1 Then 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.” – Ezra 6:1-12 ESV
The letter was sent and received, prompting King Darius to order a search of the royal archives for any record of a decree issued by his predecessor, King Cyrus. Much to the surprise of Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, a scroll was found in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media. This long-forgotten document contained the following statement from King Cyrus:
“In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem.
“Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet. Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury. Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God.” – Ezra 6:3-5 NLT
Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai had assumed that the Jews’ claim of having an official edict from King Cyrus was a figment of their imagination. They believed that the Jews had fabricated this official decree to justify their return to the land and their rebuilding efforts. But there it was in black and white, written on an official document and stored in the royal archives. The Jews had not been lying.
The discovery of Cyrus’ decree left King Darius with no choice but to ensure its enforcement. He was obligated by what was known as “the law of the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 6:8 ESV). This ancient law code stated that edicts authorized by the king were irrevocable and unchangeable. Not even a future king had the authority to countermand a previous edict. In their estimation, the king was the law, and the law could not contradict itself. Darius himself had fallen prey to the binding nature of this legal code when he passed a law that prohibited the worship of anyone or anything but himself for a period of 30 days. His high officials and straps had given him the idea and convinced him to carry it out.
“Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” – Daniel 6:6-8 NLT
In signing his name to the document, Darius made the law official and irrevocable, which proved to be a problem when he discovered the intentions of his royal counselors. Their motives had been self-serving and designed to entrap another of the king’s royal counselors. Daniel was a young Jewish boy who had been taken captive when the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem. Through a series of divinely-orchestrated events, Daniel had risen to prominence in the administration of King Nebuchadnezzar. Now, he served as a high official in the court of King Darius. But his fellow administrative companions were jealous of his success and less than enthusiastic about his worship of the Hebrew God. So, they devised a trap which the king inadvertently signed into law. When Daniel violated the king’s edict, he was forced to face the consequences. He was thrown to the lions and there was nothing Darius could do to save him. But God intervened and Daniel was miraculously spared.
When this very same Darius discovered the edict of Cyrus, he knew he was obligated to enforce it, which he did. He even added a word of warning to Tattenai, Shethar-bozenai, and all the local administrative officials in Judah.
“…stay away from there! Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.” – Ezra 6:6-7 NLT
The very same men who had sent the letter to King Darius were given an order to cease and desist. They were to avoid any and all contact with the Jews, allowing them to carry out the decree of Cyrus with no interference or harassment. He also ordered them to use the royal treasury to fund the construction work and the king’s herds to supply animals for their sacrifices. The governor and his companions must have been stunned by this unexpected turn of events. This was not what they had expected. But they were not alone. Even the Jews must have stood by in wide-eyed wonder as they heard the content of the king’s letter.
Ever since their return to Judah, they had faced ongoing opposition, leaving them to wonder if God was really with them. There are times when it appears as if God is not around. Because of our circumstances, we assume that He must be busy somewhere else or is simply unaware of what is happening in our lives. But that is not the God of the Bible. He is never distracted, disinterested, or distant. He is always there, always watching, and always completely aware of what is going on – every moment of every day.
The people of God who returned to build the Temple and restore Jerusalem would learn that truth from personal experience. Things had not gone well for them upon their return. They faced opposition and constant threats. At one point they were forced to halt construction because of a royal edict. When they started back up again, their enemies relaunched their attacks and did everything in their power to demotivate and distract God’s people from their task.
It would have been easy for them to assume that God was unaware of their plight or disinterested. But nothing could have been further from the truth. We can’t judge the faithfulness or nearness of God based on our circumstances. We read in verse five that "their God was watching over them." He had not taken His eyes off of them. He had not removed His hand of protection from them. From their limited perspective, it looked as if God had abandoned them. But He was there and He cared. He was still in control. And despite the attempts of their enemies to stir up trouble, God had other plans.
When Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai wrote their letter to King Darius, they had expected a royal decree commanding the Jews to cease and desist in their rebuilding efforts. But to their shock and surprise, the message from Darius contained an official edict to "let the Temple be rebuilt" (Ezra 6:3). Not only that, the very men who had attempted to thwart the efforts of the Jews to rebuild the Temple and reconstruct the walls of Jerusalem, were commanded to provide assistance.
What a God we serve. He was not only aware of what was going on, but He used the plans of the enemies of Israel to accomplish His will. He turned what they meant for evil into good. The Jews received unexpected funding and assistance from an unlikely source, the very people who had been trying to put a stop to their efforts.
It would have been natural for them to take a look at their circumstances and assume that God had abandoned them, or that He was somehow punishing them. But they would have been wrong. God was working behind the scenes in ways they could never have imagined. Assuming God's absence or indifference is a dangerous thing to do. When we do, we doubt the faithfulness of God and reject the promises found in His Word. God is constantly faithful and ever-present. His love endures forever. We must judge God based on His Word and His character, not our circumstances. What is visible is not always an accurate indicator of what is going on. God’s efforts are not always visible to our eyes or apparent to our senses, but that doesn’t mean He is attentive or active. Our God is always watching out for us and working on behalf of us, whether we see it or believe it. No matter what difficulty we face, He is always there and He is always working on our behalf.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson