THE RETURN OF THE PEOPLE FROM BABYLON UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ZERUBBABEL (Ezra 1 to 6) These first six chapters present to us a portrait of the events beginning by the return from captivity from Babylon (1) until the reform of the temple (6). The initial return was at the beginning of the reign of the Persian king Cyrus when he took Babylon over. It was under the leadership of ‘Shechbazzar’ “the prince of Judah” (1: 8), most probably ‘Zerubbabel ’the royal prince, together with Jeshua the priest; whom Later on, Darius the Persian king supported to consummate the reform of the temple. What came in these chapters was supported by documents, as names of persons, and locations, dates, offerings, royal decrees (like that of Cyrus), and communications between the state officials west of the River Euphrates and the Persian emperors. These six chapters covered a duration of 22 years from 538 B.C.(Cyrus decree) up to the dedication of the temple in the year 516 B.C.; although the author disregarded many aspects of life through the return and the reform. CHAPTER 1 HE WHO SITS ON THE THRONE MOVES THRONES AND HEARTS: The book begins by showing the work of God for the sake of His people, or by revealing the good hand of God that performs the impossible: He stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, allowing the captive Jews to return to their land; And stirred up, as well, the spirits of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders of the people of Judah and Benjamin to prepare themselves for the return; although God committed no one to return against his will. The prophet Jeremiah has prophesied beforehand that the return from captivity would be realized after 70 years (Jeremiah 25: 12; 29: 10). When Cyrus invaded Babylon, he was encountered by the prophet Daniel who presented to him the prophesies of Jeremiah and Isaiah, which caused the king’s heart to be shaken, to know that what happened to him was declared to the Jews two centuries before; and that the God of heaven has given him the kingdoms of the earth, and called him the “Lord’s anointed” (Isaiah 45: 1). Here, the pagan king presents what is not expected of him: 1- He believed in the God of heaven (although he counted Him as one of several gods). 2- The pagan king exhorted the Jewish priests and people to move and return. 3- He presented to them the articles of the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, that was confiscated by Nebuchadnezzar, and the kings of Babylon, all along the years did not attempt to melt those golden and silver articles to make statutes of their idols. How amazing is the Spirit of God to stir up the spirits of the pagan king to proclaim his decree, to stir up the hearts of the priests and the people to move; and of the pagan people to donate for the sake of building the temple of the God of heaven in Jerusalem. That is the work of the divine Controller of history in the life of the church, as well as of everyone of its members who leans upon His chest. He presents to us what would seem humanly impossible. The first chapter records to us the creed declared by the Persian king Cyrus, of the return from captivity ,in the same year he invaded Babylon. Here we notice the faithfulness of God who allowed the chastisement of His people for a certain time for the sake of their reform. Some discovered inscriptions, contemporary to those events, reveal to us that Cyrus has also allowed captives of other nations in Babylon to return to their countries together with the idols of their gods. But as the Jews had no idols to worship and to take back with them on their return, they were given the holy articles of the temple (1: 7; Daniel 5: 2). Although everyone was allowed to return, yet not all did; as some have settled down in Babylon where their life prospered, while the life in Judah was tough. They preferred to stay in Babylon and to provide donations to build the house of the Lord. !- The fulfillment of the divine promise 1 - 4 2- God stirs up the spirit of the people 5 - 6 3- The return of the articles of the house of the Lord 7 – 11 1- THE FULFILLMENT OF THE DIVINE PROMISE: The beginning of this chapter came to conform to what came in the end of the second book of the chronicle (2 Chronicles 36: 22- 23); in which the author, not intending to end it with sorrowful and bitter events, he confirmed that God will never forget His people, even though the duration of chastisement would be long. God promised through His prophet Jeremiah that the captivation will not extend beyond 70 years (Jeremiah 25: 12; 29: 11); And here, the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah came to proclaim the fulfillment of that divine promise literally and accurately. Having been granted by God an understanding of the events all along the 70 years of captivity, the prophet Daniel poured himself into a prayer in which he confessed his own, and his people’s sins that caused the fall into such captivity; saying: “I Daniel, understood by the books the number of years specified by the word of the Lord, given through Jeremiah, the