the following:
Ezra wrote this book 70 years after the Babylonian Captivity. He was a priest during the captivity, but since the temple was destroyed, he never was able to serve in the Temple. Instead, he studied the Word of God at the deepest level. He returned back to Jerusalem with the exiles after the Babylonian Captivity. His responsibility was to prepare this new generation spiritually by teaching them the Word of God.
King Cyrus was the King of Persia. Cyrus was named by Isaiah the prophet at least 70 years before his birth (Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1). God can do things like that. Of course, liberals do not like this sort of thing, so they like to invent two or three Isaiah’s in order to eliminate prophecy from the written Word of God.
Daniel was a prime minister in the court of Babylon and in the court of the Persian Cyrus, so Daniel evidently led Cyrus to a knowledge of the one true living God. Notice that God stirred up this pagan king to make a decree which would effect the entire world.
Cyrus was most likely not a true believer in Jehovah. His primary concern was to establish strong buffer states around his empire which would be loyal to him. He allowed his subjects to resettle in their own countries, but he hoped to have his people pray to his gods Bel and Nebo. The famous Cyrus Cylinder recorded his capture of Babylon and his program of returning his subjects back to their homelands. The cylinder included this inscription, “May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities daily ask Bel and Nebo for a long life for me.”
1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “ ‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
King Cyrus was the king who controlled the entire known world at that time. He had sneaked under the walls of Babylon and defeated the Babylonian world power in a bloodless battle. However, Cyrus knew that the Creator God of heaven was the One who had given him all of the kingdoms of the earth. Daniel told him so. Cyrus was not too interested in the United States at this time, because they were not a powerful kingdom. Cyrus controlled the silk roads and the Mediterranean Sea, meaning that he controlled all of the major kingdoms of the world at this time in history.
Jehovah instructed King Cyrus to rebuild the temple. Therefore, Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their land so that they could complete this divine request.
It is very possible that Daniel played a part in the Jews receiving such favorable treatment from Cyrus. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Daniel was Cyrus’ prime minister who shared Isaiah’s prophecies with Cyrus. Biased liberals do not like these prophecies of Cyrus, so they have to invent two or three Isaiah’s in order to explain away the detailed prophecies which are recorded in the written Word of God. Jesus quoted from both of these invented Isaiah’s and named Isaiah as the author, so these liberals are elevating their human opinions above that of Jesus. The New Testament writers also quote from both divisions of Isaiah, referring both to the same prophet (Matthew 8:17, quoting Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 4:14-16, quoting Isaiah 9:1,2).
1:3 Anyone from his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.
God commanded Cyrus to rebuild the temple, but Cyrus did not command the people to go up to Jerusalem. Cyrus granted the Jews permission to go up to Jerusalem, but only if they so desired.
The temple was very important to Israel, because it was a graphic object lesson foreseeing the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ”
Those Jews who did not choose to return to Jerusalem were required to make an offering of gold and silver and other things of value to assist those returning to rebuild the temple. This supernatural giving was very similar to the supernatural giving at the Exodus. Moses led Israel to the promised land with great gifts. Ezra led Israel to the promised land with great gifts as well. Moses built the tabernacle, while Ezra rebuilt the temple.
1:5 Then the leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites—all those whose mind God had stirred—got ready to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.
Only a small percentage of the Israelites. maybe 50,000 of them, decided to return to Jerusalem. Most of the Israelites did not want to leave their homes in Babylon. Those who did return were messianic believers who were called by God to leave everything in Babylon and return to the Mosaic Law in Jerusalem.
1:6 All their neighbors assisted them with silver utensils, gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention all the voluntary offerings.
The Jews who did not return to Jerusalem offered gold, silver, livestock, equipment, and offerings in order to help their Jewish brethren. These gifts would begin the new economic system of Israel. Israel returned to Jerusalem not in poverty, but with great wealth.
1:7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed in the temple of his gods.
How did Cyrus get these vessels? Belshazzar was desecrating these temple utensils during a drunken orgy on the night when Cyrus attacked Babylon. Cyrus plundered Babylon and gave the temple utensils back to the returning Jews
1:8 King Cyrus of Persia entrusted them to Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the leader of the Judahite exiles.
The treasurer of Persia gave the temple utensils to the Jewish leader of the exiles. Many scholars believe that Sheshbazzar is the Babylonian name for Zerubbabel, since both were called “governor” and both returned with the exiles. Another possibility is that Zerubbabel succeeded Sheshbazzar as governor.
The prophet Jeremiah predicted that the Jews would return after the Babylonian Captivity with the temple vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar. It is detailed prophecies like these which drive liberals crazy. Since the liberals do not believe in predictive prophecy, then they must invent two or three Isaiah’s or late-date the books of the Bible to a time period after the prophecies were fulfilled. This is bias and deception. These liberals are hoping to take advantage of those who are not grounded in the Scriptures. Satan is alive and well in the church, in bible commentaries, and in Bible translations. He often works through liberal theologians in the modern churches.
1:9 The inventory of these items was as follows: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver utensils, 10 30 gold bowls, 410 other silver bowls, and 1,000 other vessels. 11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Cyrus generously gave the Jews a tremendous amount of wealth. This journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took about three to five months. These returning Jews would have most likely traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem in a large caravan.