Ezra 5

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Ezra 5:11-16, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,  and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

“So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”

Work on the temple had been delayed (due to the opposition we talked about yesterday) for about sixteen years.  Now, it was time to get back to work, time for a new beginning.  However, the restarting of construction arouses suspicion among the pagan politicians of the area.  Thus, they inquire of the Jews about the building project.  As our focus verses for today illustrate, the Jewish leaders quite eloquently laid out a brief history of the temple, why it was destroyed, and why they were rebuilding. 

But the governor of the area is determined to get to the bottom of the situation.  He actually sends a letter to the king to verify that Cyrus really did give permission for this work to take place.  But we see God’s hand of intervention here.  The governor does not stop the work, he allows it to go on as they are waiting to hear back.  Keep in mind, it could take five or six months to simply receive a reply.  The Jewish people are faithful, they keep working hard on the temple, unsure of what the king’s answer will be.  Ultimately, they trust God.  They forge ahead, trusting that God is the one who has authority over every human king and governor.  The Lord of all will ensure that HIS will is done.

Let’s pray…Lord, You have authority over all things.  If you call us to do something, then we will have faith that you will see us through.  In Your Name, Amen.