prophet, that He would accomplish 70 years in the desolation of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, and said: …” (Daniel 9: 2-4). “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the Spirit f Cyrus king of Persia, so that He made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: …” (1) “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia”: That does not mean the first year of his reign on Persia, but of his reign on Babylon which he invaded in the year 538 B.C. No one could imagine that such a great kingdom as Babylon would be invaded by such a small nation as Persia. Contrary to the kings of Babylon who found pleasure in humiliating the captivated people by taking their gods to Babylon to set as memorials to their conquest, and as a proclamation of the helplessness of those gods to help their people; The kings of Persia and Media, on the other hand, king Cyrus in particular, used to honor all gods and peoples, as long as they pay their taxes and submit to Persia politically. Although the prophet Daniel presented the prophesies to Cyrus, proclaiming to him that his conquest was from the Lord, and has been prophesied ahead by prophets; yet, according to Ezra, a hidden hand worked in the heart of Cyrus, saying: “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” (1); and according to Solomon the Sage: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverb 21: 1); The way the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take over Jerusalem, to devastate Jerusalem, and captivate the people to chastise Israel; He stirred the spirit of Cyrus to issue a decree to allow anyone to return, and to build the temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Daniel says: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His; and He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings: (Daniel 2: 20 – 21); and as Solomon the Sage says: “To everything there is a season: … a time to break down, and a time to build up” (Ecclesiastes 3: 3). The king sent an oral and a written proclamation all over his kingdom, that he intends to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem; and kept a copy of his proclamation in the official archives of his state, the value of which was proved, later on in the days of king Darius (Ezra 6: 1) KING CYRUS: He was born in Elam in the year 590 B C, reigned in Elam in the year 558, took over Media in the year 549, Persia in the year 548, Lud in the year 540, and Babylon in the year 538. And because Persia was the most important part of his kingdom, he was called ‘the king of Persia’. He was among the best kings of the old as far as his ethics, might in war, and his religious tolerance. Did King Cyrus actually believe in the God of Israel? We should not wonder that Cyrus refers himself to the Lord, God of heaven. when it came to his knowledge that there was a prophecy two centuries before his time that he will build the house of the God of heaven in Jerusalem (Isaiah 44: 38; 45: 1). But that does not imply that he accepted faith in the One God. Having been used to honor all gods and all religions, he sent written decrees to many peoples within his kingdom to restore their gods with honor to their lands. Among the excavations done by Hormuzd Rassam in Babylon in the years 1879 – 1882 AD, a piece of a barrel-shaped earthen vessel on which a like decree was engraved. Seventy years of captivity: According to some, captivity started in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakin, king of Judah, namely in the year 605 BC; and the decree and proclamation of the return to Jerusalem came in the year 538 BC, the duration of captivity was therefore 70 years; And according to others, the captivity of Judah was realized completely in the year 568 BC when the temple was destroyed. Rebuilding it in the year 516 BC, would mean that the duration of captivity was exactly 70 years. “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth, the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah’” (2) According to the Jewish Historian Josephus, when Daniel showed Cyrus the prophecy that came in the book of Isaiah that ‘Cyrus’ by name, will come to build the house of the Lord and to release the captives (Isaiah 45: 13), Cyrus felt that what he got of success was from the Lord, and not according to his own might; and felt a commitment and a responsibility to fulfill His proclamation. According to Isaiah, the return of the people from Babylon was a second exodus; being said: “Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldees! With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim this; Utter it even to the end of the earth; Say: ‘the Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob’” (Isaiah 48: 20). Cyrus was a symbol of the Lord Christ sent by the Father to build the church of God, His house. The kingdom of Persia in the days of Cyrus, embraced Ethiopia to the south, Cyprus, Egypt to the west, submitted the Medes, the Persians, the Armenians, the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Arabs, the Cappaducians, the inhabitants of