Ezra Chapter 5
Please Read: Ezra 5 –
In the previous chapter the returned exiles from Babylon and Persia had been ordered to stop rebuilding the temple of God by order of King Artaxerxes. The work did stop for a while, but God sent prophets to encourage the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You will recognize the names of these prophets as the names of two books in the Old Testament. They were sent by God to tell the people to resume working.
Haggai 1:7-8 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.
The work began again under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the prophets. However, their adversaries across the river attempted to stop the work once they heard about it. They wrote letters trying to stop the rebuilding, even though they knew that God was all powerful they still made efforts to stop His work.
Let's Reflect
1. What is not mentioned in this first verse of Ezra is the long period of time in which the work of rebuilding the temple was completely stopped. The people had let many things discourage them from doing the work of God. They had in fact worked on rebuilding their own houses but had refrained from building the temple. While they may have been ordered by a king to stop the work, who was it that was truly their ruler?
2. Despite the governor from the province across the river recording their names to report to the king of Persia, who was it that protected them? See verse 4.
3. They kept building, knowing that it would take some time for a letter to get to the new king of Persia, King Darius. And it would take time for his decision to return by letter as well. In the report written to King Darius, what did they call the temple?
4. They had tried to be so helpful to the king by taking names of the elders in Jerusalem, but what had they been told by the Jews when asked their names?
5. They included the whole story of what had happened to the Jews and the former temple. They unknowingly included information in the report that would allow King Darius to discover the truth about the rebuilding. What information did the elders of Judah give that would be proof that they had been given permission to rebuild?
6. The answer of King Darius is not recorded in this chapter, but in the next. What do you think his answer will be?
