The Return from Exile

GOLDEN TEXT: “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”—Luke 9:62

THE experiences of the Israelites, and God’s providences over them in connection with their return from captivity in Babylon, convey many inspiring lessons which should be of great benefit to spiritual Israelites of this age. One of those lessons is summed up for us in our Golden Text. It is a lesson of constancy, of endurance, of not becoming weary in well-doing. Many failures along all lines of human endeavor are due to a lack of that quality which enables one to stick to a project until it is accomplished.

Momentary enthusiasm for an undertaking, which quickly diminishes when the novelty wears off, is of little value, either in the ordinary walks of life or in our service of God. But there is much of this lack of constancy, even among Christians. This is noticeable even in the little things of life. Probably most Christians find it very difficult to continue doing faithfully that which they have undertaken for the Lord. But the Lord is looking for those who, having put their hands to the plow, never turn back.

EZRA 1:1-4—Jeremiah prophesied that after seventy years’ desolation of the land of Judea the Israelites would be permitted to return from their captivity in Babylon, and our lesson calls attention to this when telling us of the decree issued by Cyrus giving freedom to the Israelites, and authorizing them to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. (Jer. 25:12) By this time Babylon had fallen into the hand of another people. The golden head of the image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream had given place to the breast and arms of silver, which represented the Medo-Persian Empire. Cyrus was king of Persia, and the Lord used him to give the initial authority necessary in order for those Israelites who still longed for their homeland to return.—Dan. 2:31-45

EZRA 4:24—The decree of Cyrus covered only the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. It made no mention of building the city itself, nor the walls of the city. The enemies of Israel, however, succeeded in having even the work on the temple stopped. This work was held up for considerable time, but finally, “in the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia,” it was resumed. While the Israelites took up the work again, continuing despite attempted interference, their enemies appealed to Darius for an injunction to stop the work, but upon investigation he found a copy of the decree issued by Cyrus, so he ordered the work continued, much to the joy of God’s people.

Daniel 9:25 tells of a decree that would be issued in connection with the return of the Jews from exile, and shows that this particular decree would mark the beginning of a prophetic time measurement—69 symbolic weeks, or 483 years—to the coming of “Messiah the Prince.” Students of the Bible who have not been sufficiently discerning have erroneously associated this prophecy with the decree issued by Cyrus, failing to notice that it authorized only the building of the temple. The decree referred to by Daniel was 82 years later by Artaxerxes.—Nehemiah 2:7,8

HAGGAI 1:2-8—As we have seen, work on rebuilding the temple was halted by the opposition of the enemies of Israel. This proved to be a severe test of their faith, and they decided that the Lord’s time had not yet come for this work to be done. They evidently must have concluded that there was some mistake about the decree issued by Cyrus. In any event, they ceased work and justified their lack of determination with the claim that it was not the Lord’s due time. This sounds familiarly like arguments still being advanced by some among the Lord’s people who wish to find excuses for lack of zeal in his service. They argue either that the time is past for the work to be done, or else that ii is not yet the due time.

In the case of the Israelites, God sent the Prophet Haggai to straighten out their misconception, to make it clear to them that the time had come for the temple to be rebuilt. The message of the prophet seems to have been given to Zerubbabel, and he relayed it to the Israelites and set them to work again. With the message of the prophet to back them up, they continued despite the opposition they encountered, and finally, as already noted, the matter came to the attention of Darius and he stood by the decree issued by Cyrus, and saw to it that the work was finished.

HAGGAI 1:13, 14—There is no greater source of strength for the accomplishment of difficult tasks by God’s people than the assurance that they are doing his will, and that he will be with them in what they undertake to do for him and his cause. It was this assurance that God gave to the Israelites through the Prophet Haggai. “I am with you, saith the Lord,” was the message Haggai relayed to them.

“And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, … and the spirit of Joshua, … the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.” Blessed indeed are those whose spirits have been stirred up by the Lord, through his message of truth, to work for him.

QUESTIONS:

What is the difference between the decree issued by Cyrus and the one which later was issued by Artaxerxes? Which of these decrees is referred to in Daniel 9:25?

What is one of the greatest sources of strength to those who serve the Lord under difficulties?

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