Verginia, Lydia, Phoenecia, India, Celicia, and many other peoples. It is to be noticed that the books that were written after the captivity, almost always called God :”The God of heaven”; while those written before it almost always called him “The Lord of hosts”. According to some God intervened through a vision or a dream to confirm that the prophecies Daniel said to Cyrus were all from the God of heaven. The believer believes that he, himself, has truly come to be a king of authority; that the enemy has no more authority to force himself into his depths; and before such a divine gift, he is committed to build for God a house in his heart, the inner Jerusalem, by the work of the Holy Spirit of God. The apostle says: “Do you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in You?; … for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17); “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6: 19). + The temple of God is holy. Whoever commits the sin of adultery, defiles the sanctuaries. (St. John Chrysostom) + According to the Platonic view, the body is a prison; Whereas according to the apostle Paul, it is the temple of God; for it is in Christ. (The scholar Tertullian) + While the Lord dwells in heaven, sits on the right hand of the Almighty Father; yet he is on earth as well, intimately united to all the saints, and dwells in them. He is up high; yet he is also with those down there. + Now, therefore, my beloved brethren, acquire that second heat (the spiritual), so that everything would be light for you. For that heat which is according to God, will cast out every covetousness, will drive away from man every burden (any worry or boredom); and will make divinity dwell in him to make him the temple of God; according to what is written: “I will dwell in them and walk among them” (2 Corinthians 6: 16). (St. Maccari the Great) + Beware inside and outside; Condemn no one, and blame nobody. A man of prayer should stand before God, meditating in Him and praising Him. He completely dedicates himself to glorify God all the time, with girded loins; and carries his lamp, with extra oil in his vessels; strengthened by God, in his fight against the devil; bears as fruits for God. His heart is pure; for he is the temple of God and a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit; a house built upon the rocks; longsuffering, meek, and alert. (St. Steven El-Taiibi) + Do not let your body be in your cell, while your heart is in (Egypt). But make your body a temple for God; direct your thoughts, and acquire an abiding mind. (A message by St. Paula) + If someone claims that he has love, let him have inside him nothing hated by Christ. Let us care to purify our hearts from the abominations of the old man, hated by God; For we are the temples of God (2 Corinthians 6: 16); Godhead will never dwell in a defiled temple. Let us then enter and consummate our little peace, for what we have already done is enough; And let us pray seeking that our life be peaceful according to His will, and glorifying the Holy Trinity, without blemish. (St. Parsnovius) “Who is there among you of all his people? May his God be with him. Now let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God) which is in Jerusalem” (3) The decree of Cyrus came respecting the will and freedom of man; he gave the captives the free choice to stay where they were, or to return to Jerusalem. As Jerusalem is set upon high mountains; Therefore, whoever intends to go there has to “go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah”; And according to the psalmist: “You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth” (Psalm 71: 20) If Cyrus calls the believers to go up to Jerusalem, the book of psalms came bearing a section of psalms called “the psalms of Assents” (Psalm 120 to 134), which were recited by those pilgrims coming to Jerusalem in the major feasts. While giving their backs to the world, and enjoying the holy mountains of Jerusalem and the holy temple of the Lord, their hearts exult. ……It is an ascent to the deposit of heaven. In this ascent the believer feels like a weaned child on his mother’s breast (Psalm 131: 2); he feels that the secret of his comfort is the dwelling of God among His people (Psalm 132); and the gathering together of the priests with the people in a true fellowship; those coming to the Lord sing and praise Him even by nights (Psalm 134). Those fifteen psalms conform to fifteen steps up to the temple (7 steps outside, and 8 inside). It is befitting of whoever intends to enter into the temple of the Lord to climb these steps. + He who is still at the lowest steps, let him concentrate his sight upon the highest step (the fifteenth step). And he who reaches the fifteenth step, has reached the outer court of the temple; the same temple we see now in ruin, for it did wrong against the Lord. …. What does the Lord say? [Come, get up to ascend from here… ]. Just meditate in how the earthly temple is a symbol of the heavenly one. (St. Jerome) Such an ascent is accompanied by a spiritual ascent, which could not be achieved unless accompanied by the Owner of the city and the