Cyrus welded together the world’s first true super-power. But this one letter was more important than that!
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are parts of one continuous history. In fact, the Hebrew Bible had them bound together as one scroll. Although Ezra and Nehemiah seem to be doing very different work—one restoring the temple and the other rebuilding the walls— they were actually united in a common purpose. It wasn’t enough to have the externals restored; it was the inner work of God in the hearts of the people for which they longed. But it was in the heart of Cyrus, a Gentile monarch, that this inner work began. Through the intercessory prayers of Daniel, now an old man, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom” (Ezra 1:1). Shockingly, he begins his letter, “All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem” (v 2). He addresses God as Yahweh Elohim! He knows this One is the supreme ruler of the world. He also recognizes that his position in life was by the generosity of the Lord. But, if possible, the next statement is even more surprising. Remember that the Lord wouldn’t let David build the temple. He was Hebrew, from Judah, Israel’s poet laureate, the man after God’s heart. But it was No to David and Yes to Cyrus. “He has commanded me to build Him a house.” How can this be? Was Cyrus not a man of war? He certainly was! He conquered the Median, Lydian, and Neo-Babylonian empires! What made the difference? In the first case, Solomon was to be a type of Christ in kingdom glory. Now Cyrus was to be a tool in the hand of God to restore His people. Yes, whether Jew or Gentile, “the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Rom 13:1).