And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
Cyrus's decree does not stop with permission to leave; its final clause turns to the people who will stay behind and tells them to fund the ones who go. It names two kinds of gift: supplies for the traveller, and a voluntary gift for the house of God. So who really has a share in this work?
The Third Part of the Decree
The verse ends a proclamation that moves outward in three stages: the king, the willing, and those who stay. One writer sets out the structure:
Edward DennettThree things are announced here. First, the commission Cyrus himself had received about the Lord's house. Second, his royal permission for any of the Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the temple. Last, his invitation to the Jews who would remain in his lands: they could have fellowship with those who left, by freewill offerings towards the object they had in view.
So the Jew who stays behind — "in whatever place he sojourns" — is not excused. He is invited into the same purpose as the man who travels.
Freedom That Comes With Riches
Cyrus lets the captives go, but not empty-handed. He tells their neighbours to send them off with silver, gold, goods and beasts. One writer sees the God behind the king's words:
Leslie M. GrantNotice, he does not give any honour to the idols of Persia, but says of the God of Israel, "He is God" (v. 3). He also told the neighbours of anyone concerned about this journey to Jerusalem to assist him "with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem" (v. 4). This was not only a matter of liberating slaves, but enriching them. So Cyrus rightly represented a God of grace.
Note the distinction the verse itself draws. The silver and beasts help the man; the freewill offering is for the house.
A Share for Those Who Stay
Verse 5 describes those whose spirit God stirred to go up. Verse 4 speaks to everyone else. The two verses fit together as one arrangement:
Michael HardtThose whose spirits were raised up were to go up (v. 5). Others who would not go up themselves are told to support them with material help (v. 4). It is beautiful to read that they did so (v. 6).
And they did give. Far more stayed than went, yet the record keeps their generosity, not their reluctance.
Why So Few Went Up
The offer was open to all, yet the response was thin. One writer contrasts the motives of the two groups without excusing either:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinBut not all were ready to go back; only a small remnant was willing. The great majority preferred to remain in Babylon. There was nothing to attract them to Jerusalem — the city of ruins, with the once magnificent temple in ruins. Those who returned loved Jerusalem, the place the LORD had chosen. Only there could they bring the appointed offerings and sacrifices… And the Jews who remained helped them generously in every way.
The Hand of God Behind Every Giver
The same work of God appears in three very different people: a foreign emperor, the families who travelled, and the neighbours who paid. Nobody organised it:
Edward DennettIn this chapter we have all the signs of a genuine work of God. A shared heart and purpose is produced in all concerned. It appears in Cyrus, without whose permission the captives could not have returned. It appears in the leading fathers of Judah and Benjamin, who were needed for the actual work of building. It appears in those who remained, who had fellowship with their brothers through their freewill offerings and so contributed towards the necessary expenses. There were no preliminary meetings to arrange things and reach agreement. The union of heart and purpose was produced only by the action of the Lord on the hearts of all alike. This distinguishes a divine work from a human one, and is the sure proof of a real working of the Spirit of God. Every needed instrument comes forward at the right moment, for the work is of God, and it must be accomplished.
The Object of It All
Both the journey and the gift served one object:
Hamilton SmithTo build the house of God, a remnant had been set free from the corruptions of Babylon and brought back to God's land… Those who remained in captivity were urged to help with a "freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem."
Summary
- Stirred — the same God who moved Cyrus to write the decree moved the families to travel and the neighbours to give. No meeting arranged it. That agreement marks a work as God's, not man's.
- Freed — release from Babylon came with silver, gold, goods and beasts. The captives were not only set free but enriched. A foreign king's words showed a God of grace.
- Sent — only a small remnant went; the majority stayed. A city of ruins attracts nobody but those who love the place God has chosen.
- Shared — the one who stayed still had a part: he supplied the traveller and added a freewill offering. Fellowship in the work reached further than the road to Jerusalem.
- Built — help for the man and a gift for the house are two different things here. Both served one object: the house of God in Jerusalem.