Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-08-24

ssiiigentIy and Proatsbiys- -.
...f.
"Returning from Captivity" h the title
Of the lesson for Aug. 81. the Scrfpsuss
portion being Ezra I: 1-11s
Much that Is important interviews b.
tween the last lesson, from EsekieI, snA
this from Ezra. Ezekicrs work cIosed
shout the year $40 BAG, which was
early in the exile. The events Of the
present lesson occurred. IN .thes year 5s7
or 500. The generation between these
two dates was full Of activity, both in
the political world 1t large 'aAdRin the
Jewish community at Babylonia. After
Nebuchadnezzar's death IN q 561 hseveral
rulers followed the most ihpoftant of
them being Nabonidus. whose SON, and
vieeroy Belshazzar was n ehsrse Of the
city OF Babylon at the Time Of itsocap-
ture By Cyrus army In 538. The history
of the events by which Cyrus the Per
sian, with a coalitionl Of Persian and
Median forces, gradually ogained control
Of western Asia and finally conquered
the last enemy and took Babylon itself -
long story, and not necessary to our
purpose. The prophets and people OF Ju-
dab watched eagerly the progress Of his
conquests aud his gradual preparation
for the final blow, which would mean the
downfall of their cruel oppressor, Baby
Ion. and brighter days for the nation.
Meanwhile the exile had profound in
huence on the character Of the exiles. or
course il will be remembered that in q
period including altogether about sixty
years Counting from the first captivity,
all except the very youngest captives
died, and a new generation reared under
exile influences took their place; and it
was from this new generation that the
company who returned In Cyrus time
were taken. HEafr US
The book Of Ezra, from which we have
several lessons, should be taken in con-
nection with that Of Nehemiah and the
two books Of Chronicles. These four
books belong together; that Is to say,
they have a similarity of method and OF
purpose. All are evidently compilations,
made up from ancient and later records,
memoirs, traditions, etc., and not finally
edited and put in their present shape I'M
til the Greek period. Thus the book Of
Ezra consists Of two distinct parts, the
FIRST six chapters being an account, made
up from records part Of which are quoted
verbatim, of events connected with the
first return from Babylon, which took
place long before Ezra was born; and
the rest of the book, referring to Ezra's
own times and work, is parity in the first
person, as II photographed, partly in
the third, as il made up by some later
editor from records. Similar phenomena
may be found in Nehemiah. The Chron-
icles were evidently put together by a
priestly writer, or written, using In part
the material already at hand in the
books of the Kings, but employing also
additional sources not used in the Kings;
and combined with one definite purpose
in mind, that of emphasizing and inter
preting the ecclesiastical or churchly side
of the national history.
Explanatory.
THAT the word of the Lord by the
mouth Of Jeremiah might be fulfilled':
see Jer. %: II, Ii and 20: 10. In these
passages Jeremiah had prophesied sew
enty years captivity. IL we attempt to
make full seventy years we shall be
obliged to strain the Interpretation, as
that would carry us back to COZ as the
beginning of the captivity, whereas the
first considerable number OF captives was
taken in 597. and the remainder did not
follow until $50. The seventy years is
more likely round number.-'The
Lord stirred up the spirit Of Cyrus, king
Of Persia: so the Hebrew writer look
ed upon the event as q direct interposi-
ton Of Providence. Yet we learn from
the inscriptions that the action which
Cyrus took in restoring the Jews to their
home and aiding them in the work Of re-
establishing their national religion, was
simply a part Of a general policy. pursued
in other cases as well. 1t used to be sup
posed that the kings kindness toward
the Jews, and his references to the
Lord God of Israel" proved that he
was a worshiper Of one God, and pecu-
liarly inclined toward Judaism. This
idea had been dispelled by his inscrip-
tons, discovered within the present gen.
Grafton, where he appears as a polytheist
and q politician. When he succeeded
to the control of the vast Babylonian en-
pire, almost the first thing he did was to
start homeward the captive tribes and
peoples whom he found exiled in his ter
ritory, and to set them up again in their
ancient seats, retaining oe course full
authority over them. 1t was to his in
terest to put these captive peoples to
work again for themselves, to build up
again the prosperity of their own lands,
because they could help his empire more
in that way than they could by doing
small farming in Babylonia. Are we
therefore to conclude that the scriptural
writer Is mistaken when he says that
''the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cy-
rus? BY no means. The Lord .often
stirs up the spirit Of men to do things,
and they never know why they turn in
one direction rather than in another.
The generous offer Of the monarch to
aid in the rebuilding Of the temple Is not
to be wholly attributed to his colonial
ton policy. There is certainly indica-
ton of special influence brought to bear
ON him. Nfl
Not all the Jews in Babylonia return
ed at this time, or at any time; far from
1t. We are not to think Of the return
from captivity as that Of a nation max
ing its way across from Babylon to Je-
rusalem, like the exodus from Egypt.
Many Of the Jews did not care to go
back; they were settled in Babylonia,
making a living in agriculture or trade,
and their affection or reverence for the
ancient home of their race was not SO
strong as practical consideration OF con-
venience. The number Of those who re-
turned at this time is given in the book
Of Ezra as 1890. Many more came In
following generations. fN3fl