No. 2 in Returning Home
Ezra arrived during the second expedition and took the role of historian. He is believed to have written parts of the Chronicles and the book of Esther, as well. He was a knowledgeable scribe; and because of his position as priest, along with his eye-witness experience, the task of recording the restoration work was an obvious fit. Add to this his desire to follow God and return the hearts of the people to the LORD, and you can see why he seems to be providentially placed and hand-picked by the Most High.
Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one historical account. The first two expeditions to Jerusalem are covered in the book, Ezra. Nehemiah was the governor who led the third expedition. All three expeditions were believed to have been written by Ezra around 440 BCE, nearly a hundred years after Cyrus the Great first decreed the Hebrews could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
The book of Ezra was written in two languages: Hebrew and Chaldee, the Persian language. This is indicative of both the historical legitimacy of Ezra’s claim – proving it was written during the time of the Persian Empire – and the influence of the Gentile nations on Hebrew culture. The Persian laws and edicts influenced all the nations and set fear into their hearts.
The events that occur to empower this small band of Hebrews truly show the strategy of God’s providence. When they needed an arm of might to protect them, God provided it in the form of the emperor who ruled the world – from Cyrus II through Artaxerxes I. These emperors were polytheistic, Gentile kings who exhibited respect for the God of Israel, as seen in Cyrus’ proclamation in Ezra 1. This royal favor from the earthly “god” of the nations gives us a glimpse of the ultimate favor of Jehovah God for His beloved sons and daughters of Abraham.
Ezra 1 begins:
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord 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:(ESV)
Cyrus reigned circa 539-530 BCE. In 539 BCE when the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Belshazzar fell, Cyrus controlled no less than four great kingdoms. The Babylonian method for recording a king’s reign, which carried over into Persian tradition, makes the timeline difficult to pin down. The Babylonians considered the point at which the king took the throne the accession year, and the year thereafter was the king’s first year of reign1. This, along with the ill-fitting stamp of BC time, causes the student of the Bible some consternation when prophets state, “in the first year,” when the king has reigned two years according to our modern-day understanding. Cyrus made the decree around 539-538 BCE2. It is also recorded in I Chronicles:
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord 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: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”(ESV)
Ezra (c. 480-440 ) alludes to Jeremiah’s (c. 626-587) prophecy in which God told him the captive people of Israel would return (29:10-14) and the city would be rebuilt “on its mound”(30:18). Those, like Ezra, who knew these prophecies had waited for this. To hear the great Cyrus make this decree was to know their God had not forgotten His promises to them nor His covenant with them.
Continue to Answering the Call.