Ezra 6 FINALLY - FINISHED! Haggai had encouraged Zerubbabel and Joshua to continue the work of rebuilding the temple and challenged (rebuked) the careless worship of the Lord's people. God does not grant a great spiritual blessing when there is half-hearted obedience or outright disobedience to God's will and word. Zechariah also prophesied during the time of rebuilding and took a different approach to the same matter. He emphasized the fact that it was God who wanted this work to be completed. He pointed out that God has a plan for Israel's future when Messiah will come and He will reign. Our responsibility is to do what God wants today with the best of our ability. For us to be half-hearted about spiritual things, or careless in the way we approach the work of God is an indication of what is important to us. It is not what we have or want in the present that is important, but how does each day's activities affect our future when we live and reign with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Tatnai the governor did listen to Zerubbabel and Joshua so that when he laid his complaint to Darius, he must have realized there would have been a record of the returnees to the area he governed. It seems like he did not think the rebuilding of the temple was really done by official sanction. His suggestion in his letter to Darius suggested that there would be a written decree if what the Jews said was true, When the decree of Cyrus was found in the original capital city of the Medes, there was no question in Darius' mind that the work in Jerusalem was legitimate. The temple was to be rebuilt by the command of the "God of heaven" and of the earthly leader. God can use anyone He chooses to work His will. The written word is the best way to put a stop to speculation and arguments when conflicts arise between individuals and/or groups. This put to rest the "he said, she said" kind of dialogue that makes a conclusion of a matter difficult.
God arranged, through the decree of Darius, that all opposition be stopped in no uncertain terms, and that cooperation be given until the work was finished. We do not always know how God will bring about the desired result to a work in which we are involved, but we can trust Him to bring to pass His divine will, and in faith, we can continue with confidence in that work until it is finished. It is our responsibility to be in the place God wants us doing the things He wants in the way He wants, and doing that work for His glory.
The written words of Cyrus made it clear that "the house of God at Jerusalem" was to be built on the same site as Solomon's temple for the purpose of offering sacrifices. Cyrus had been acting under the authority of the Lord when he described the building, the size of it and the materials to be used. When Darius made his decree, he worded it strongly and direct so there could be no misunderstanding on the part of those who complained. Likely the influence of Daniel and his testimony before Darius as to who "the God of heaven" is, gave the king a certain reverential fear of God. The testimony of a believer from day to day, as well as in crisis times like in a lions’ den, has a power associated with it that is more than mere natural human experience.
The "do not interfere" with the temple building was not a suggestion but a dogmatic statement to which was attached a serious "or else" statement. Six times "the house of God" was referred to in the king's decree. "The God of heaven" was referred to twice, and "the God that has caused His name to dwell there" phrase, indicated the king knew he was a lesser authority that the Lord God of Israel. The "powers that be" often seek to usurp the authority God reserves for Himself and so consequently there are ways that God makes Himself known that are beyond human ability to control. When as a nation, we took the keys of life into our hand to make sin convenient as in abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage etc, our nation made an awful mistake.
Now natural disasters, uncontrollable weather, floods and fires should be wake-up calls to us as a nation, that God is not pleased at all with what we are allowing. Almost every time these things happen, we hear leaders and commentators say, "Our prayers are with you," but they only use them as a sanctimonious form of speech rather than a call to sincere repentance. It is almost like a complaint to God such as "Why did you let this happen to us? You are supposed to be nice to us. We are all good people and you are being mean to us."
The source of provision for the building of the temple and of those who were engaged in the work came from an unexpected source. Darius made it plain to the governor and those local leaders that they should provide the supplies for the work to go ahead in earnest and without any shortages. Darius even realized the importance of sacrifices even though he would know the meaning of them only in a general way. To know and admit one's need of God and the intercession of others for one's family by those who rule is uncommon. Darius knew his limitations and that of his sons even though he was not one of God's people. Often in times of crisis we hear people say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you" even though they do not pray. We as believers are called upon to prayer "for kings and those in authority," and as intercessors we can change the way God works in our country.
To ignore a king's decree meant ignoring the king himself, and that would mean death to the careless or self-opinionated person. Without the interference of those in opposition, the building was successfully advanced until it was completed without hindrance or stop. The words of Haggai and Zechariah kept the work on track and the laborers involved without turning to their own personal interests. It would have greatly encouraged the people of God to hear the king's decree, but it did not excuse them for their inactivity and lack of commitment to the building of the house of God for those wasted years. The prophets, the kings, the leaders and the laborers were under the authority of God, and His word and will were obeyed. The work of God prospered and came to a successful completion.
When a work of God is set before us, we need to go ahead in that work with confidence even though we may not know how all the needs will be met when we start the work. Acting in faith in God is enough assurance to us that God will provide what is needed. "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." To many people "the place of the name" is unimportant, but even unbelievers recognize the uniqueness of a local assembly when we all take heed and commit ourselves to walk in the ways of the Lord and "not forsake the assembling of [ourselves] together, as the manner of some is..." We need to take care that we never do anything to undermine the work of God, the assembly of God, and the people of God. It is incumbent on us to do what God wants without grumbling or complaining about it. There is no reason for us to alter what the word of God says in any way, or to choose what parts we want to obey and ignore or reject other parts.
"The dedication of this house of God with joy" would not soon be forgotten. All the people were there for the "feast of dedication" and the renewal of all that had been written in the "book of Moses." There was joy at the beginning of the building years before and there was joy at its completion. It was sad that there were so many years of failure, indifference and sadness in between. This time of dedication was different and less glorious than that of Solomon's temple, but it did not limit nor diminish in any way the presence of God with His people.
Not every work of God is the same in every place. Some are very dramatic ands others are quirt and hardly noticed. But whatever the outward appearance to people is like, God is honored and blesses His people when they carry out His word. Ceremonies mark important events and are valuable in maintaining an interest in spiritual things. Ordinances such as baptism and the Lord's Supper are not mere ceremonies but are commands of God. True they remind us of important events, but are different in that we have not been given the option of refusing them. Ceremonies bring joy to people. Obeying ordinances brings joy to God.
The order of the priest and Levites were established according to the word of God. The Lord's people were separated from the sinful activities of the people living around them. The returnees had come from captivity to freedom in the Lord. Their unique identity had been recovered to them. Their worship was now in the right place at the right time. No more "hanging harps on willows." It seems like there were even converts to the truth of God by those who had been living there for seventy years. Their families would have grown up without a clear understanding of who they were and why they were a unique people.
Separation from the world, its ways, its religions and its sins are only part of what separation is. We are also separated unto the Lord, His truth and His church. There should be no empty space between what we leave and where we go in which we make up our own minds as to what we want. Our responsibility is to be where God wants us doing what He wants. We can't mix the world and the kingdom of God. Recovery, restoration and revival brings joy to the Lord's people. The Lord worked on the heart of and unbelieving king to make His will known, and then on another to bring to pass that which was His will.
We are still involved in this building process of the church today. it is not right for us to dwell on our failures and faults nor on the failures and faults of others. The work is the Lord's and the objective of the work is the glory of God. We may feel the need of recovery and restoration but that is no excuse for inactivity in the things of God. "Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."