When God turns obstacles into opportunities (Ezra 6:1-12)

We left the story of the exiles and their temple building at a tense point, when they re-started the project under the encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1-2) but were challenged by the Persian officials about authorisation for the work they were doing (see The possibility of powerful change). Imagine their chagrin as they were called to give an account of their activities and the names of their leaders went on record! Was their project doomed to failure, after all? Yet, their response was full of faith and confidence in the God who was Lord over heaven and earth (Ezra 5:11) and God responded to their trust in Him with amazing vindication.

The exiles’ claim vindicated

A search is made in the royal archives in Babylon, the administrative capital of the empire to verify the exiles’ claim, but nothing is found there (Ezra 6:1). A memorandum, however, turns up at the king’s summer residence in Ecbatana (Ezra 6:2), about 450 km from Babylon. It is known that Cyrus retired here for the summer of 538 BC, so it is not surprising that a memorandum relating to his original decree ended up here.

Despite the extra complications, God did not allow the search to stop until the exiles’ rightful claim was established. The memorandum cited in Ezra is an excerpt listing key aspects of Cyrus’ decree (the permission to build the temple, measurements, building materials to be used and the return of the temple vessels) and vindicates the exiles (Ezra 6:3-5).[1] For the reader, the repetition is a reminder of God’s amazing intervention and His power to move even pagan rulers to do His bidding.

Financial support for the temple

The second part of the letter to the Persian officials in Judah sets out Darius’ decree in the matter (vv.6-12). First, Tattenai and his colleagues are advised to ‘keep away’ from the work. Rather than a harsh command meant literally, it is more likely to be a legal term instructing them not to obstruct or interfere with the project (Ezra 6:6-7).[2] Secondly, the cost of building should be covered from the taxes of the province paid into the royal treasury (Ezra 6:8). Finally, the daily upkeep of the sacrificial system (the necessary offerings to be made) was to be provided once again by the state (Ezra 6:9-10).

There is precedent for this kind of state sponsorship in the ancient world, so that Darius’ decree is not as improbable as it may sound to modern ears. Like Cyrus before him, Darius wished to support local temples in exchange for prayers offered for him and his family (v.10). Although he would primarily have worshipped Ahuramazda (the god of heaven), enabling devotion to other deities was seen to demonstrate his piety. We may also notice a partial fulfilment of Haggai’s prophecy in that the wealth of the nations will be brought to the temple (Hag 2:7-8). It is a reminder for those in Christian ministry that God is not short of funds when it comes to His work and, as Haggai says in v.8 above, the silver and gold belong to Him.

From obstacles to provision

The most striking feature of this episode is the way the very inquiry that threatened to undo the whole temple project led to its confirmation and to state support. If the Persian officials had not queried the building and taken the matter to the king, there would not have been an affirmation of support legally and financially.

I am reminded of what the pastor of my church shared with the congregation a few weeks into Auckland’s recent lockdown. As he was preaching in front of an empty church Sunday after Sunday, he felt frustrated that Covid was hindering the good work going on in the church. Then he read Paul’s testimony in Philippians, where the apostle shares how his chains (his imprisonment) turned out for the greater advancement of the gospel (Phil 1:12-13). It gave him a new perspective that our online services allowed other people in New Zealand and around the world, who would not normally worship with us, to hear God’s Word preached. God can turn even seeming obstacles into His opportunities.

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[1] There is a problem with the text in v.3 giving the temple dimensions. The length is missing, and the height and width are given as the same, 60 cubits. By comparison, the temple built by Solomon was 60 cubits long, 20 wide and 30 high (1 Kings 6:2; 90x30x45 feet or about 27x9x14m). It is doubtful that the Persians would have sponsored a building that was potentially larger than the original, so it is more likely that the confusing numbers are the result of a copyist’s error. It is possible that the scribe’s eyes jumped from the first reference to cubits to the next and repeated the number sixty from the list.

[2] H.G.M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah, WBC 16 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), 81.

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