Introduction

Since it has been a couple weeks since we were in Ezra, I want to review where we are in the story so that we can better feel the weight of today’s text. Remember that the story begins in 586 B.C. with the darkest moment in Israel’s history. Babylon invaded Jerusalem and destroyed Israel’s two central marks of God’s favor and hope for the future—the temple and the Davidic line of kings. It was absolutely devastating.

But then some 50 years later, the seemingly impossible happened. Babylon fell, just as God said, and 42,000 Jews came home! Yes, rebuilding their lives and their temple were overwhelming tasks, but they went to work. And then they celebrated enthusiastically when they completed the foundation of the temple.

But last time we saw that joy turned to gloom when the Samaritans began oppressing them and even turned the Persian court against Israel. They made life so difficult that the Jews abandoned construction on the temple and went home. For roughly 16 years they did little if any work on the temple.

Imagine the mental struggle during those years. “Will we ever finish our temple?” “Will God keep his promises?” “Why would God call us to uproot our comfortable lives in Babylon just to lead us into such a miserable state? Maybe we should have stayed.”

But thankfully, God was not done! He is always faithful to his promise. Ezra 5–6 record the climax of the 1^st return as God enabled his people to finish the temple and rejoice in his blessing. But like everything else in Ezra it wasn’t easy. Today, we’ll look at Ezra 5. Let’s pick up the story by reading vv. 1–5. Notice first, the inspiration for the project.

I.  The Inspiration (vv. 1–2)

Israel’s Situation: Ezra 4:24 says that it is now the “2^nd year of the reign of Darius.” We know that this is 520 B.C., or roughly 16 years since temple construction began and then probably ended pretty quickly.

So, little if anything had happened for 16 years when God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to rebuke and inspire the people. We have a record their prophecies in the books named after them.

I want to read some of their prophecies today because they provide fascinating context for our story, and because these men were powerful preachers (Haggai 1:1–11). Notice a few things about Israel’s situation. First, we’ve already seen that they were…

Oppressed (Ezra 4): Ezra 4:4–5 say that the Samaritans, “discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, and hired counselors against them.” They made building so difficult that v. 24 says the project ground to a halt. And for 16 years, the Jews suffered under this pressure. I’m sure it hung like a heavy cloud over all of life. However, Haggai also tells us that they were…

Settled (1:4): Specifically, after 16 years the people had settled into “paneled house.” In other words, their homes were complete and comfortable. Life was pretty good. Yet Haggai also tells us that they were…

Outside God’s Blessing: Have you ever felt like your life is v. 6? You work so hard, but your profit never seems to match your effort. There must be a hole in your pocket, because your money and time seem to disappear faster than they should. That’s where Israel was. Their harvests were small, and prices were low. No matter how hard they worked, they couldn’t get ahead.

And imagine hearing an inspired prophet tell you it’s because God is judging you. Ouch! That’s where Israel was. Haggai says that God was judging them for neglecting the temple.

They probably justified the delay by saying, “We’ll get around to the temple someday when we have a little more in the bank.” But God warns, “I will not be pushed down the priority list. Put me first, and I’ll take care of the rest.” Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). But Israel wasn’t listening, and they were lost without God’s blessing. 4^th…

Unholy (Haggai 2:10–14): Haggai doesn’t give many details, but God was clearly not pleased with Israel’s obedience. Their sin and uncleanness had separated them from God’s presence and favor.

In sum, after 16 years the returnees’ original zeal and holiness had grown cold and calloused. And God’s favor had cooled with it. But God did not abandon his people. Instead, he graciously raised up Haggai and Zechariah to call Israel to repentance. Their message was very simply…

God’s Challenge: “Put Me First”: They must build the temple. You may wonder why God cared so much about it? Alec Motyer gives a great answer when he says, “The house was the outward form of the real presence of the Lord among his people. To refuse to build the house was at best saying that it did not matter whether the Lord was present with them. At worst it was presuming on divine grace, that the Lord would live with his people even though they willfully refused to fulfill the condition of his indwelling that he had laid down. It amounted to seeking grace but refusing the means of grace. Not to build the house was not to want the Lord as and for himself.”

As a result, notice the encouragement in Haggai 2:4–5. God said, “It’s time to build. You may not think you have the resources for this project, but if you step out in faith, I will be with you.”

