Cyrus and the Preservation of God's word

 Ezra – Chapter 1:1-4 

 

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia”

 

We mentioned last time how this verse really sets the tone for the whole book. In it you see the sovereignty of God over the affairs of mankind.  Small, big, pauper, prince – it makes little difference to the hand of Omnipotence. 

 

It says, the LORD, stirred up the spirit of Cyrus – that word means to awaken or to rouse.  To prepare for some kind of action. 

 

As a result of that stirring, Cyrus sent out a proclamation. Through this one act of God, the world was about to change.  God fulfilled His word and He moved the hearts of kings to do so.  

 

Think about that.  What are some of the promises God has made to us? The same hand that moved the heart of Cyrus has not stopped working.  It’s by that same power, and the same perfect timing that He will bring things to pass in our own lives. 

 

I want to go into a little historical background about Cyrus – or Cyrus the Great – as he is known. 

 

He lived 600 BC – 530 BC

 

“He was the founder of the first Persian empire.

 

Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Western Asia and much of Central Asia.

 

Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.

 

The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted about thirty years. Cyrus built his empire by first conquering the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire, and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He led an expedition into Central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought “into subjection every nation without exception.”

 

When Cyrus took over Babylon he set into place many laws and ways of living that instituted the beginning of human rights, such as the repatriation of deported people groups. He sent them back to repair their heritage, temples and sanctuaries. Among whom was Israel.

 

In the 1800s there was a cylinder found in the ruins of ancient Babylon (modern Iraq), inscribed with a declaration – which sets forth Cyrus’ genealogy and ideology. On it is mentioned the repatriation of displaced people, which many biblical scholars see as evidence of the book of Ezra, although it doesn’t mention Israel by name. 

 

Cyrus was a great leader. 

 

 But as great as he was, Cyrus was just a man.  It is widely believed that he died in battle, although there are varying accounts of what actually transpired.  

 

We know that it is the LORD who “removes kings and establishes kings.” (Dan 2:21)

 

God does not allow man to do anything that falls outside of His plan and purpose.  And Cyrus was no exception.  The LORD established Cyrus.  He allowed him into great power and one of the reasons He did this was to maintain His promise and faithfulness to His people. 

 

Isaiah 44:24-45:7

 

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,

“I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,

Stretching out the heavens by Myself

And spreading out the earth all alone,

Causing the omens of boasters to fail,

Making fools out of diviners,

Causing wise men to draw back

And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

Confirming the word of His servant

And performing the purpose of His messengers.

It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’

And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’

And I will raise up her ruins again.

 

“It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’

And I will make your rivers dry.

“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!

And he will perform all My desire.’

And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’

And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

 

Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed,

Whom I have taken by the right hand,

To subdue nations before him

And to loose the loins of kings;

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden wealth of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

 

“For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And Israel My chosen one,

I have also called you by your name;

I have given you a title of honor

Though you have not known Me.

“I am the LORD, and there is no other;

Besides Me there is no God.

 

I will gird you, though you have not known Me;

That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun

That there is no one besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing well-being and creating calamity;

I am the LORD who does all these.”

 

Cyrus would have been nothing if the LORD had not allowed it.  The LORD chose to work through him. He even calls him His “anointed” – chosen for this task.

 

Now I’m going to go back and read Ezra chapter 1:1-

 

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing”.…

 

I want to stop there for a minute – it says, “He also put it in writing”. God wanted this preserved.  

 

This proclamation that we are about to read is an actual document written by Cyrus that was preserved and copied by Ezra.  

 

This was God’s accomplishment.  Everything that He had worked and stirred comes to fruition, and He desires to preserve it.  Why?

 

So that it is recognized.

 

Think about this – Think back to what we just read in Isaiah.  Over and over again He says, “I will, I am”  

 

He acts in such a way that His hand is indisputable, so that His glory is indisputable.  He doesn’t seek to hide His work.  It’s on display.  He wants His people to see it. And He wants His people to remember it.  Those whom He has given eyes to see let them see it, let them glory in the sovereignty of Almighty God who works all things after the counsel of His will. 

 

“He has made His wonders to be remembered…” “He has made known to His people the power of His works…”, (Ps 111:4,6)

 

God preserved a remembrance of His work – And I think this is important.  Especially as His people. This document is a memorial of the Sovereignty of God. A token of His Omnipotence. He made it to be remembered. And we have a responsibility to remember it. 

