|
|
Ezra Chapter 5
Rebuilding Begins Anew
- Ezra 5:1 Then the
prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo,
prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the
name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
- 2 Then rose up
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak,
and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and
with them were the prophets of God helping them.
Here was an act of faith. The prophets
began to urge them to rebuild regardless of having no decree to
continue after it was stopped. This time God commanded them and they
listened to God.
- Ezra 5:3 At the same
time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and
Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them,
Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this
wall?
- 4 Then said we unto
them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make
this building?
- 5 But the eye of
their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not
cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then
they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
Here came what we would think of as
trouble makers that challenged their authority to rebuild the
temple. Actually Cyrus gave them that authority but another king
undid what Cyrus decreed but they decided to build anyway because
God through the prophets spoke and encouraged the work to continue.
I've heard accounts today of churches
being harassed even in the United States with all kind of rules and
regulations, building permits, meetings, and working to get
permission to build churches. They get into all kinds of legal
difficulties in many places. We are over regulated even in the
United States. Farmers are overtaxed heavily, Laws against
unpasturized milk causes them to harass the Amish people and cause
them trouble.
I just read the other day of an Amish
farm being raided. For what? Stealing, killing, raping? No. For dong
what mankind has been doing since the begin beginning of the
creation. Milking cows, growing food and trying to live.
Pasturization kills the very things that are necessary for health.
Over boiling kills necessary Enzymes needed for proper digestion of
food. Once butter was said to cause heart attacks so they subsituted
margarine. Now we know that margarine is dangerous and butter is
good. We need to start making our own health decisions.
Tattenai's Letter to King Darius
- Ezra 5:6 The copy of
the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and
Shetharboznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were
on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king:
- 7 They sent a letter
unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all
peace.
- 8 Be it known unto
the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house
of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber
is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and
prospereth in their hands.
- 9 Then asked we
those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to
build this house, and to make up these walls?
- 10 We asked their
names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of
the men that were the chief of them.
- 11 And thus they
returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of
heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these
many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set
up.
- 12 But after that
our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave
them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the
Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away
into Babylon.
- 13 But in the first
year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a
decree to build this house of God.
- 14 And the vessels
also of gold and silver of the house of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and
brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the
king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered
unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made
governor;
- 15 And said unto
him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is
in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.
- 16 Then came the
same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God
which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath
it been in building, and yet it is not finished.
- 17 Now therefore, if
it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king's
treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so,
that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of
God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us
concerning this matter.
Here are the supposed do gooders to try
to stop a good work to honor and worship God. We've had this kind of
stuff all through history. Instead of going after real criminals,
governments have oppressed the harassed those that just want to live
in peace and worship God. God created governments for the good of
innocent citizens not to harrass and go after those that are just
wanting to live peacefully. It is the same even today. Again, many
times it's all about money and sometimes it is just to stop the true
worship of the living God.
To give these ment he benefit of the doubt,
they were so used to being under a Emperor or a king that they might
have feared trouble from the Presian king.
What people in authority do not realize is if
they try to stop God's people from living for God, they are being
agents of Satan. This causes God's hand of protection to be moved
against those countries and eventually they lose their authority and
cease to exist.
God sees it when those in authority
harass and persecute His people. No one will get by with anything.
Thankfully Darius has the sense to
uphold the decree of Cyrus and allowed them to rebuild their temple.
The walls were built years later under Nehemiah. DC
Ezra Chapter 6
|
|