Ezra · chapter 5 of 10
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Ezra 5 tells how the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encourage the Jews, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua resume building the temple. Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, asks who gave them permission and sends Darius a letter that cites the decree of Cyrus, while the eye of God watches over the elders of the Jews.
After years of paralysis, this chapter picks up the thread of chapter 4 in the second year of Darius. The work resumes by the word of the prophets, and from here through chapter 6 the narrative of Ezra is in Aramaic. The passage shows that the authority for the work comes from God and from a royal decree, not from the whim of the builders.
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo prophesy to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel. Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rise up and begin to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem, with the prophets of God supporting them.
Soon Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their associates arrive and ask who gave them authority to build and finish the structure. They also ask for the names of the men who are building it. But the eye of their God is on the elders of the Jews, and the officials do not make them stop until the matter reaches Darius and a written answer comes back.
Tattenai sends a letter to Darius. He describes the work: it is being done with great stones and with timbers in the walls, and it goes forward diligently. He reports that the elders answered that they are servants of the God of heaven and earth, rebuilding the house that a great king of Israel built, and that God gave their fathers into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar because of their sin. They say Cyrus authorized the rebuilding and returned the vessels to Sheshbazzar, who laid the foundation, and that the work has been going on since then without being finished. Tattenai asks the king to search the archives in Babylon to see whether Cyrus issued such a decree.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Haggai and Zechariah prophesy to the Jews, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua rise up to resume the work with the prophets at their side. God's word wakes a discouraged people and returns them to their task.
The eye of God is on the elders of the Jews, and the officials do not make them stop until an answer comes from the king. God's protection is not shown as a spectacular miracle but as watchful care in the middle of a legal process.
The elders present themselves as servants of the God of heaven and earth who are rebuilding the house built many years ago by a great king of Israel. Their identity and their work rest on God, not on their own permission.
The elders recall that Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the house of God and returned its vessels to Sheshbazzar. They appeal to the law of the empire to defend the work, trusting that the truth can be checked.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo. — Ezra 5:1
Answer: They rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. — Ezra 5:2
Answer: The governor of the province Beyond the River, who asked who had given permission to build the temple. — Ezra 5:3
Answer: The eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews. — Ezra 5:5
Answer: They said they were servants of the God of heaven and earth and that Cyrus had issued a decree to rebuild the house. — Ezra 5:11-13
Answer: To search the archives in Babylon to see whether Cyrus had issued that decree. — Ezra 5:17
Ezra 5 shows that God's word, spoken at the right time, lifts a people out of paralysis. In a Sunday school class you can ask which stalled work needs to start again, and who encourages you with Scripture, as Haggai and Zechariah did for Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
It also shows how to answer the questions of authorities with clarity and without fear. The elders explained who they were and what their work rested on, and trusted that God was watching over the process. Today we can be transparent and patient when what we do for the Lord is questioned.
Ezra 5 ends with Tattenai asking that the decree of Cyrus be searched for. In chapter 6, Darius makes the search, finds the document, and not only lets the work go on but orders it helped with royal funds.
Haggai rebuked the people for caring for their own houses while God's house lay in ruins, and he urged them to resume the work. Zechariah, through his visions, encouraged Zerubbabel and Jeshua with the promise of the Lord's Spirit. Both ministries are set in the second year of Darius and explain why the work began again.
Because Aramaic was the language of administration in the Persian empire. The author keeps the official letters and decrees in that language, along with several surrounding chapters of narrative. Ezra 4:8 through 6:18 and 7:12-26 are in Aramaic; the rest is in Hebrew.