 

Another reason He has preserved it, is so we have no excuse. 

 

When we are faced with a difficulty or trial we have no excuse to fall into despair, because God has preserved a record of His faithfulness. 

 

“Deeds such as God has wrought are not to be admired for an hour and then forgotten, they are meant to be perpetual signs and instructive tokens to all coming generations; and especially are they designed to confirm the faith of his people in the divine love, and to make them know that the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. They need not fear to trust his grace for the future, for they remember it in the past.” - CHS

 

This shows not only the sovereignty and faithfulness of God, but also His goodness to us.  He didn’t have to preserve so much of what He has done, but He has.  And it’s because He is good and recognizes our weakness.

 

“…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

 

Notice, Cyrus begins his declaration with a comparison 

 

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,

 

‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me…”

 

Cyrus may be the king of the Persia empire – the greatest empire the world had yet seen, but when contrasted to the God who reigns on High and over all, his reign is negligible at best.  

 

“Jehovah, the God of heaven has given me.”

 

It’s interesting that Cyrus uses the name Jehovah, which means “All-Existing One”

 

Cyrus was not a monotheist.  He did not serve just one God. In fact, on the very cylinder afore mentioned, he attributes his victories to a god called Merodach.  

 

He no doubt would see God as being a powerful God, Israel’s God, but not God alone, despite his use of the name Jehovah.  God even says in the passage we read in Isaiah –

 

“For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And Israel My chosen one,

I have also called you (Cyrus) by your name;

I have given you a title of honor

Though you have not known Me.

 

God is not limited to just working through His people.  He is sovereign over all. God was very good to Cyrus. He revealed Himself, Cyrus was obviously familiar to some extent with the prophecies in the Old Testament – which could be where he got some of his terminologies. 

 

But he stopped short of complete surrender.  He refused to let go of other gods, other religions. To bow in subjection to the ONE True God. 

 

I like what Maclaren said –

 

“unless my religion is everything, it is nothing. ‘All in all, or not at all,’ is the requirement of the great Lover of souls.”

 

Nevertheless, Cyrus says –

 

“He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.”

 

You see here this call of Israel to go.  And one thing I want to take notice of, is that it comes on the heels of the fulfillment of God’s promise. 

 

If Israel was paying attention, even a little – God’s hand in this should have been impossible to miss.  He confirms His word, then He tells them to go.  

 

You can’t help but just marvel at God’s goodness in this.  

 

God’s faithfulness to His word, bolsters our confidence in His commands for the future. It should anyway.  This is another reason why God has preserved His word. 

 

There should be no hesitation to follow the calls of God when He has confirmed Himself so miraculously. 

 

I want to take the negative of this for a minute though, and ask –

 

Why do we hesitate?  When God calls us to do something, what holds us back?  

 

I think there are a number of things we could answer – fear, failure to trust, pride, a refusal to submit, I’m too comfortable where I am, or this doesn’t fall into the plan I have already set for myself – to name a few. 

 

Do we realize that all of these things stem from an unfamiliarity with God’s word?

 

If I’m as intimate with God’s word as I should be I would have no cause for fear. My pride would be in check and my perspective and plans for this life would be filtered by a biblical expectation and priority for the future, to the exclusion of my own wants and plans. Do you see?

 

Even now, and maybe especially now, we see all sorts of things happening in this world and we can not only face them with confidence, but with faithfulness and obedience to what God tells us to do – why? – because we know God’s word! We’ve been expecting them. And whatever He may call us to do in the future, wherever He may tell us to go, we don’t have to hesitate because even the evil things around us are confirmation of His word.  They’re proof that His word can be trusted. 

 

I’m more and more convinced that so much of our struggles as believers comes from an unfamiliarity with the word of God.  We don’t know it as we should, and I’m speaking of myself here as well.  

 

If Israel was to notice the fact that God’s word was coming to pass they had to be familiar with it first, didn’t they?  

 

And so do we.  If we are not seeing God’s hand at work, I would bet it is because we don’t know what to look for. And this is not God’s failure – He has made His wonders to be remembered. His power is on display. Do we see it? Does it strengthen us to faithfully answer God’s call? 

 

We will be taking a further look at this and at Israel’s response to this call next time.