Cyrus and leadership lessons

Joyce Voysey

I see the land was called Judah at that time.  And Isaiah was the prophet; amazing Isaiah.  See Isa. 44:26-28.  He even named Cyrus as the anointed of the Lord - Isa 45:1.  This prophecy was been made some 150 years before the people were taken away to Babylon.  Dummelow's One Volume Bible Commentary describes Cyrus, “as being consecrated to carry out the purposes of Jehovah,  i.e. to release Israel from Babylon.”  Angels come is various guises, don’t they?

However, I find that some scholars think that Cyrus’ actual name was inserted after the event somehow.

The introduction (verses 1-4) to our book this month – Ezra - give us the idea that Cyrus, the king of Persia who had conquered Babylon (the Medes*), where the Jews had been enslaved for 50 years, was a good man and recognised the God of the Jewish people.
  One thinks that surely the story of Daniel gives us a clue as to why this was so.  The king in Daniel’s story was very impressed with Daniel’s God after seeing the result of Daniel’s trust, even in the den of lions. 

(*Note from the Editor: The Medes were among the various Indo-Iranian peoples who began settling in modern Iran beginning in the 4th millennium BC.  In 585 BC, [their ruler] Cyaxares died, leaving his throne to Astyages... After a long rule, he lost his kingdom to the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 550 BC after a 3 years long war.  Ref- http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Medes)

Now, I gather that the book of Daniel was written much later than the exile, but it is partly founded on stories from long before that, i.e. the exile.

All of this tells me that it is necessary to know the whole of the Bible in order to get an understanding of any of its characters – one continuous thread, you could say.  I am so grateful that this book club work is prompting me to dig deeper into Bible history.  I find that I have very much to learn.  How exciting is that! 

Hello!  Here is an interesting titbit: “Cyrus…entered Babylon by diverting the Euphrates from its usual channel and marching by the river bed.”  Dummelow p. 442

Found on the internet from Forbes (magazine, I imagine).

 CMO Network   (http://www.forbes.com/cmo-network/)

4/19/2012 @ 10:17AM |65,133 views

9 Timeless Leadership Lessons from Cyrus the Great

Xenophon's Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War

The greatest book on business and leadership was written in the 4th century BC by a Greek about a Persian King. Yeah, that’s right.

Behold: Cyrus the Great, the man that historians call “the most amiable of conquerors,” and the first king to found “his empire on generosity” instead of violence and tyranny. Consider Cyrus the antithesis to Machiavelli’s ideal Prince. The author, himself the opposite of Machiavelli, was Xenophon, a student of Socrates.

The book is a veritable classic in the art of leadership, execution, and responsibility. Adapted from Larry Hendrick’s excellent translation, here are nine lessons in leadership from Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great:

Be Self-Reliant

“Never be slow in replenishing your supplies. You’ll always be on better terms with your allies if you can secure your own provisions…Give them all they need and your troops will follow you to the end of the earth.”

Be Generous

“Success always calls for greater generosity–though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed. Collecting boot [is] not an end itself, but only a means for building [an] empire. Riches would be of little use to us now–except as a means of winning new friends.”

Be Brief

“Brevity is the soul of command. Too much talking suggests desperation on the part of the leader. Speak shortly, decisively and to the point–and couch your desires in such natural logic that no one can raise objections. Then move on.”

Be a Force for Good

“Whenever you can, act as a liberator. Freedom, dignity, wealth–these three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity. If you bequeath all three to your people, their love for you will never die.”

Be in Control

[After punishing some renegade commanders] “Here again, I would demonstrate the truth that, in my army, discipline always brings rewards.”

Be Fun

“When I became rich, I realized that no kindness between man and man comes more naturally than sharing food and drink, especially food and drink of the ambrosial excellence that I could now provide. Accordingly, I arranged that my table be spread everyday for many invitees, all of whom would dine on the same excellent food as myself. After my guests and I were finished, I would send out any extra food to my absent friends, in token of my esteem.”

Be Loyal

[When asked how he planned to dress for a celebration] “If I can only do well by my friends, I’ll look glorious enough in whatever clothes I wear.”

Be an Example

“In my experience, men who respond to good fortune with modesty and kindness are harder to find than those who face adversity with courage.”

Be Courteous and Kind

“There is a deep–and usually frustrated–desire in the heart of everyone to act with benevolence rather than selfishness, and one fine instance of generosity can inspire dozens more. Thus I established a stately court where all my friends showed respect to each other and cultivated courtesy until it bloomed into perfect harmony.”

There’s a reason Cyrus found students and admirers in his own time as well as the ages that followed. From Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to Julius Caesar and Alexander (and yes, even Machiavelli), great men have read his inspiring example and put it to use in the pursuit of their own endeavors.

That isn’t bad company.