Passage: Ezra 1:1a
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia… “ (Ezra 1:1a)
OPEN UP:
God raised up the great, generous Cyrus to rescue His people.
Cyrus was just an agent of God’s kindness.
All good things come ultimately from God, not from humans.
People:
Cyrus II — king of Persia, ended Jewish captivity in Babylon,
name means “the sun”
Places:
Persia — empire that “encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west” (ref)
– Cyrus conquers Babylon and assumes rule over Babylon’s conquests, including Israel.
Who was “Cyrus the Great” in secular history?
“In October 539 BCE, the Persian king Cyrus took Babylon, the ancient capital of an oriental empire covering modern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.”
(ref)
What kind of king was he?
“This emperor proclaimed at the pinnacle of his power… that he ‘would not reign over the people if they did not wish it’. He promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all.”
– Shirin Abadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, ref
“Cyrus instituted the enlightened policy of placating the gods of his subject peoples rather than carrying off their cult statues as the Assyrians, Elamites, Hittites, and Babylonians had done before.
His generosity to the Jews was paralleled by his benevolence to the Babylonians.”
– Gæbelein, Frank E. Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, Zondervan, 1988, p. 602.
What does the Bible say about Cyrus’ greatness?
“This is what the LORD says… of Cyrus,
‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
I will go before you and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me…
I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.'”
(Isaiah 44:24-45:7, NIV)
The verse above says Cyrus is God’s “anointed.”
This is the same word as “Messiah.”
Today, Messiah usually refers to the ruler (Jesus) who was promised repeatedly from the beginning of Scripture.
Was Cyrus actually “the” Messiah?
“[Anointed] may designate an office such as the high priest [but] is almost exclusively reserved as a synonym for ‘king’…”
“…Cyrus was a worshiper of Marduk and other pagan deities. Yet Cyrus was the Lord’s appointee for a definite task. The Isaiah passage [above] suggests that [Messiah] be understood as one singled out… for a task, characteristically one of deliverance – a deliverance of Israel from their Babylonian captors returning them to their homeland…”
“…the coming Son of David [Jesus] is seldom called Messiah in the OT… Many other designations are used (Branch, Shoot, Son of David, etc.)… It should be stressed, however, that the OT did employ the term [Messiah] to designate the coming Savior, Jesus.”
– Harris, R. Laird, et al. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody, 1980, p. 531.
Sometimes I am tempted to run to people to rescue me, when I’m discouraged. God can use people to give encouragement — like He used King Cyrus — but ultimately, the encouragement comes from God.
“Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father…” (James 1:17, ISV)
When I have needs, I can ask God to meet them. He is happy when I remember to thank Him, even if He brought other people to lift me back up.
If today were my last day on earth, I would:
…ask God to show me how He can use me to encourage someone.
God,
I wish I had the kindness, wisdom, generosity, people skills, and ability to manage impressive resources, which are attributed to King Cyrus. Cyrus is clearly used in the Bible as an example of what Jesus’ leadership is like. Teach me my own role in Your kingdom, and — as You did with King Cyrus — provide me with whatever I need to accomplish Your purposes for me.
For the sake of deliverance of the oppressed,
Amen.
References:
All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.