EZRA 6
Read Ezra 6:1-22
The story continues. In the previous chapter the question of whether the people had the authority to rebuild the Temple was referred to the king in Babylon, Darius. Darius ordered that the archives be searched and lo and behold, there was the proclamation of Cyrus allowing the rebuilding of the temple. The opponents were found to be in the wrong, and King Darius ordered that the building project be resumed with terrible penalties to be visited upon anyone who interferes with the king’s order (v11).
So, the Israelites resumed their work and eventually the Temple was completed. And then they marked the occasion by celebrating the Passover festival. This was a neat way of remembering what God had done for them. The original Passover was conceived by God as a way for the people of Israel to remember that God had led them out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. Now they were celebrating that God had brought them back to the Promised Land and out of exile in Babylon. Things had gone full circle.
Remembering was a very important aspect of the life of the Children of Israel. God had done so much for his people that it was important to remember what he had done, celebrate it and pass that information on to the next generation, so the memory of God’s great acts for his people are not forgotten. It is the same for us. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of what God has done for us in Jesus on the cross (“do this in remembrance of me” we say).
This passage also tells us who is in charge of things. We read at the beginning of the chapter that King Darius issued an order that the archives be searched. He discovered the truth of the matter and made an order that the Temple rebuild be continued. He did the right thing. He made things happen. He is the king and had the power to do that. But in v22 we read that the Israelites celebrated because the Lord had filled them with joy. And he did that “by changing the attitude of the king, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God”. Darius may have thought he was in charge, but in reality, it is God who is sovereign. And God can work out his will through people who don’t regard him as the one true God. That shows where the real power lies in this world; not with earthly leaders but with the sovereign Lord.
God is faithful. He told his people that they would return to the Promised Land and that they would be able to worship at the Temple again. He came through with his promises. But there is still much to be done and the rest of the Book of Ezra will speak to that.