Today's Scripture
When God says go: Ezra 4-6
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Ezra 4-6 (CEB)
Then the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah, Iddo’s son, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of Israel’s God who was over them. 2 Subsequently, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, began to rebuild God’s house in Jerusalem. God’s prophets were with them, helping them.
3 At the same time, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them, asking, “Who authorized you to build this house and finish preparing this building material?” 4 They also asked them, “What are the names of the people who are building this building?” 5 But their God looked after the elders of the Jews, and they didn’t stop them until a report reached Darius and a letter with his response had arrived.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues the officials who were in the province Beyond the River sent to King Darius. 7 In the message they sent him, the following was written:
To King Darius, all peace! 8 Let the king know that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with dressed stone and with timber set into the walls. This work makes good progress and prospers in their hands. 9 We asked those elders, “Who authorized you to build this house and to complete the preparation of this material?” 10 We also asked them their names so that we could write down the names of the leaders for your information.
11 This was their reply to us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them over into the power of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and deported the people to Babylonia. 13 However, in the first year of his rule, Babylon’s King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14 King Cyrus also took the gold and silver equipment from God’s house out of the temple in Babylon (the ones that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and placed in the temple in Babylon) and gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor. 15 Cyrus said to him, ‘Take this equipment and go and put it in Jerusalem’s temple, and let God’s house be rebuilt on its original site.’ 16 Then Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of God’s house in Jerusalem. From then until now the rebuilding work has continued but is not yet complete.”
17 And now, if it seems good to the king, may a search be made in the royal archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus had issued a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then may the king be pleased to send us his decision about this matter.
What does this passage mean to me/us
We accidentally skipped the beginning of Ezra.
God stirred up the heart of King Cyrus, and King Cyrus declares a decree for the people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild God’s temple.
However, during the process of rebuilding the temple, the Israelite encountered resistance from the neighbors. As a result, the new king sent a letter to halt the construction. It was during the time when the temple construction seized, the prophets delivered a message through the prophets. It says, “Then the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah, Iddo’s son, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of Israel’s God who was over them. 2 Subsequently, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, began to rebuild God’s house in Jerusalem. God’s prophets were with them, helping them.”
King Darius, the new king, gets the message that the Jews started the construction again. He sends another order to stop the construction, but the Israelites ask him to search for the decree from King Cyrus.
During the search, King Darius finds the decree and God continues to stir his heart so the Israelites can continue the construction.
When God stirs up our heart, things that seem to be impossible becomes possible.
We often want it the other way around. We want to stir God’s heart for our impossible to become possible. However, we need to understand that it has to go God’s way, not ours.
When God stirs our heart, God will make a way, and we will see that God’s way is the perfect way.
How is God stirring your heart today?
Prayer
Lord, stir our hearts for your ways. Help us to see how you work in our lives today. We pray in Christ name, AMEN.
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