Similarly, notice the little note in Ezra 5:1. Haggai and Zechariah prophesied “in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.” Yes, God challenged Israel to do something very hard, but the Ezra 5–6 repeatedly emphasize that God would with them as they obeyed his will. Yes, it’s hard to put God’s agenda ahead of my own or to step out in faith. But God always sees, and he is always faithful when we trust and obey. Thankfully, the people responded.

Israel’s Response (v. 2): Verse 2 says that Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the high priest rallied the people to build. And notice the little note in v. 2, “And the prophets of God were with them supporting them.”

Imagine the weight on Zerubbabel and Jeshua’s shoulders. They had to manage so many, and they had to solve so many problems—financial problems, supply problems, labor problems, political problems. What a headache! So, God graciously put Haggai and Zechariah at their side and spoke very specific, encouraging words through them.

Zechariah 3:1–7: We don’t have time to address every detail of this vision, but it is an awesome picture of God’s grace, which we know in the gospel. Jeshua represents the nation of Israel. Like a priest, Israel should have been holy and pure, but instead they were filthy with sin. God would have been entirely just to leave them in exile and forget them entirely. And Satan the accuser is there to remind God of their guilt.

But God graciously “plucked (them) from the fire” (v. 2) by bringing them home. Even though Israel deserved wrath, God says, “I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes” (v. 4).

Aren’t you thankful that God does this for us in Christ? When I got saved, God removed my filth, and he replaced it with the purity of Jesus.

And despite Israel’s failures, God says to Jeshua, “I have forgiven all your sin.” And v. 7 adds that if you honor me, “I will grant you free access among these who are standing here” meaning among God’s angels. God will accept them, draw them near, and grant them grace.

Imagine Jeshua struggling through a particularly hard day of construction when everything seems to be going wrong. Zechariah walks in with this powerful message from the Lord. God knows the struggle and gives encouragement in it.

Zechariah 4:6–10: Again, imagine how hard it must have been to toil day after day on this project. The young guys are whining about how big the project is and how it will never get done, and the old guys are griping about how small this temple is in comparison to the old one.

Zerubbabel probably wondered at times, “What am I doing? This is too much.” And at other times he looked at how small they were and thought, “We are a bunch of nothings working on a nothing project.”

God answers with some powerful words of encouragement. He says in v. 6 that my Spirit is strong enough to finish this project. And I love v. 10. Do you ever feel like your investment in ministry whether to your family or the church is small and worthless? “Why am I working so hard when nobody knows, and nobody cares?”

God says, “Do not despise the day of small things.” Those ministries that you are tempted to believe mean nothing are worth everything. So, do not get discouraged in your toil. Keep going, because God sees, God is pleased, and God is doing great things through your small things. In sum, God moved, God encouraged, and Israel responded by getting to work. But as always, nothing is easy. Verses 3–5 describe…

II.  The Conflict (vv. 3–5)

The Challenge: These verses sound a lot like the opposition of chapter 4. The last time Israel began to build the Samaritans showed up and made life difficult. Sure enough, when they resumed the project, they watched as a pompous parade entered town.

The big difference is that this time it’s not merely some Samaritan officials; instead, Tattenai is “the governor of the province beyond the River.” This means that he was responsible for the entire region between the Euphrates River and the Mediterranean Sea. He is a legitimate big wig. Interestingly, archaeologists have found his name in Babylonian records from 502 B.C. The Bible is true and accurate.

So, Tattenai rolls into town, but thankfully he is not hostile toward the Jews like the Samaritans had been. Instead, he was simply concerned because the first 2 years of Darius’s reign were plagued with several rebellions.

Therefore, the Persian government was on high alert. Tattenai wants to make sure the Jews were just building a temple, not a military fortress. And he wants to make sure they have proper clearance to build, which of course the Jews had.

But imagine how deflating it must have been to see the governor’s entourage roll into town. Haggai had said to rise and build, and that God would bless. They stepped out in faith, and now, “Here we go again, more opposition.”

The Divine Answer: So, Tattenai did his investigation, and then he needed to get confirmation from the king that this was a sanctioned project. And he couldn’t FaceTime with Darius to get a quick answer. It would take a while for the question to reach the king and for his answer to return.

And the looming question is will Tattenai shut down the project while he waits for confirmation? If he did, that would have been very discouraging for the Jews. But God was working. Verse 5 says, “The eye…” Tattenai trusted the Jews, and he gave them permission to keep building while he awaited word from Darius.

