THE death of Cambyses left the way open for the Pseudo-Smerdis to carry on his work. It freed him from the greatest but not the only peril that confronted him. He still had a difficult and dangerous part to play, and there was liability of being detected. Years before, Cyrus the Great had cut off his ears on account of the perpetration of a crime; and so he had to keep himself pretty well hidden. Some of the changes of a religious nature which he made, brought about considerable displeasure; and after a few months suspicions began to be blown abroad. Cambyses had made a dying declaration that this self-asserting Smerdis was an imposter; and this report, being spread, gained credence. A number of things led to this conviction, especially the seclusion of the king himself, who neither went beyond the palace walls nor permitted himself to be seen within them.
Bringing Gifts for the Rebuilding of the Temple
The general religious propaganda was such as to teach all that the king could not be a genuine son of Cyrus.
The Usurper Slain
At last the seven princes of the empire, headed by Darius, son of Hystaspes, who had a direct title to the Persian crown, determined upon an investigation. Darius and his fellows organized a select band, and were on the eve of assaulting the palace when Gomates took the alarm and fled. He was pursued into Media, where he had taken refuge in a fort. Darius and his followers boldly entered, surrounded the imposter, and slew him. A number of his adherents who had sought refuge with him shared in his fate. The head of the usurper, with the indisputable proof of his pernicious career written in the stumps of his ears, was cut off and borne away by the insurgents, who exhibited it everywhere as at once the cause and the justification of their bloody deed.
There was a general uprising in which the magian religion received a terrible defeat. Until nightfall there was a massacre of every magus that any one might meet, but the destruction of life was not renewed on the morrow. The anniversary of Gomates's death became a solemn festival, during which none of the magian caste dared venture forth under penalty of losing his life.
Darius Reigning
Gomates had ruled only a few months when Darius became the successor to the throne. During these months the Jews had refrained from their work upon the temple.
It was a time of discouragement for them. They did not know, they could not tell, how long the work would cease. It was a time of test, a time for the exercise of faith, but really in God's providence it was the best thing that could happen. For now such a thoro overruling of all these things comes in as to further the work and to make up and more than make up for all the time that they have lost.
As soon as Darius assumes the rule, the Samaritans again try to secure the continuation of this injunction. Then God begins to speak through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, and the children of Israel begin their work again by pure faith in obedience to the word of God. The moment that God's people thus by faith began the work, the representatives of the Persian government, the adversaries of the Jews, at once came up to investigate the matter. They wanted to know who it was who had commanded them to build this house and to make the walls, and they took down the names of the men that were responsible for the building. But those faithful men were not afraid. God had given them faith to proceed.
Helped by the Prophets
The wonderful prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah had begotten in them courage; and so the fact that they are about to be reported to the Persian king, does not disturb them. They refuse to cease the work, and they allow their enemies to go back with an evil report to the Persian king. In Ezra 5:1, we read:
"Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them."
When the prophets gave their word, the leaders rose up in prompt obedience and began the work. We will now study the prophecy in detail.
