The edict.
When the proclamation, which captive Israel had heard of with such interest and expectation, came to be examined, what was it found to contain? Besides a proper preamble, showing in whose name and by whose authority it was issued, three principal things; viz.,
1. a remarkable confession;
2. a satisfactory permission; and
3. a considerate command.
I. A REMARKABLE CONFESSION. A confession or acknowledgment—
1. Of Jehovah's existence. Cyrus, brought up as a worshipper of Ormuzd, begins his proclamation here by mentioning Jehovah by name.
2. Of Jehovah's greatness. Jehovah the "God of heaven"—so he goes on to describe him—i.e. according to Persian usage (see Keil in loc.), the supreme God, the Most High. This the more remarkable because neither Nebuchadnezzar nor Darius before, nor Artaxerxes afterwards, when much impressed with the power of Jehovah the God of the Jews, speak of him in this way (comp. Daniel 2:47; Daniel 3:29; Daniel 6:26; Ezra 7:15; also Ezra 6:12).
3. Of Jehovah's goodness. "He has given me all the kingdoms of the earth." How great a possession! how true a gift! This language very significant from the lips of a Persian king (comp. "By the grace of Ormuzd I am king," as quoted in Lange on this passage).
4. Of Jehovah's authority. "He hath charged me." With all this authority laid upon me, I am under his authority still (comp. Matthew 8:9). Cyrus speaks here of himself just as God had spoken before of Nebuchadnezzar (see Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 27:6). And
5. Of Jehovah's will. "He hath charged me to build him an house." This is the special thing which he desires me to accomplish. Also a significant acknowledgment, if we suppose (and there is really no other supposition before us) that Cyrus understood the declarations of Isaiah respecting him (see above) to imply a charge of this kind. At the same time, with all that we know from other sources of the singular integrity of his character, and with all that we can infer from the Bible of his probable intimacy with and respect for Daniel, only a natural thing in his case. Who so likely as his prime minister Daniel to draw up this "king's speech;" and if he drew it up, to commence it in this way? Certain it is that no beginning, taking it for all in all, could have been more full of hope and promise to the Jews.
II. A SATISFACTORY PERMISSION (verse 3).
1. Satisfactory as to its object. The great thing that Israel needed for their true restoration and deliverance from captivity was the restoration of Jehovah's House. On the one hand, there could be no restoration of Israel without that of Jerusalem (see Psalms 137:1, Psalms 137:5, Psalms 137:6; Daniel 6:10; Daniel 9:16), and no true restoration of Jerusalem without that of the Temple (see Psalms 122:4, Psalms 122:9, etc.). On the other hand, with Jerusalem and its Temple restored, and all Israel going up to its feasts, the whole people, even if in part dispersed, would still be one nation, one Church (comp. Acts 26:7). This seems to have been the exact ideal of the post-captivity Church. Israel before the captivity was national, local, and centralized; identified with one race, one land, one house. The true Israel since Christ has been none of the three (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 28:20; John 4:21; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 4:26). Israel in the intermediate centuries was in a kind of intermediate condition, still national and still centralized, but only local in part—in part, on the contrary, becoming almost as much dispersed as the "Catholic" Church is itself (Acts 2:5-11). In these intermediate centuries, therefore, the importance of the" house," as a central bond by which to prevent the dispersion from ending in total obliteration, was almost greater than ever. Accordingly this whole book of Ezra has to do in the main with this question, and may be called, not inaptly, the Book of the Restoration of the House. Also the prophecies of Zechariah are greatly concerned with the same subject, and the prophecy of Haggai in particular does not speak of much else. This also is the great object of this permission of Cyrus: "Let him go up and build the house;" the great topic, in fact, of the whole proclamation—being mentioned in some way in each verse. See, finally, how it is all summed up on a subsequent page: "Let the house be builded" (Ezra 6:3). In other words, "Let that be done which is needed the most." So Cyrus speaks in this place.
2. The manner of the permission was equally satisfactory. It was very definite, being addressed, it seems, to all Israel, and yet to Israel alone, as was right (see beginning of verse 3). Contrast the Samaritans afterwards, who offered to help in building God's house, though none of his people. It was very cordial. "Jehovah" (see 2 Chronicles 36:23) "his God be with him, and let him go up." Cyrus would not only have them go up, but go up with a blessing, such a blessing as he himself had already received. Compare the words of Jacob (Genesis 48:16). It was very complete. Cyrus would have them "go," or leave where they were (Isaiah 51:14); he would have them go up, or reach the place they desired (Psalms 122:2); he would have them "go up and build," i.e. do the very thing that was needed. What could he do more to show his goodwill?
III. The CONSIDERATE COMMAND which we have in verse 4 seems to answer this question. Besides saying "Be ye warmed and filled" (James 2:16), he "gave" to the Israelites in various ways what was "needed" in their case. He did so, partly, so we understand the words, by a tax. There were various places in his dominions where some of the "remnant" of Israel ("whosoever remaineth": comp. Nehemiah 1:2, etc.; Haggai 2:3, etc.) were "sojourning" as strangers. In any such "place," if any Israelites wished to go up, the men of that place were hereby commanded (the request of such a sovereign would be a special command) to assist them by their gifts. But this was not all. The king helped the Israelites also in their great undertaking by his personal gifts. So we understand those gifts distinguished as "freewill offerings,'' and mentioned at the end of verse 4 (and again at end of verse 6) as being "beside." Not improbably we find these afterwards partly specified in Ezra 6:3,
4. At any rate, we learn from that passage that the king did give of "his own." Both by his people, therefore, and by himself he did what he could. So far as a mere proclamation could do such a thing, he not only permitted, he enabled them to go up. In this proclamation, as thus understood, may we not see a picture of that great declaration of liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18), the gospel of Christ Jesus? How many the points of resemblance. How "definite" its language. "Whosoever will, let him come" (Revelation 22:17). How "cordial" its invitations. "I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). How "complete" its provisions (John 4:14; Colossians 2:10, etc; etc.). How ample and "considerate" its gifts, God Almighty both, as it were, taxing the whole world for the benefit of his true servants (Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 3:22), and also being pleased to give them indeed of" his own" (John 3:16; Romans 8:32).
NOTE.—It is interesting to observe how the intermediate condition of Israel or the Church in the "fourteen generations" between Salathiel and Christ (Matthew 1:17), as above noted, by leading to the establishment of synagogues throughout the Roman world, prepared for the subsequent founding of the New Testament Church or Israel. See, inter alia, how the synagogues are mentioned in Acts 9:2, Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5, Acts 13:14, etc.; Acts 14:1; Acts 16:13 (the Proseucha); Acts 17:1, Acts 17:2 (as his manner was), 10, 17; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8, etc; etc. The effect also of so many thousand Jews coming up to Jerusalem at the time of Christ's death (the Passover) and at the descent of the Spirit (the Pentecost) should be considered in this connection.
HOMILIES BY J.A. MACDONALD