The King Speaks


Ezra 6:1-1
1Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.” 6 “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

So, here’s a testimony to the importance of keeping good records! The dispute between the Hebrews trying to rebuild the Temple and the surrounding nay-sayers is irrevocably resolved. The king finds records from the past that support the efforts of God’s people to obey His command to rebuild the Temple and thus is shall be done! Not only has the king spoken, so has God. My juvenile reaction when I read this passage was, “Ha! Told you so!”

We have to marvel at the abundance of the Lord when the king makes his new decree. Not only is permission to continue granted, but along with that permission comes some amazing perks. There’s restoration of previous Temple treasures, funds granted for doing the work, and heavy penalties for standing in the way of any progress (such as the destruction of your own property or even death!) The King has spoken, and I don’t mean the king of Persia.

The ancient world had no concept of the separation of church and state. Everyone expected that the temples and religious rites of the gods of any region should be supported by the tax revenues of that region, in the same way that any other public work would be. If the Lord was the accepted god of Judah, the Persian kings saw nothing unusual about supporting his worship with tax revenues from that area. The rulers also expected the priests to offer prayers and sacrifices for the welfare of the state.
Brug, J. F. (1985). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (p. 33). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House.

The Bible is filled with stories of God’s provision for His people despite the circumstances surrounding them. And we must take heart in those stories because this is the same God we worship today. He is not stumped by someone standing in His way. In fact those are the times when His glory shines even brighter. When our sin stood between Him and the people He created out of His great love, He took care of the situation through the death of His own dear Son. Nothing stands in the way when the King speaks.

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