Christ in All the Scriptures by A.M. Hodgkin

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Christ in the Pentateuch
• Christ in the Historical Books
  • Joshua
  • Judges
  • Ruth
  • The Six Books of Kings
  • 1 Samuel
  • 2 Samuel
  • 1 Kings
  • 2 Kings
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah
  • Esther
• Christ in the Poetical Books
• Christ in the Prophets
• Christ in His Life on Earth
• Christ in Resurrection Power
• Christ in Future Glory

of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and burnt the house of the Lord, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces. And them that had escaped the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and to his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.”

Ezra

Cyrus is one of the most remarkable proofs that God’s Spirit speaks to those outside the covenant of His grace. Seventy years before, Jeremiah had prophesied the return of the Children of Israel from Babylon at this time. Isaiah, a hundred and seventy years before, foretold that one who did not know God, but whom He called by name—Cyrus—was to perform all God’s will in the restoration of His people. The Hebrew text reads Koresh for this name, instead of Kuresh, which latter would be the exact form for Cyrus. But the Hebrew points (vowel signs) were not inspired—not occurring in the ancient MSS.; the word, therefore, could be read either way, and no doubt is to be read Kuresh, when it exactly represents Cyrus. A marvellous prophecy, naming him long before he was born. It may well be that Daniel drew the attention of the great Persian conqueror to these prophecies, and that Cyrus learned much from him about the religion of the one true God.

God’s Spirit was at work also among His people, stirring many of them up to take this opportunity to return to Jerusalem and build the Temple. It was only the bitter persecution they had met with in Egypt that led them to come out from that land, leaving not a soul behind. In Babylon, on the other hand, they had prospered, and it was only those “whose spirit God had raised” who were willing to go back under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest. They numbered in all nearly 50,000; a very small remnant compared to the numbers in the old days of Israel’s prosperity, and also compared to the number who remained behind in Babylon.

Restoration. The Key-note of this book is Restoration; for in this faithful remnant we have a picture of restoration from backsliding, of individual faithfulness, and of a true effort after a closer walk with God. The worldliness and unbelief that we see all around us in the Church today need be no hindrance to a faithful walk, on our part, with the God who is still calling us to come out and be separate unto Himself.