The Medo-Persian Empire was founded and established by Cyrus II, often called Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC). He was related to the royal families of Babylon, Media, Lydia, and Persia. But it was Achaemenes (ruled 700-675 BC) who started the dynasty from which the Medo-Persian Empire came. Achaemenes's son, Teispes, divided the kingdom between his two sons, one of which was Cyrus I. The son of Cyrus I was Cambyses I who married the daughter of the Median king, Astyages. Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) was the son of this union making him part of both the royal houses of Media and Persia.
In the beginning Cyrus II was a vassal to his grandfather. However, Cyrus unified several of the Persian tribes and he made an alliance with the Babylonian king, Nabonidus. This alliance was the same as rebelling against his grandfather because during this time the Babylonians and Media were enemies. Astyages summoned Cyrus to the imperial capital, but he refused to go. So, Astyages launched an attack against Cyrus. This ended up being a big mistake. The king’s army defected to Cyrus and Astyages was captured. Cyrus made Media a Persian province and immediately became the leader of both Persia and Media. Cyrus wasted no time and began a campaign for Lydia as well. Back in Babylon, Nabonidus had left the kingdom in the hands of Belshazzar (Dan. 5). Cyrus conquered Babylon without a fight, and one of the reasons the Babylonian people welcomed the rule of Cyrus is because of the anti-Marduk (religious) stance that both Nabonidus and Belshazzar had taken. Cyrus was a shrewd leader and was known for welcoming the foreign gods of the lands he conquered. In fact, you may have heard of the Cyrus Cylinder, which is housed in the British Museum in London. This artifact reveals how Cyrus would conquer a people. The Cyrus Cylinder states that Cyrus was a savior of the city of Babylon and selected by Marduk, the Babylonian god. The Cylinder also claims his royal authority and the text could have been published to show his authority and at the same time revealing his approval of the local god. It could have been Cyrus’s attempt to be accepted as their king and ruler, while showing respect for their god. This type of religious tolerance made Cyrus a very popular ruler. And as we already mentioned he conquered Babylon peacefully. Cyrus created an enormous empire conquering Media, Lydia, Babylonia, territories of the Iranian plateau to central Asia in the north and the Indus River in the east. Through these campaigns he amassed enormous wealth. Cyrus’s success was certainly in part to his strategy of conquest and consolidation. His respect for the land’s religion and cooperation with the local elite population allowed him great success.
Now what is interesting about Cyrus is that he is not only considered one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world, but he is also in the Bible (Isaiah 44 and 45). So, what is Cyrus known for? He ended the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. In the first year of his reign Cyrus made a decree to have the temple of Jerusalem rebuilt. You may remember in the book of Daniel where it tells us the prophet understood the number of years for the Babylonian captivity (Daniel 9:2). Interestingly enough, Daniel mentions Jeremiah, however, in Isaiah it reveals the name of the man who would deliver the Jews from captivity. And it was none other than Cyrus, king of Persia. In fact, Cyrus is mentioned by name 23 times in the Bible. The prophecy written in Isaiah 45 was revealed 150 years before Cyrus was born. And according to the history of the Jews by Josephus, Cyrus read his own name in the book of Isaiah, and this stirred the king to action. So what exactly did Cyrus do? Well, according to Ezra ch. 1, in the first year of his reign he made a proclamation. It is very similar to what a president might do in our country. The proclamation states that he, Cyrus, is to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This decree released the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Cyrus also got the vessels from the temple that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Judah and put in the temple of their Babylonian god. So, Cyrus was also returning the temple vessels to the Jews that had been taken. But we should also note that in Daniel chapter five what Belshazzar did with these same vessels. So Cyrus was attempting to restore the Jewish people and their temple.
So let’s step back and realize what is happening here with Cyrus. He has become the leader of a huge empire and when he conquers the Babylonians, which was done peacefully, the first thing he does is release the Jews and tells them to rebuild their temple that has been destroyed. And mark this, Cyrus also funds the expedition. He calls for gold and silver and other goods to be given for the building of the house of God.
This is what it says about Cyrus in Isaiah:
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,” says the Lord of hosts. Isaiah 44:28, 45:1-3, 13
So, we have been discussing the rise and fall of nations. And today we are talking about the rise of the Persian Empire. Interestingly enough, the rise of Cyrus and the Persian Empire coincides with something happening with God’s people. The Jews are released from Babylonian captivity and began rebuilding the temple at Jerusalem. Cyrus instigates this, but as Isaiah prophecies, Cyrus is God’s shepherd. God is moving the king to fulfill his own purposes. But again we are struck with the idea of how God’s people are intertwined with the rise of an empire. And we should notice how Cyrus is reversing what the Babylonian kings did – capturing the Jews, destroying their temple and stealing the precious and very valuable vessels of the temple. Make no mistake, Cyrus was a great leader. When he would conquer a people, he would praise their god and allow religious freedom instead of destroying temples and insisting on draconian measures of both religious and governmental systems.
So, what do you think, does the rise of the Persian Empire have any relationship to God’s people? Well, you could make the case that Cyrus would have had an empire whether he conquered the Babylonians and freed the Jews or not. But remember what Belshazzar did in Daniel chapter 5. When he took the vessels that had been originally in the Jewish temple and he and his lords drank from them and praised their gods. God showed up in a big way and the kingdom was taken and the king killed within 24 hours. But Cyrus on the other hand granted the Jews their freedom and helped them rebuild the temple that had been destroyed. Here is what I will say, the success or failure of a leader or a kingdom is directly related to how they treat or respond to the one true God and his people. So, what we have been saying is true. The rise and fall of both kings (leaders) and nations is both directly and indirectly related to God, God’s people, and the righteousness of leaders.
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