After all that the Jews had endured during the past 16 years, they had to be floored. “Wow, a royal official is being kind to us!” And it had to be a great encouragement to their faith. Haggai had urged them to put God first and take a step of faith. And God honored his Word.

Of course, we shouldn’t be shocked when God keeps his promises because God keeps promise after promise. But it’s always exciting to see God work. We just have to make sure we recognize it and give thanks. And every time we see him work, it should encourage us to keep trusting and obeying. God is faithful, so seek his kingdom and know that he will take care of the rest.

Well, Tattenai’s permission was huge, but the more important issue is the king’s reply. Verses 6–17 follow by recording Tattenai’s ominous letter to Darius.

III.  The Ominous Letter (vv. 6–17)

Ezra includes the entire letter to build suspense. A lot hinges on the king’s answer. Will he stop the work for good, or will he show favor? We aren’t going to take a detailed tour through this entire text; instead, I want to highlight 2 especially important sections. First, notice in vv. 8–9…

Tattenai’s Perspective on the Work (vv. 8–9): It’s kind of interesting to hear a Persian perspective on the project. He says the Jews were cutting “huge stones” which is probably what had him concerned that they might be building a fortress rather than a temple. He also mentions that large beams were intermingled with the stones which would help hold the structure together especially if there was an earthquake.

He’s clearly impressed because he says, “This work is going on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.” That’s quite a statement considering Israel’s plight. They were beaten down, but they stepped out in faith.

God strengthened them to work so effectively that they impressed Tattenai. When Israel stopped worrying about worldly cares and poured their energy into God’s purposes, he worked as he always does.

Israel’s Perspective on God’s Purpose (vv. 11–12): I really appreciate the humility of these verses. They don’t whine about the Babylonians destroying their temple or about the Persian occupation. Instead, they admitted that their temple was in ruins because “Our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath.”

Sometimes, we have a million excuses for our problems, but we refuse to look in the mirror. But the Jews humbly told Tattenai that it was their fault that they were in this mess. We are also wise to always evaluate our problems by first looking in the mirror—how did I fail, how could I have done better, and how did I contribute to the argument?

I also appreciate the Jews’ boldness. They are looking a Persian official in the face. But rather than praising Persian power and glory as sovereign over their situation, they declare the sovereignty of God. God “gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.”

That’s not great diplomacy, but it is true. God was sovereign, not the Persians. It’s a great example for us as well. It’s so easy to be consumed with human powers, concerns, and solutions. It’s so important that we look at all of life with eyes of faith understanding that God is sovereign, not me or any other human power.

That’s where we are going to stop for the day. Next week, we’ll look at Darius’s reply and the aftermath to it. But before we close, let’s step back and consider the significance of chapter 5 and what it means for us.

IV.  Application

The way of faith is rarely easy. There are so many ups and downs and discouraging moments in this book. And we’ve only made it through the 1^st But again, imagine the excitement after Haggai inspired the people to build and then imagine the fear when Tattenai marched into town. The Helium is gone, and everyone thought, “Here we go again.”

There have been many times that I’ve thought, “God, can’t you make just one thing easy?” Sometimes he does, but Ezra is a powerful reminder that the way of faith is rarely easy. That’s because God generally does his greatest work through hardship. The sooner we accept that, the better we will be. And we will be far better equipped to grow through the difficulty instead of complaining and merely trying to get past it. 2^nd, while the way of faith is rarely easy, we also know that…

God keeps his promises. God raised up two mighty prophets to inspire his people. God caused Jeshua, Zerubbabel, and the people to respond. And God granted the Jews favor with Tattenai. He was going to make sure that temple got built because God never breaks a promise.

And the same is true of every promise he has made to us. Maybe you are struggling to trust God today. Maybe you are facing a sin struggle that seems too big to overcome. Maybe there’s a relationship that seems irreconcilable. Maybe you are facing a trial that seems too big to bear. Whatever it is, do not despair and do not be overwhelmed by the hardship. God always keeps his promises.

Put God first at all times. The question of Haggai 1:4 is so convicting, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” God could ask us a similar question about many things. “Is it time for you to grow rich, feast, chase hobbies, build a career, etc., while you neglect God’s Great Commission purpose?

All those things have their place, but we must be careful that they do not crowd up the things that matter most. So, consider how you are investing your time, your money, and your energy. Seek first the kingdom of God, even when you aren’t quite sure how the rest will work out. And watch the Lord “add all these things to you.”