3222 AM (538 BCE) – AS COMPARED TO OTHER KINGS
The door to the great hall burst open and was flooded by Persian warriors. The Babylonians, already aware that the Persian army was inside the city gates, had been running in terror. The guards secured everyone in the room.
Then Cyrus, the Great King of Persia, appeared. He was dressed in his battle regalia—resplendent in royal ornateness, dangerous in disposition. He stood at the doors, letting his eyes do most of the work. He saw what looked like graffiti on the wall in an ancient dialect of Babylonian. He saw King Belshazzar—if you could call him a king—pale with fear and lounging on a couch along the wall, wailing to himself.
Cyrus was used to that look. But what caught him most off guard was another man, dressed regally in a royal robe and standing next to the swooning king in expectation, as if he were expecting him. This drew Cyrus’s curiosity and prompted him to move toward him.
“Greetings, O Great King Cyrus, in the name of Adonai,” the man said as Cyrus approached.
“You,” Cyrus responded in surprise, “know Adonai?”
The swooning king, clearly inebriated, spoke up, “That is my greatest vassal, the wonderful Belteshazzar!” and then returned to stupefied wailing.
“Belteshazzar?” Cyrus inquired, looking at the man. “You mean Daniel.”
Daniel looked at Cyrus and then smiled. “What you say is true. As to how you know my name is a mystery.”
“Your Adonai told me where to find you. And here I am.” Cyrus looked up at the wall. “And what is this? A new form of Babylonian art?”
Without glancing up, Daniel answered with a slight shake of his head, “No, it’s a judgment … from Adonai. The first word is MENEH and means that there are kings that have value; the second word, TEKEL, means that Belshazzar here has been compared with those kings but is only a fraction of their value. And finally, PHARES means that judgment has been made by Adonai, and Belshazzar has been judged and found wanting.”
“Well, well,” Cyrus pondered. “Intriguing. I feel bad it took me this long to get here. I shall not keep your Adonai waiting any longer.”
With a snap of his fingers, Cyrus pointed to the swooning king. One of his men struck Belshazzar dead where he lay.
“Now,” Cyrus spoke, “your Adonai tells me that you have something He would like me to read?”
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Daniel and Cyrus entered the king’s tent. A large wooden table dominated the space. Daniel, clutching a scroll as if his life depended on it, looked at the king, who motioned to him.
Walking to the table, he partially unrolled the scroll. “These are the words of Isaiah. It’s in Hebrew, so I will translate—”
“Read it in Hebrew,” the king interrupted. “I have had occasion to learn your language. Your Adonai has made it easy for me to add it to the many other languages I speak. So, please, read it in Hebrew.”
Daniel looked up as he was unrolling the scroll, and with a quick glance, nodded. He continued rolling the scroll until he reached the place. “OK, Great King, here is what the scroll says:”
“This is what Adonai says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have used to subdue the nations that surround him. I have used him to strip lesser kings of their armor, and I have opened every door before him. I will go before him and level every mountain, break down every bronze gate, and cut every iron bar. I will give you hidden treasures and riches stored in secret places. I do all this so that you, Cyrus, know that I am Adonai and that I have summoned you by name. I am the Elohim of Judah, and for the sake of Jacob My servant, Israel My chosen people, I have summoned you by name and bestowed you with honor and title, though you have not known Me. Well, know Me now. I am Adonai, who created the heavens above and the earth, and there is none like Me. I created the light along with the darkness; I give blessing to some and curses to others. I will give justice to all, and My judgment will sprout over all of Creation, for I, Adonai, have created it all.”
“And it goes on,” Daniel said, looking up.
Daniel waited for Cyrus to respond, but Cyrus was looking through Daniel, clearly lost in his own thoughts. His eyes darted as he processed the many words. Finally, Cyrus looked at Daniel. “Let me see. Where?”
Daniel repositioned the scroll and pointed. In Hebrew, Cyrus looked at the word “כורש,” which translated roughly into Persian as “Koresh,” though he knew the Hebrew pronunciation was fluid and “Cyrus” was a perfectly legitimate reading of the vowelless text.
But it was not his name that settled the truth of the text—it was what it said about his victories. He had always assumed he was as lucky as he was skilled, but it made far more sense that the hand of Adonai had been directing him. He wasn’t offended. It was a kind of relief.
Cyrus looked up at Daniel. “I believe. Now what?”
Daniel raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Well, that is up to Adonai.”
“Yes,” Cyrus agreed. “I certainly would say so as well.”
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It was another chilly night as the Great King Cyrus once again found himself on a moonlit stroll. As he walked the streets, he could see the city was abandoned. The wind outside the city walls howled, but the walls provided him protection from the undesirable gales.
As he crested a large hill, he saw a magnificent temple standing. There was a column of fire at one end of the temple that reached high into the heavens and lit up the area around the temple, but the temple was not consumed.
King Cyrus stared in amazement at the sight.
A man, standing next to Cyrus, asked, “What do you think?”
Cyrus glanced at the man and knew immediately who it was.
“It’s magnificent. What is this place?” Cyrus inquired of Adonai.
Adonai smiled. “Well, it would be hard to explain in a way you would understand. Let’s just say it’s My presence dwelling in their midst, and that’s My temple. It was a gift given to Me by My servant David, and it was built by his son.”
“But,” Adonai said as He waved His hand.
The fire disappeared; the temple now lay in ruin, as did the city all around it, in utter devastation. The bitterly cold gusts, once blocked by the magnificent walls and the numerous buildings, now blew freely through the city and through Cyrus’s sleeping robe. Cyrus was suddenly shivering violently.
“But none of the kings honored My commands. None of them had the heart of My servant David. So, I had it destroyed—all of it—by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, nearly seventy years ago. I spoke to Nebuchadnezzar, as I am speaking to you today, and he obeyed Me, as I hope you will as well.”
“Through the hand of Babylon, I sent My people into exile—those who would go. And now, it’s time for them to come home. There is still a great work to be done here, and you are the one to send them back. My servant Ezra will know what to do.”
Adonai turned to the shivering Cyrus, who struggled to stand against the fierce wind. “Are you willing to let My people go?”
The wind was at an absolute roar. Thus, with substantial effort, the Great King had to shout over the wind to Adonai, “I will do as You say!”
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Cyrus opened his eyes. He heard the raging winds as a distant echo. He looked around and sat up in his tent. He was warm and very much alone.
Moments later, the king’s servant entered. “Good morning, O Great King. I see you are up. How may I assist you?”
Without hesitation, Cyrus looked straight into the man’s eyes and answered, “Go now! Get my scribes. I have an edict to declare! And go get me Daniel’s friend, Ezra. He is going to want to hear this.”
Used with permission by the author. Find the author’s complete works online: Complete Works of Mack Samuels
