Day 222 – The time between: The Persian period
(539 to 336 BC)
“Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 38:23 NLT
From the Babylonian exile, four important empire periods shaped the landscape of the world into which Jesus was born. Ezekiel prophesied in chapter 38 about the fall of Persia and the many nations that stood against God and Israel. This prophecy also points to the end of days, where God will, in all finality, destroy those against His people.
In the very first year of his reign, Cyrus, the king of Persia, freed the Israelites from their captivity and encouraged them to return to their homeland (Ezra 1). His successor, King Darius, continued Persia’s pro-Israel policy, even threatening with capital punishment those who hindered the Israelites from rebuilding their Temple and resettling in their land (Ezra 6).
However, several key developments began to reshape their practice of religion. As a result of their many years in exile, the Jews began to worship in local synagogues spread throughout the Persian Empire, even after the Temple was rebuilt. People with questions about God became more likely to turn to a teacher of the law rather than a priest. During this time, the Israelites also came into religious conflict with the Samaritans. (Descendants of Israelites who had been left behind during the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and intermarried with these nations).
The ensuing religious and ethnic strife between Jews and Samaritans proved to be long-lasting, which made it all the more amazing when Jesus later took the time to speak to a Samaritan woman in John 4.
Prayer: Father, thank You for these periods and for showing us how these periods influenced the perfect time for Jesus and thank You for the history from which we can learn to better understand the landscape of Jesus’s ministry. Amen.
