But it's the giving of the gold and the silver and the utensils and the precious things from the temple. This raises questions.
What a lot of encouragement that generation had! This is all prophesied. Over a century before Isaiah had prophesied by name, Cyrus, and what he would do. Jeremiah had spoken of him in great detail, and what he would accomplish. Those prophecies had to be fulfilled. Cyrus is the second most prophesied human being in history. Christ is the most by far, and Cyrus, oddly enough, is the second most prophesied person in history. Most people have never been prophesied, not even great ones. So prophecy was fulfilled. All the natural order was turned round, and the unexpected, in point after point, was accomplished, and the people of God were heading back to their land. These things are remarkable.
God has absolute dominion in that even godless kings serve his purposes. To the eye of faith, God’s hand is over all. He may subdue a nation so that it receives the gospel or he may harden it fit for judgment.