Ezra 5:1-17 – GOD WATCHES OVER HIS PEOPLE -10-22-19 devotional

Ezra 5:1-17 Kevin E. Jesmer
Key Verse: 5:5 10-22-19

But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.” (5)

Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us to stand by faith in you. This world is full of death and things to drag us down. Without you we would be totally despaired of life. But we have TRUE LIFE in you. Lord, thank you that we can ride the waves all the way to the kingdom of God. Please help me to share the life-giving Gospel with others. They need to know. Grant me one word through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: God’s Servants Give Direction (1-4)

Verses 1-4, “Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. 3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?”
A political change occurred in the Persian Empire and Darius became emperor. A few men of faith saw their opportunity. Haggai and Zechariah were men of God. They “prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem.” That means that they taught God’s word to the people of God. God inspired the hearts two leaders. He encouraged Zerubbabel and Jeshua to begin again to build the temple. They began by faith. The people were working together and the prophets were also there supporting them as the wall was being built.

God was protecting His people and His own name. Look at verse 1b, “….in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.” God was there with his people. He was concerned about his own name. He was over the people, even when there was opposition to the work that they were engaged in. God was bringing glory to himself, through the obedience and faith of his people. Actually, God brings glory to himself no matter what!

I trust God. God is over me and his people. He is protecting us as we serve him. He is protecting our family thus far. He is building up our church. He is with the missionaries up in Canada and fulfilling plan among the First Nation people. God protects his work among his people. Why? It is for the glory of his name. Doing all things for the glory of God is the highest cause. What ever we do we must do it all for the glory of Christ.

The servants of God worked hard alongside their people. Look at verse 2b, “….and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.” One gets the impression that these servants of God were not just preaching the word of God to their people. But they were also with their people supporting them in more ways than just preaching. One catches a glimpse of this from some passages in the New Testament. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”. Also look at 1 Corinthians 14:3, “On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.”

I thank God for sending many of his servants to not only preach the word of God, but also to stand beside us in life and ministry. I need to be such a Christian.

There was opposition to the work of God. Look at verse 3b and 4, “…“Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” The governors of the region were not happy with the resurgence of work being done on the walls. They were not Jews. They were people who transplanted there by the Babylonians. The last thing they wanted was a strengthened Jewish presence in their midst. And so, they confronted the workers. They were intent on stopping the work.

The truth is, that whenever we try to do something for Jesus and to expand his kingdom, there will always be people who are determined to frustrate the work of God. But we must trust in the Lord and in his almighty power. God, in his sovereignty, will surely accomplish his will, no matter who tries to thwart it.

Part 2: The Eye of Their God Was Watching Over Them (5-6)

Verses 5-6, “But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.”

God’s eye was upon the people. Look at verse 5a, “But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews…” Sure enough, the local officials came to investigate. They wrote down the names of the men who were building. They had no building permit! The Jews were fearful, but they knew that God was watching over them. They kept on building.
Having this faith is imperative for all believers. How can we continue on, doing his world, in a world that seems to oppose us? Right now, God has called us to build up the body of Christ at KBC. How can we be faithful to the work he has called us to? We can do so when we have confidence that the eye of God is on us. God is the sovereign Lord. He is watching over us. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

We should not be surprised that there will be opposition to the work of God. It is the last thing that the devil wants. He does not want an expansion of the Kingdom of God. He will oppose it at every front. There is opposition when we stand the Gospel. One day I was passing out Halloween candies in front of a church office in the downtown area. One group of adults walked by the church office. One asked what church it was. Another adult said, “It is some cult.” How wrong he was. But he did not know better. He was either not affiliated with any church or maybe he was from another denomination. Whatever the reason, to call our church a cult was totally unreasonable. But we need to see it from a spiritual point of view. One adult in their entourage was sincerely interested in what was going on in the church. But the devil quickly shot down the inquest through the negative words of her friend. It happens. Christians should not be surprised. They should be ready to keep their eyes on Jesus and focus in the task at hand when it comes.

Why does persecution come? God allows opposition to strengthen His people and their relationship
with Him. God could make everything go well so that there are no troubles. But does he want that for us? I don’t think so. He wants to strengthen his people in faith, through the persecution. The roots of a mighty oak tree grow deep because wind blows on the oak sapling. The Christian church thrives when there is opposition and persecution. It is lulled to sleep when there is no opposition. That is just the way it is. God wanted all of his people to grow in faith as they worked together to build the wall.

Part 3: A Letter To King Darius (7-17)

Verses 7-17, “7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. 11 And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.’ 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

The governor’s letter to the king was not negative. He reported on the work; he reported what the builders had said about why they were building the temple. The governor was fair in his depiction of the situation in his letter to Darius.

The leaders were not afraid to clearly identify themselves. Look at verse 11, “11 And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.” They were not fearful at all. God had emboldened their hearts. They clearly identified themselves as believers and the work that they were doing as God’s work.

I agree with this principle, but we need to always make sure that the work we are standing up for is actually the work of God. Is it truly the work of Jesus or it the mission of some sect or some self-glorifying mission? If we are going to be bold about the work we are doing, please be bold about authentic work of Jesus.

The leaders of the Jews were not self-righteous. They confessed their sins. Look at verse 12, “But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia”. I like this quality here. It is humble. It is devoid of nationalism. It is not self-righteous. It is humble. That is why God could work through these people at this time. The God of the Bible opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

The leaders had a clear understanding of history. Look at verse 13, “13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.” God did not call us to put our heads in the sand. We need to know God’s history. We need to know what is going on, in the past, present and future.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to do your work before your eyes. Keep your eye on us; protect and guide and defend us.”

One Word: The eye of God is on his people