Ezra 1:7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods
A month a half ago, we were in a consignment store in Florida. It had old stuff, bric-a-brac and old junk of different kinds. This was a high-end consignment store, so there were all kinds of ornate and at one time costly decorations for a fine house. There were outdated tools that I did not recognize. There were fascinating books that had probably been out of print for some time. I found those interesting. And there was some clothing on consignment. One of those articles was a World War II era army-issued overcoat. The imagination just runs wild. I can just see this overcoat on the back of a GI in the early 40s as he made his way from a train station in the Midwest to New York or San Diego and then to a ship to be sent abroad to the theater of combat. I don’t know if any of that happened with this overcoat, but you can imagine this inanimate object and the stories it might tell if it could.
I have similar thoughts when I think about the temple treasures, the vessels. There was a long story to these vessels that had once resided in God’s temple. They were made for Jehovah by the order of Solomon out of the treasure that David had accumulated. They were made by very skilled artisans and craftsmen and placed into the temple.
They were stolen by Nebuchadnezzar. When Judah was conquered, II Chronicles 36:18 says, “And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasure of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.” Daniel 1 says, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.” So, when Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and stole the vessels from God’s temple, he took them back to his own temple as if to say, “My god has given me victory over Jehovah and His people.” As we will see in a moment, nothing is further from the truth.
Now, they were stolen by Nebuchadnezzar, but there was a time when the king of Babylon was drinking himself drunk even as he was about to be replaced by the new king who conquered Babylon. So, the vessels were made for Jehovah, stolen by Nebuchadnezzar, misused by Nebuchadnezzar, and finally brought forth by Cyrus.
When you get to Ezra 1:1, it says of King Cyrus, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing.” Basically, he told the people of Israel they could go back to Jerusalem and begin the rebuilding, including the rebuilding of the temple.
Now, that kind of brings full circle to this amazing story. Just think if these vessels could have talked! These vessels for the temple had been made for Jehovah, stolen by Nebuchadnezzar, and brought forth by Cyrus. That is providence.
Verse 7 says, “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem.” So, these amazing vessels belonged to God, but there is another type of vessel these represent, the vessels of the men we have mentioned. Cyrus was himself a vessel of God. Nebuchadnezzar himself was a vessel of God. God says in Jeremiah 27:6, “And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.” Nebuchadnezzar may not have known or acknowledged it, but he was a vessel of God.
Friend, the point is that you and I are vessels. What is a vessel? It is a receptacle that holds something. If we belong to God, it holds the truth. A vessel is also an implement to do something. In short, a vessel is a receptable that holds something and an implement that does something, which means it has a purpose. God had a purpose for the kings, the vessels of the temple, and for the people over which God was sovereign. There is a purpose in God’s design.
The objects of silver and gold were vessels. They simply held and did the work that God had for them to do. These men, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, and the Jewish people had a purpose. Success is submitting to God’s purpose. The choices you make do matter, but ultimately there is a God in Heaven who reigns no matter who may rule on earth. He is in control and He will win. To have success, think, “What does God want and how shall I do it?” You may not know the big picture. You don’t need to because God does. You may not know all that God specifically has for you to hold or do, but God does and will give you all the light you need for tomorrow. If you are going to succeed, remember that success is simply submitting to the purpose of God.