In Ezra chapters 1 to 6 we will see how the first group of Israelite exiles returned from captivity under the leadership of Zerubbabel. With the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the people rebuilt the temple despite the opposition of their enemies.
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
2 “This is what Cyrus the king of Persia says:
“‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
Cyrus, the great king who founded the Persian Empire, conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. The fall of Babylon (described in Daniel chapter 5) took place approximately 70 years after Daniel and the first exiles had been led into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
Jeremiah the prophet had foretold that the Babylonian captivity would last 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10). This 70 years may refer to the time from the first deportation from Judah in 605 B.C. until those who returned under Zerubbabel were reestablished in the Promised Land in 536 B.C., or it may refer to the time from the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C. to its restoration in 516 B.C. Almost two hundred years before Cyrus commanded the restoration of Israel, Isaiah had prophesied that Cyrus would be the deliverer of Israel (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). Ezra thus begins his book by emphasizing the Lord’s faithfulness to the promise he had given through his prophets.
Ezra shows the historical reality of the fulfillment of this promise by quoting from the actual decree of Cyrus. He very likely had access to such documents because of his connection with the Persian court. The religious language of this decree does not mean that Cyrus was a true believer in the God of Israel. Other historical documents—such as the “Cyrus Cylinder,” which reports Cyrus’s restoration of the temples of Babylon—show that Cyrus restored many temples. The fact that the language of Cyrus’s decree sounds very “biblical” may very well be due to the influence of Daniel or other Jews in the court of Cyrus. They may even have composed the decree for him and pointed out the prophecies of Isaiah that name him as the restorer of Judah.
The historical authenticity of this decree is supported by its similarity to other Persian decrees that have survived. These other decrees also use language honoring the religion of the people to whom they were addressed. Cyrus’ role in the release of Israel was not due to his conversion to faith in the God of Israel. Cyrus was like a rich person today who may make donations to all religions as part of his general charity. Cyrus felt all religions were useful. In supporting all of them, Cyrus hoped to gain favor with the many different nationalities and religions in his empire. If he had been made aware of the prophecies of Isaiah, he may have been flattered that he was mentioned in the religious writings of a distant nation.
Although Cyrus had his own motives for releasing Israel, his action is nevertheless an example of how the Lord of nations can use even a heathen king to serve his purposes. Centuries later, at the time of Jesus’ birth, God would use Caesar Augustus and Herod to help carry out his divine plans.