Ezra 6 – When a secular government honours God
Sermon notes:
Ezra 1-5 Recap
Ezra 1 God is sovereign, so let God be God!
If God promised it, it will happen – “in order to fulfil prophecy”
God is the king of kings – “the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus”
The riches of the world are at God’s disposal – “the peoples are to provide them with silver and gold”
Ezra 3 Start at the altar
Sacrifice and celebration
Orderly and messy
Not always the place of presence but it was the gateway to glory (holy of holies)
Ezra 4 Building up the temple
The NT temple – Jesus, the Church, the Christian – the place of his presence
Opposition 1 – Infiltration – disrupt from within
Opposition 2 – Discouragement and fear
Opposition 3 – Bring in the big dogs
We are rebels
The enemy is threatened by our presence
Ezra 5 (& Haggai 1) Building up the temple, again
Why did the building stop?
Opposition
Lack of opposition
The consequences of not building
1: God is not happy
2: We are not happy
Our response (Does this even apply to me?)
1: Partner with the Holy Spirit and keep building
2: Resist the devil and he will flee from you
Ezra 6 – a decree and a dedication
In Ezra 5 we find the Jews attempting to build the temple again, which of course gains attention from the enemy. The local officials ask what they are doing and the Jewish builders claim that the previous king of Babylon authorised the build. So a letter is sent from these enemy onlookers reporting this and asking the king to find out if such a decree ever existed. I suspect they imagined no such building authorisation would be found, in which case they would have had every right to stop the building once again.
But here we will circle back to the theme of chapter 1 where we see God’s absolute sovereignty. These opponents to the build are in for a surprise!
Darius Approves the Rebuilding
6 So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, which were stored in the treasury. 2 But it was at the fortress at Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found. This is what it said:
“Memorandum:
3 “In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem.
“Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet.[a]
4 Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God.”
6 So King Darius sent this message:
“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River,[b] and Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues and other officials west of the Euphrates River—stay away from there! 7 Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.
8 “Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not be interrupted.
9 “Give the priests in Jerusalem whatever is needed in the way of young bulls, rams, and male lambs for the burnt offerings presented to the God of heaven. And without fail, provide them with as much wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil as they need each day. 10 Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the welfare of the king and his sons.
11 “Those who violate this decree in any way will have a beam pulled from their house. Then they will be lifted up and impaled on it, and their house will be reduced to a pile of rubble.[c] 12 May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this Temple.
“I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed with all diligence.”
WHEN A KING OR GOVERNMENT RECOGNISES GOD’S GREATNESS
- The work of the church can go on unhindered (6: ‘stay away’! 11: punishment)
- The work of the church gains support (8: help them & ‘without delay’)
- The work is resourced from outside (8: pay all construction costs)
- Worship is respected (9: give the priests whatever they need, 10: then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices)
- Prayer is valued (10: pray for the welfare of the king and his sons)
Imagine this in the UK!
It seems unimaginable, but it did for the Jews, too.
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