Ezra 1:5 - Meaning and Application

We are told here how Cyrus’s proclamation succeeded with others. He gave the Jews permission to go up to Jerusalem, and many of them went, as verse 5 says. The leading group was made up of the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, who were respected and experienced men. Since they were above their brethren in honor, it was fitting that they should go before them in duty.

The priests and Levites, the men set apart for temple service, were among the first to turn their faces toward Zion. If any good work is to be done, those who serve in ministry should lead the way. The others who went were those whom God moved to go. The same God who stirred Cyrus’s spirit to issue the decree also stirred their spirits to accept it, for this was done, not by human strength, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).

There may have been a strong temptation for some to stay in Babylon. They had comfortable homes there, had built friendly ties with their neighbors, and could easily say, “It is good to be here.” But the return had many hard things in it. The trip was long, their wives and children were not fit for travel, their own land seemed strange to them, and the road home was unknown.

“Go up to Jerusalem” was the call, but what would they do there? The city lay in ruins, and enemies surrounded it. They would seem easy prey. Many were held back by these reasons and chose to remain in Babylon, or at least not go with the first group.

Still, some overcame those obstacles. They broke new ground and did not fear the dangers ahead. These were the people whose spirits God had raised. By his Spirit and grace, he gave them a noble desire for freedom, a loving concern for their own land, and a longing for the open and public worship of God. If God had left them to themselves and to merely human wisdom, they would have stayed in Babylon.

Instead, he put it into their hearts to turn toward Zion and ask the way there, like strangers in a new land (Jeremiah 50:5). They were, in a sense, like Abraham, who left the land of the Chaldeans without knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). The lesson is clear: every good thing we do comes from God’s grace. He raises our spirits to do it and works in us both to want and to do what pleases him.

Our natural bent is toward this world and its things. If our hearts rise toward anything good, in good desires or good actions, it is God who lifts them. The call and offer of the gospel are like Cyrus’s proclamation. Good news is announced to captives, as in Luke 4:18. Those who are under the unfair rule of sin and under God’s just judgment may be set free by Jesus Christ.

Anyone who will return to God in repentance and faith may do so. Christ has opened the way for him, from the slavery of sin into the glorious freedom of God’s children. The offer is made to all. Christ gives it in line with the authority the Father has given him, authority far greater than Cyrus’s (verse 2), and with the charge to build God’s house, meaning to establish a church in the world and a kingdom among people.

Many who hear this joyful message still choose to stay in Babylon. They love their sins and will not face the cost of a holy life. But some break through the discouragements and choose to build the house of God. They would rather make heaven the goal of their religion, whatever it costs. These are the ones whom God has lifted above the world and the flesh, and whom he has made willing in the day of his power (Psalm 110:3). In this way, the heavenly land will still be filled, though many perish in Babylon, and the gospel offer will not be wasted.

Cyrus also ordered the neighbors of the returning Jews to help them, and they did so. Everyone around them gave them silver, goods, and other supplies to cover the journey and help with building and furnishing both their own houses and God’s temple. Just as the tabernacle was made from the wealth taken from Egypt, and the first temple was built with help from foreigners, so the second temple was supported by gifts from the Chaldeans. This points ahead to the time when Gentiles would be received into the church.

God can, when he chooses, move strangers to be kind to his people and make those who once weakened them strengthen them instead. “The earth helped the woman,” as Scripture says. Besides what the Jews themselves gave willingly from love to God and his house, much was given, as it were, unwillingly by the Babylonians, whom God moved in ways they could not explain.

Cyrus also showed his sincerity by restoring the vessels of the temple, as verses 7 and 8 say. He did not only free the people of God, but also returned the sacred items that had belonged to God’s house. This shows how carefully God guarded those vessels. They were not lost, melted down, or mixed so thoroughly with other items that they could no longer be identified. They were all still available when the time came.

God has the same care for the living vessels of mercy, the vessels of honor, meaning those whom he saves and uses for his service (2 Timothy 2:19-20). “The Lord knows those who are his, and none of them will perish.” Though these temple vessels had been placed in an idol’s temple, and likely used there in idol worship, they were given back to be used for God. God will recover what belongs to him, and what the strong man has taken will be turned to the use of the conqueror.

Judah still had a prince, even in captivity. Sheshbazzar, thought to be the same man as Zerubbabel, is called the prince of Judah here. The Chaldeans called him Sheshbazzar, a name taken to mean joy in trouble. Among his own people, he was known as Zerubbabel. He saw himself as a stranger in Babylon and regarded Jerusalem as his true home, though Josephus says he served as captain of the king of Babylon’s guard. He looked after the affairs of the Jews and likely had authority over them, perhaps because Jehoiachin, also called Jeconiah, made him his heir, since he belonged to David’s family.

The sacred vessels were counted out to him, and he made sure they were safely carried to Jerusalem. This would encourage the builders, because they already had rich furnishings ready for the temple when it was completed. Even if God’s ordinances, like the vessels of the sanctuary, are corrupted and misused in modern Babylon, they will in time be restored to their proper use and purpose. Not a single part of God’s appointed order will fail.