house: “ May his God be with him”. Our God descended to us, so that by His ascension He would carry us together with Him up to the Higher Jerusalem, where we would settle down in the heavenly temple. + Now (in the feast of Ascension; we, who were counted before as unworthy to stay even on earth, are raised up to heaven. We, who were before counted as unworthy of the earthly glory, ascend now up to the kingdom of heaven, to enter into heaven, and to take our place before the divine throne. This nature of ours, against which the cherubim stood guard on the gates of paradise; Behold, we now ascend above the cherubim. How could we pass over such a great event in a hurry? We who have done wrong to the divine mercies, to become unworthy of the earth itself, and have fallen out of every authority and honor; By what worthiness would we be raised to such an honor?! How did the struggle end? Why has God’s anger been appeased? It is truly amazing how: peace dwelt; not through something done by those who have sinned against God, but He, Himself, who has got angry on us, is truly calling us to peace. As according to the apostle: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us” (2 Corinthians 5: 20). What does this mean? Despite the fact that we have done wrong against Him, He is approaching us and calling us to peace. It is truly so; God, the loving God is calling us to Himself. Look at how our nature has descended then ascended; for there could not be a deeper place than where man had fallen, and there could not be a higher ascension than where Christ had. To clarify this, the apostle Paul says: “He who descended is also the One who ascended” … Where did He descend? To the lower parts of the earth. … And where did He ascend? Far above all the heavens” (Ephesians 4: 9-10). I meditate in the unworthiness of our race to have the honor we have got through the mercies of God, full of compassion; when we are no more than dust and ashes!.... But now, our nature has risen far above all creation. (St. John Chrysostom) “Build the house of the Lord, God of Israel”. For the people are no more divided into two kingdoms or peoples: Israel and Judah; but have joined one another; namely, unity came back to the people under chastisement. “And whoever remains in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem” (4) In the first exodus, the Hebrews sought from the Egyptians gold, silver, and garments (Exodus 12: 3), which they took with them on their departure from Egypt.. But here, the king of Persia, himself, issued a decree seeking from his people, whether Jews or other nations, to contribute in fulfilling his desire, namely, building the house of the Lord God of Israel. As some of the Jews were well beloved by the inhabitants of the pagan regions, they were exhorted by Cyrus to help them with gold, silver, goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of the Lord God of Israel. In the book of revelation it came that “the earth helped the woman (the church)” (Revelation 12: 16). All the creation of God: gold, silver, goods, and livestock, could be used for our good, if we put them into good use. But in case our hearts get attached to them and not to the Creator; they would become an offense for us on the way of our salvation. + We should not put the blame upon the gold or silver because of the greedy; nor upon the food or wine because of the drunkards; nor upon the feminine beauty because of the adulterers and fornicators; etc. We may see how a physicians uses fire in a good way on a patient; while we may also see a murderer use poisonous bread to kill his victim. + Although the righteous ‘Job’ lost all his riches and reached the lowest level of poverty, yet he kept his soul undisturbed; He concentrated his sight upon God, and not upon the valueless earthly things. If men nowadays have the same tendency; we would not be vehemently denied in the new covenant the possession of those things to reach perfection. For possessing those things without being attached to them would be more commended than not possessing them altogether. + If we intend to return to our original home where our happiness is, we are committed to use this world and not to get attached to it; “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1: 20). Namely, we can see the eternal spirituals through what is temporarily physical. (St. Augustine) 2- GOD STIRS UP THE SPIRIT OF THE PEOPLE: “Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all those whose spirits God had moved, arose to go out and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem” (5) The Spirit of God who shined the light of knowledge upon the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, to see the return by the spirit of prophecy, is He Himself who stirred the spirit of Cyrus to issue a decree to allow the return; and is He Himself who moved the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, and others to arise to go and build the house of the Lord, regardless of the anticipated dangers on their way to Jerusalem, and of the opposition of the enemies in Jerusalem itself; although some of the captives have persisted on remaining in their places for the sake of their material benefits. The decision of the return to Jerusalem was, however, not an easy decision; for the city was burnt by fire, without walls; surrounded by enemies; and the way to it was tough, risky, and unknown to them. Many of them have not seen Jerusalem before; and some saw it while being little kids. Besides, it was difficult to forsake all their possessions in Babylon of lands, riches, slaves, male and female singers (Ezra 2: 65). …. Those were, therefore, in need of the hand of God to stir up their spirits to set forth to Jerusalem. Those who responded to the Spirit of God were singing: “If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget my skill. