Ezra 6: God Fulfills His Promises Despite Opposition

"They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king." Ezra 6:14b-15

Last week, we turned our attention to look at spiritual warfare in Ezra 4 and 5. Despite the Israelite's great effort to rebuild the house of God, opposition came. Yet, as we found in chapter 5, they were encouraged to continue doing the work of the Lord, as motivated by the word of the Lord. Yet, they still faced intense opposition. Yet in Ezra 6, we see all of that opposition resolved by the sovereign hand of the Lord.

At the beginning of chapter 6, we find Darius, the king of the day, receiving a letter from Tattenai, who (as we learned from the last chapter) was the main enemy of the Jews. Tattenai wrote a letter to Darius asking that a search be made to see if the past king, King Cyrus (who was now dead), had in fact made a decree that permitted the Jews to rebuild their land. King Darius makes the search for the decree, and he finds it. Thus, he writes back to Tattenai and not only tells him and his people to "keep away" and to "let the work on this house of God alone" (7), but also to assist the people in the rebuilding by giving them "whatever is needed" (8-10). If any one of these men altered this decree, they would be killed (and quite gruesomely at that--go read verse 11).

In this decree of Darius, we find the sovereign hand of the Lord. Though God's name isn't even mentioned specifically in these verses, we see him working in the background. Eventually, as we find in verses 13-15, the rebuilding of the house of the Lord is completed "by the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia." Notice the beauty of this verse: both God and men decreed that the temple be built. Though God be the ultimate source, he worked in the hearts of men to bring about his purpose. We see here the Lord's sovereignty, which is a major theme of the book.

In response, the people dedicate the temple to the Lord by offering sacrifices. Furthermore, they celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, both of which commemorated the Lord's deliverance in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. Just as the Lord saved them from slavery, now has the Lord delivered them from exile, and here they rejoice on account of that.

At the end of the chapter, we see a marvelous verse, that personally stood out to me greatly. We find that "the Lord made them [that is, the Israelites] joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them." We've already touched on the second part of this verse, how the Lord is sovereign over the hearts of kings, but note the first part: the Lord made them joyful. The Israelites did not within themselves procure joy. Nor were they joyful because of external, worldly factors. Rather, the LORD was the cause of their joy. He had turned the heart of kings, and he fulfilled his promises. He brought them joy. What great encouragement to us today, realizing that we can pray to the Lord to give us joy, and he is able to answer that request!

In summary, I think the main point of the chapter is this: God fulfills his promises despite opposition. In this chapter, we find once again the people of God doing the work of God for the glory of God, and opposition coming against it. Yet here, we find that by the sovereign hand of the Lord, opposition is overcome. The Lord's people are vindicated, and the temple is completed. As the Lord has promised through the prophets to deliver his people from exile and restore them to their land, he has now fulfilled that promise. He has promised to never leave them nor forsake them, and though they went into exile because of their own sin, we find that the Lord never ultimately left them.

Surely this is a great comfort that we can apply to our hearts today. We live in a world full of opposition, both within us and outside of us. Spiritual warfare is real, and the enemy of God is constantly attacking the people of God. Yet from Ezra 6, we find that God is sovereign over it all. Though trials may come, they are not our end. Rather, our end is living in the city of God where trials will be no more (Rev. 21). Yet while we live in this life, we wait for the life to come, even as we realize that God will be faithful to his promises, despite opposition. So, let me encourage you today, that whatever trial you are going through, do not give up on God's faithfulness. Though you cannot see it, he is sovereignly working by his own hand towards his glory and our good. What a comfort that we can cling to today. Amen!