So we left off with the King of Judah being subject to Pharaoh. Josiah’s heir took the throne in 609 BC and lasted three months as an evil king before Pharaoh deported him to Egypt. Instead, a younger brother was placed on the throne. Fours later (605 BC) Pharaoh surrendered to Babylon in the Battle of Carchemish, on the upper Euphrates. Assyria finally ceased to exist and Egypt was forced to return home and stay within her own natural borders.
This made Josiah’s second son a tributary of Babylon. This was during Jeremiah’s ministry. After three years he revolted and Babylon sent troops. At this point, Nebuchadnezzar carried him away captive, and also plundered the Temple. The king’s son was placed on the throne, but three months later was deposed again. During this second event, all the nobles and skilled craftsmen in Jerusalem were taken into exile in Babylon. To hold the throne of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar installed the king’s uncle, whom he christened Zedekiah. This one also rebeled against Babylon.
And this is where the horrific siege of Jerusalem takes place, lasting a year and a half. Zedekiah and his entourage attempted to escape one night and are pursued south along the Kidron and captured. Meanwhile, the city is utterly destroyed (586 BC). At this point the population of Judah has been ravaged by raids, because Babylon had brought in as subject armies the Syrians, Ammonites and others who gleefully raided the countryside for provisions to support the siege. Everyone in any city who survived all of this was carried away to Babylon. Only the smaller villages were left to rebuild under the appointed governor Gedaliah. All he had was the poorest of the remaining population, whom he encouraged to move into the areas near the ruins of Jerusalem to serve quietly under Babylon.
Gedaliah was murdered by the petty nobles left in the land, and that bunch then fled to Egypt. We should not be surprised that neighboring nations migrated in and settled the ruined kingdom, but obeying the rule of Babylon, leaving Jerusalem vacant. Their own fortunes waxed and waned, with political alliances coming and going, but always under the watchful eye of Babylon.
During the wars of Babylon’s conquest, she had allies from farther east who supported her, among them the Medes and Persians. We read in the Book of Daniel how these in due time rose up against Babylon and took over the empire. This brings us to our text in Ezra. Keep in mind that the Medo-Persian Empire was rather unusual, with a complex treaty. At first, they traded the imperial throne back and forth, while each maintained their own rulers. On top of that, there are confusing titles we cannot understand, so that persons of significance appearing in Scripture don’t show up in the existing records of that period. The chronology of events is tough to follow at times, with Ezra and Nehemiah rotating in and out of service in Jerusalem.
Ezra takes up where 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles leave off. Cyrus’s policy was based on the Zoroastrian religion of his people, the organizing principle that allowed them to rise and conquer such a great empire. Near as we can tell, Cyrus regarded the deities of the nations Babylon had conquered as real gods, and that they were all associates of his god. It was in his empire’s interest to allow the nations to restore the shrines of their gods so that they could bless the Emperor and his empire. Thus, Judah was ordered to send back sufficient people and temple personnel to play their part in this grand vision. We have the Cylinder of Cyrus indicating this was his policy.
Thus, the Edict of Cyrus in 539 BC. As promised by Jeremiah, this was roughly 70 years after the initial conquest by Babylon. Keep in mind that this proclamation is limited to rebuilding only the Temple and so much housing and supporting structures as is necessary to restore a valid Temple service of worship. The city walls are not included in this.
Cyrus released from the imperial treasury the vessels and whatever was left from the plundering of Solomon’s Temple. The Ark of Covenant is long gone, but plenty of smaller furnishings were available. Also, a hefty donation was included. Thus, the people of Judah were mobilized, and their own priests and nobles pitched in a large offering of priestly robes, musical instruments, and other forms of material support.
It should be clear right away that not many were willing to leave behind the property and wealth they had amassed while in exile. Also, the synagogue system was now well established in Babylon. The leadership regarded themselves as holy priestly blue-bloods of the Covenant religion, and refused to go back. If you glance at the next chapter of Ezra, you see that while a bunch of Levites do return, most of the priests do not. The number of bodies heading out in the first wave, under the protection of armed Medo-Persian escort, numbered about 50,000.
