Cyrus Bringing Forth Vessels - Ezra 1:7

In the book of Ezra, Ezra shared how Cyrus the king of Persia said God told him to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, “and all they that were 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” and in chapter one and verse seven of Ezra, Ezra said, “Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD” where we read,

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;

The verse reads, “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, ...” Ezra began with the words, “also Cyrus the king” or “even so and indeed Cyrus whose name means possess you the furnace and was the royal ruler and leader of Persia” “brought forth the vessels” which means “proceeded and came forward with the implements, articles, objects and utensils” “of the house of the LORD” or “belonging to the dwelling place, abode, habitation and temple belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God”. Ezra shared how “Cyrus the king of Persia” also produced the implements and instruments which were from the temple of Jehovah God”. 

The verse continues, “... which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;” Ezra added the words, “which Nebuchadnezzar” or “that Nebuchadnezzar whose name means may Nebo protect the crown and was the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah away as captives” “had brought forth” which means “proceeded and came forward” “out of Jerusalem” or “from Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”, “and had put them” which means “and set, placed and established them, the vessels of the house of the LORD” “in the house of his gods” or “within the dwelling place, habitation and abode of his, Nebuchadnezzar's, deities”. Ezra shared how the “vessels” brought forth by “Cyrus” were taken by “Nebuchadnezzar” and set within the dwelling place of his deities. 

When we consider Ezra's words in this verse, we discover how “Cyrus, the king of Persia” involved himself in returning implements which were originally in the temple of Jehovah God but were confiscated by “Nebuchadnezzar” and taken to Babylon where he set them in the dwelling places of his deities. God was returning the implements of His temple back to their origin in Jerusalem, and He used this pagan king to carry out His work. God loves people, and His desire is to have a personal relationship with all of us. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and make us aware of how He uses people to accomplish His purpose and will in the world. 

Next time Ezra shares about the treasures brought back to Jerusalem, “even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".