God Stirs Up

King Cyrus

A Lesson By: Tam Walls

During the first year of King Cyrus, God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus and caused him to make a written proclamation throughout all of his kingdom. In the proclamation Cyrus wrote that God had charged him to build God a house in Jerusalem. Cyrus asked who among the children of Israel would go up to Jerusalem and build the house of God.

A Proclamation

The Spirit of God touched the hearts of the chief fathers of Judah and Benjamin as well as the priests and Levites and caused them to go up and build the house of the Lord. There were thousands of others among the children of Israel who went up also and willingly donated vessels of silver, gold, assorted goods, beast, and other precious things to help in the building.

the spirit of god

King Cyrus ordered that the vessels of the house which were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, be brought forth and given for the building. The number of vessels were thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred.

Vessels numbered

And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in the cities and gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. The priests immediately built an altar to offer burnt offerings unto God according to the law of Moses. They did this because of the fear of the people of the countries around them. The priests offered burnt offerings unto the Lord morning and evening.

Altar built

A smaller model of what the altar may of looked like according to the

scriptures.

While in Jerusalem the people kept the Feast of Tabernacles, the new moons, and all the set feast of the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. However, the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. Money was given to masons, carpenters and food, drink, and oil to the people of Zidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon.

Feasts & new moons kept

In the second year of Israel’s coming to Jerusalem, the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, were appointed to begin the work of the house of the Lord. When the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid, the priest were set in their apparel with trumpets. There were Levites with cymbals ready to praise the Lord. Together they sang praises giving thanks unto the Lord for his goodness and mercy toward Israel.

Rebuilding begins

The people shouted with a great shout because the foundation of the house of God was laid! But many of ancient men, that saw the first house of God, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice and many shouted for joy. The noise was so great that the people who heard in the distance was unable to discern the noise of joy from the noise of the weeping.

Joy & tears

The End!

Questions?

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