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clarity

Ezra 5:1-17

Ezra 5:1 But when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them,
Ezra 5:2 Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, began to rebuild God’s house in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, helping them.
Ezra 5:3 At that time, Tattenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues came to the Jews and asked, “Who gave you the order to rebuild this temple and finish this structure?”
Ezra 5:4 They also asked them, “What are the names of the workers constructing this building?”
Ezra 5:5 But God was watching over the Jewish elders. These men wouldn’t stop them until a report was sent to Darius so that they could receive written instructions about this matter.
Ezra 5:6 This is the text of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues, the regional officials, sent to King Darius.
Ezra 5:7 They sent him a report, written as follows: To King Darius: All greetings.
Ezra 5:8 Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut stones, and its beams are set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people’s efforts.
Ezra 5:9 So we asked the elders, “Who gave you the order to rebuild this temple and finish this structure?”
Ezra 5:10 We also asked them for their names so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
Ezra 5:11 This is their reply: We are the servants of the God of the sky and land, and we are rebuilding the temple built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
Ezra 5:12 But since our ancestors angered the God of the sky, he handed them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
Ezra 5:13 However, in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, he issued a decree to rebuild the house of God.
Ezra 5:14 He also took from the temple in Babylon the gold and silver articles of God’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and carried them to the temple in Babylon. He released them from the temple in Babylon to a man named Sheshbazzar, the governor by the appointment of King Cyrus.
Ezra 5:15 Cyrus told him, “Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.”
Ezra 5:16 This same Sheshbazzar laid the foundation of God’s house in Jerusalem. It has been under construction since then, but it has not been completed.
Ezra 5:17 So, if it pleases the king, let a search of the royal archives in Babylon be conducted to see if it is true that King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king’s decision regarding this matter be sent to us.

clarity

After a long delay, rebuilding begins and another challenge to it. The elders were authorized, so they had no problem with asking for the king’s decree to be made known. The prophets urged that the rebuilding proceed as well. There will come times in our lives and ministries when God’s will is so clear that no one dare oppose it. At other times, we must make value judgments. When the world and the church can work together, they should.

LORD, give us clarity of insight concerning your will for our activity.