Ezra 5:3 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, how quickly the neighbors noticed that this good work was starting up again. They had been watching the Jews closely, and as soon as God stirred up friends for the temple, the evil spirit stirred up enemies against it. While the people built and finished their own houses, no one bothered them, though the king had ordered the city work to stop (Hag 1:4; Ezr 4:21). But when they went back to work on the temple, the alarm was raised, and every effort was made to stop them (Ezr 5:3, Ezr 5:4).

The men named here are Tatnai and Shethar-boznai, the provincial governors under the new reign. It is likely the former officials had been replaced, as rulers often change their deputies and local governors. These men were still enemies of the temple, but they were more restrained than some others, and they did try to report the matter honestly. Not all people are equally wicked or unreasonable in their opposition.

The writer begins to describe what happened between the builders and these officials, but then pauses and points ahead to the letter they sent to the king, where the matter is told more fully. He first starts to summarize it, then later includes the whole account. In this way, the history shows both the hostility of the enemies and the care used in reporting the facts.

Second, we see the protecting care of God over this work (Ezr 5:5). The eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, who were active in the work, so their enemies could not make them stop, at least not until the matter reached Darius. The enemies wanted them to pause until they got word from the king, but even that much was not granted. God’s eye was over them, watching for their good.

This did two things. It frustrated their enemies and protected the builders from their harmful plans. It also encouraged the builders themselves. When the elders saw that God was watching over them, approving what was right and guarding them, they had courage to face opposition and keep working. When we stay busy in God’s work and remember that he sees us, that gives us both safety and strength.

Third, we have the account the Jews gave to the king. The elders answered the officials fully and carefully. The officials had asked, “By what authority are you doing this, and who gave you that authority?” The Jews replied that they had good reason to go on. They said, in effect, “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth.” Their God was not tied to one place or one people only, so this was not a private faction or a new sect. Since they served the God who made and rules all things, all should respect and protect them.

They also said they were not starting something new. They were rebuilding an old house, one Solomon had built many years before. They were only raising again what had been laid low, like rebuilding the ruins of many generations (Isa 58:12). They explained, too, that their loss of the temple had been a punishment for their sins. It was not because the gods of the nations had beaten their God, but because they had angered him. God had handed them and their temple over to the king of Babylon for a time, but he had never meant to end their worship forever.

They also pointed to the decree of Cyrus. He had not merely allowed them to build, he had commanded it, and he had ordered that the house be built in its proper place, the same place where it had stood before (Ezr 5:13, Ezr 5:15). Cyrus had acted with respect for their God, calling him “the God,” and he had restored the temple vessels to be put back in their former use (Ezr 5:14). The Jews were able to show these records to support what they said.

They added that the building had begun as soon as they returned, so they had not lost the benefit of Cyrus’s order by delay. The work had continued, but opposition had kept it from being finished. Yet they said nothing about the lies or bad conduct of the former governors, though they had plenty of reason to complain. This teaches us not to answer bitterness with bitterness, or meet an unfair insult with a spiteful one. It is enough to seek fair treatment going forward without reopening old injuries (Ezr 5:16).

From this we learn how to give a reason for the hope in us with gentleness and respect (1Pe 3:15). We should know clearly what we are doing in God’s service, and we should be ready to explain it plainly. Good cause, plainly stated, is often the best defense.

The Samaritans also reported the matter fairly to the king. They called the temple at Jerusalem “the house of the great God” (Ezr 5:8). Even though they still had many false gods, they acknowledged that the God of Israel was above them all. They said they were afraid to oppose the rebuilding without the king’s orders.

They also told the truth about what was happening. They did not twist it, as earlier officials had done, by saying the Jews were fortifying the city for war. They said plainly that the Jews were rebuilding the temple for worship, not for rebellion (Ezr 5:8). They gave the king the full case and were willing for the matter to be examined honestly. They even left it to him to check the royal records and decide what should be done (Ezr 5:17). If Artaxerxes had heard the Jews’ cause as fairly as Darius did here, he likely would not have ordered the work to stop.

God’s people could not be persecuted if they were not first misrepresented, and they could not be provoked if they were not dressed up in false accusations, like bears in skins. If the cause of God and truth were stated fairly and heard fairly, it would hold its ground.