Ezra 1

Ezra 1:1

I. THE RETURN OF CAPTIVES TO JERUSALEM UNDER ZERUBBABEL (Chaps. 16) A. The Decree of Cyrus (1:1-4)The first three verses duplicate the last two verses of 2 Chronicles. God used Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue a proclamation permitting the Jews to return to Judah and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. In addition, he commanded their neighbors to contribute generously to the returning remnant. Many years before his birth, Cyrus had been named by God and set apart for this high destiny (Isaiah 44:2845:13). He illustrates the truth of Pro_21:1 : “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” The decree ended seventy years of captivity for the Jews. The seventy-year period can be calculated in two ways: from 605 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and led off the first deportation, to 535 B.C., when the foundation of the temple was laid; or from the fall of Jerusalem, in 586 B.C., to the completion of the temple, in 516 B.C.

Ezra 1:5

B. Preparations and Provisions (1:5-11)In addition to the wealth donated by the neighbors of the Jews, King Cyrus gave them five thousand four hundred vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Sheshbazzar (v. 8) may be the Persian name for Zerubbabel; he may be a totally different person. Notice the mention of twenty-nine knives in verse 9. If God cares for such details, how much more does He care for His people!