International S. S. Lessons.
"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8 LESSON I.—SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 1893.
RETURNING FROM THE CAPTIVITY.
[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.] 1. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2. Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4. And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. 5. Then rose up the heads of fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6. And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. 7. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; 8. Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives; 10. Thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 11. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. Golden Text.—"The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee." Deut. 30:3. 1. Who was Ezra? and what can you say of his book? Note 1. 2. What is the chronology of this lesson? Note 2. 3. What noted thing occurred in the first year of Cyrus? Verse 1. Note 3. 4. Why did the Lord thus stir up the king? Isa. 45. Note 4. 5. Concerning what was the proclamation of Cyrus? Verse 2. 6. To whom was it addressed? and how many did it include? Verses 2, 3. 7. What permission was given them? 8. Who first seized the opportunity offered in the proclamation? Verse 5. 9. What help did they receive? Verse 6. 10. What liberality and justice did Cyrus show? Verses 7, 8. 11. What was the sum of this bestowal? Verses 9, 10. 12. What lesson may we learn from this history? Note 5. 1. Ezra.—Ezra was a learned Jewish priest and scribe, a good man and faithful (Ezra 7:6, 11), and of course of the tribe of Levi. He was born, says Rawlinson, about 495 B.C. He lived in Babylon during the reign of the Persian king, Artaxerxes Longimanus, and nearly 80 years after our lesson opens brought another company to Jerusalem. See chapter 7. He is the author of the book of Ezra, and supposed to be the author of Nehemiah and 2 Chronicles. The last two verses of the latter are the same as the first two of Ezra. He died at Jerusalem, according to Rawlinson, about 420 to 410 B.C. The book of Ezra consists of two parts. The first six chapters cover a period of twenty years before Ezra's time, over fifty years intervening between the sixth and seventh chapters. The remaining chapters are an inspired history of what occurred in Ezra's time. The book was written in Hebrew, except from chapter 4:8 to 6:18, and 7:12-26, which portions are written in Chaldee; the decrees contained in these were doubtless copied from the official documents. 2. The first year of Cyrus.—This was in 536 B.C., at the expiration of the seventy years of captivity predicted by Jeremiah. Jer. 25:11, 12. Daniel was then a prominent man at the Persian court. Dan. 6:28. The place of operation may be seen in the maps found now in nearly all Bibles. Cyrus was the ruler of the Persian Empire, and of the civilized world (558-529 B.C.). 3. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.—From his proclamation it is evident that Cyrus recognized the true God, not perhaps as God alone, but as a great God over all others. This was doubtless due to his association with Daniel, and the way God had wrought for his people in overthrowing Babylon. Jer. 25:1-12; Daniel 4, 5, and 6; Isa. 44:24-28 and 45:1-4 should be studied in connection with this lesson. There are still other scriptures which relate to the same things. The lesson really comes from Ezra 1:1 to 2:67. 4. To fulfill.—Not simply to make his word come to pass and so vindicate himself, but to keep his promise to his people for his great love to them. See Isa. 44:24-28; 45:1-4; Jer. 25:11, 12. The Jews heartily repented of one sin at least; they never after this experience worshiped idols any more, nor turned from the Sabbath to sun worship. 5. THE LESSONS.—1. God will not always bear with sin. He did all that he could in reclaiming Judah in their own land; at last he allowed them to be carried away captive. But in this he simply gave them the fruit of their own desires. They trusted man instead of God, and captivity was the result. It will be the same with us. God only is our strength and fortress. 2. The charm and power of idolatry were broken in the honest hearted who hung their harps on the willows, and sighed for Jerusalem. Those who learned the lesson of the one true and only God, whether of Judah or the ten tribes of Israel, seemed mostly to have returned. In later years even many of the idolatrous Jews of Babylon were converted. 3. The captivity sifted out the worthless—the unrighteous—leaving those to return who would have some appreciation of God and his service. Those who returned and offered were "willing-hearted." God wants willing service. 4. The captivity led to greater study of the word of God, the food and life of the child of God. 5. Through that study of the word in captivity they spread abroad more of the knowledge of God among the nations, and served to open their hearts toward the rest of the world. 6. Truly it must have been with joy of heart that the captives of Judah, together with the longer captives of Israel, began their homeward journey, to the number of 50,000. It was a second going up out of Egypt to the promised land, typifying once again the final deliverance of all who believe God from the bondage of sin and death. We will then sing, as doubtless did they: "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Ps. 126:1-3. Can we not sing it even now?