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Tuesday 6 May 2014

Ezra 1 - Start of the return

Jeremiah 25:11,12 said the exile would last for seventy years. Isaiah had also prophesied about these things (eg Is 41:2,5) and had mentioned Cyrus specifically (44:28). These prophecies were now being fulfilled. A key feature of Isaiah's prophecy was that the Lord could foretell the future and His ability to do so was a sign of His power. 
Cyrus gave a decree commanding the Jews to go back and rebuild the temple. Moreover, others were to provide them with what they needed. Cyrus also declares that it was the Lord who had given him his power. Now Cyrus was not a Jew, so why is he saying he did these things in the name of the Lord? There are at least two possibilities. One is that it is a genuine acknowledgement of the Lord. In Daniel the Lord communicated with Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord is Lord of all, not just Israel, and He communicates with those outside His immediate people. Remember He also sent a dream to Pilate's wife, and went word to Nineveh to save them. So it is possible that it was a genuine acknowledgement. A second possibility is that it is just a pragmatic use of words. Cyrus had a general policy of sending the various peoples back to their lands, so maybe he tailored his declarations to the particular people group.
So various people of Judah and Benjamin got ready to go and received silver and gold from their neighbours. Remember that the Israelites also received goods when they left Egypt. 
Cyrus also ensured that articles taken from the temple were returned.

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