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. 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” and in chapter one and verse eight of Ezra, Ezra said about the treasures, “those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath” where we read,
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.
The verse reads, “Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, ...” Ezra began with the words, “even those did Cyrus” or “indeed and also those, “the vessels of the house of the LORD, Cyrus whose name means possess you the furnace” “king of Persia” which means “royal ruler and leader of Persia whose name means pure or splendid” “bring forth by the hand” or “carried forward and proceeded with the means of the physical hand” “of Mithredath” which means “belonging to Mithredath whose name means given by Mithra” “the treasurer” or “the money and possession handler”. Ezra shared how king “Cyrus” carried forward the implements from the temple in “Jerusalem”through the means of one who oversaw his possessions named “Mithredath”.
The verse goes on to say, “... and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.” Ezra continued with the words, “and numbered them” or “and took account of and reckoned them, the implements from the temple in Jerusalem” “unto Sheshbazzar” which means “to Sheshbazzar whose name means worshiper of fire and was the prince of Judah at the first return from exile in Babylon; usually identified as the Babylonian name for Zerubbabel”, “the prince of Judah” or “the chief, captain, leader and exalted one belonging to Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”. Ezra said “Mithredath” accounted for the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem who gave them to “Sheshbazzar” or “Zerubbabel” who was the youthful leader and and captain from “Judah”.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Ezra how “Cyrus'” supported the people of Israel returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple by returning the implements from the temple. “Cyrus”gave them to “Mithredath” who accounted for and gave them to “Zerubabbel” otherwise known as “Sheshbazzar”. God's plan was being fulfilled, and His will would be carried out by these men. God loves people, and when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, He provided salvation for us when we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”. When we yield to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth so we may fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives as well. (See John 16:13)
Next time Ezra shares about, “chargers of gold, silver and twenty nine knives”, 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".
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