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth – If I do not exalt Jerusalem, above my chief joy” (Psalm 137: 5-6). This is the song of every true believer who desires to set forth to the Higher Jerusalem to enjoy the presence in the divine bosoms, and the heavenly glories. According to St; Jerome, those ascending from Babylon to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem; were the sinners who remembered their past holy life, never forgot it, but sought to do the spiritual work, as though with the right hands; and their tongues utter the work of God with them, to resume their early holy life. “And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered” (6) When man concentrates upon the higher Jerusalem, and despises all the temporal things, they will come after him and cling to his feet. As it was said about how all those who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4: 34-35). 3- THE RETURN OF THE ARTICLES OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD: “King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods” (7) Representing the serious man who follows his words by action, Cyrus did by bringing out the articles of the house of the Lord which were confiscated by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 35: 13-15). It is amazing how those articles remained intact for about 70 years; and how no one of the kings of Babylon thought of melting them to use as jewels or to make idols of their gods. “And Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah” (8) ‘Sheshbazzar’: Although according to some he is someone else different from Zerubbabel, yet the prevailing view is that they are one and the same person; ‘Sheshbazzar was his Persian name, meaning (joy in the midst of troubles) or (May the sun god or the moon god protect the father); whereas his Hebrew name ‘Zerubbabel’ means (the one born or planted a stranger in Babylon); the same way Daniel and the three saintly young men were given Chaldean names beside their Hebrew names. ‘Zerubbabel was the sun of ‘Shealtiel’’ the older son of king Jehoiakin who died childless, and his younger brother married his widow and got him a son referred to him according to the law (Deuteronomy 25: 5-6). Therefore, according to the law, Zerubbabel is the son of ‘Shealtiel’ (Ezra 3: 2); and according to nature, he is the son of Pedaiah ( 1 Chronicles 3: 9). “This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty –nine knives, thirty gold basins, for hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles” (9, 10) The articles of the house of the Lord were kept in a pagan temple, and were probably put there to use; Yet being articles of honor, the eyes of the Lord kept watching them to bring them back to His house; for “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2: 19) The return of the gold and silver articles gave those returning a strong motive to build the Lord’s house, as they carried precious holy things; not only for their material value, but for being holy articles of the house of the Lord. “All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem” (11) It is obvious that by adding the articles mentioned in verse 9 and 10 they would not add up to 5400. What are mentioned in verses 9 and 10 are most probably the large articles; and here the 5400 are the total of the large and the small articles together. ------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM EZRA 1 SET YOUR DWELLING PLACE IN ME + My soul moans together with the captives in Babylon; I hung my harp upon the willows (Psalm 137: 2) How can I praise You in the land of sin? How can I exult while my soul is enslaved to the enemy? You know those who are Yours; Behold, I am Yours; Do not forsake me in the violent Babylon. + My heart cries out: Bring me back to Your Jerusalem; Raise me up from the trash; and bring me forth into the bosom of Your Father; Let me join the exultant processions of faith; Lift me up to Your heavenly sanctuaries. + My soul praises You for the sake of all Your gifts; But it remains thirsty for You alone; Your gifts testify to Your love for me; I do not desire to be possessed by the world You created for my sake; But to be possessed by You alone, O King of kings; Liberate me from every temporal desire; Pour all by desires in You; For You are my life and my crown.
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