And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record.
Hostile officials asked Darius to check the royal records, and the search started in Babylon — but the scroll turned up hundreds of miles away, in a fortress in Media. Commentators see God's hand in that detail: the one document that could save the work lay where no one thought to look.
The Search That Should Have Failed
The record was not in Babylon. One writer shows how much hangs on that:
H. L. RossierIn all this we can see the providence of God, watching over His people. The decree of Cyrus is found at Achmetha, in the province of the Medes, and not at Babylon (v. 2). That proves one thing: without God stepping in, even the most careful search would have come to nothing.
House Of The Rolls
The roll itself was not paper, as we might picture it:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe word "rolls" means "books," and these were clay tablets that carried the cuneiform writing. Neither the Aramaic nor the Hebrew language has a word for clay tablets. Whole libraries of such clay tablets have turned up at Nineveh and other places, and you can see them today in various museums. The searchers found the record they wanted at Achmetha — the Ecbatana of the Greek writers, the capital city of Media, and the modern Hamadan. God's providence had kept this interesting command of Cyrus safe, and the same providence guided the searchers to the place where it lay.
A reference work on Bible places notes that the word has been read in more than one way, and says why the royal papers lay there:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThis reads in the margin, "Ecbatana, or, in a coffer." Ezra 6:2. The Greek translation does not treat it as a proper name: there the passage reads, "And there was found in the city, in the palace, a volume." The modern Hamadan was in ancient times the summer home of the Persian kings, and the records of the kingdom seem to have been kept there. This is most probably the Achmetha of scripture.
The Enemies' Plan Turned Against Them
The enemies themselves set this search in motion:
Michael HardtThe opponents had written to Darius with the ultimate goal of stopping the building of the temple and of the city. But their strategy backfires.
One writer sees a wider pattern in it:
Edward DennettTo faith, God was plainly at work behind the scenes, using the power of the enemy to carry out His own purposes. Here is one more instance of how He makes all things work together for good to those who love Him.
More In The Scroll Than Anyone Expected
The scroll said more than the Jews' enemies had bargained for:
F. B. HoleOnce the original decree of Cyrus came to light, it proved to be fuller in its details and more favourable to the Jews than their adversaries had imagined. It demanded that no one hinder them. More than that, it demanded that people help them in their work and supply what they needed. And it demanded that all who set out to hinder or destroy should themselves be destroyed, and their houses made a rubbish heap.
Why Darius Ordered The Search At All
Darius had his own reason to honour anything that carried the name of Cyrus. One writer draws a lesson from it:
William KellyDarius was always ready to act on what Cyrus had done. He had the greatest regard and reverence for Cyrus as the founder of the empire... So God knows how to steer and arrange everything. Our business is not to set one king against another, but to go forward in the name of the Lord. We take His word as our full authority, sure that as we seek God's guidance, it is God's part to guide all men and all circumstances. That is His work, not ours.
Royal Decrees In Second Place
The found roll mattered — but it never held first rank in the story:
The Bible TreasuryThe authority of the great king came on the scene only to confirm God's word and His servants, and to force respect and help out of those who had tried to hinder. What an encouragement to look above the hills to Him who sits in the heavens!
Summary
- Searched. The hunt started in Babylon and found nothing. The roll lay at Achmetha in Media. Without God's hand in it, the most careful search would have come up empty.
- Preserved. Providence kept the clay-tablet record safe for years. The same providence steered the searchers to the shelf that held it.
- Reversed. The enemies called for the search to end the work. God used the power of the enemy to carry out His own purposes.
- Exceeded. The decree went further than the enemies expected: not just leave the Jews alone, but supply them, and punish anyone who blocks the work.
- Subordinate. Cyrus's roll and Darius's reply only confirmed God's word and His servants. Look above the hills to Him who sits in the heavens.