Today in God's Word—April 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
April 9, Ezra 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. 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. - Ezra 6:6-7
You've probably heard the expression, “more than they bargained for." It’s used to describe unforeseen and unwanted consequences that came from one's effort to obtain some result or outcome.
In Ezra 4, Rehum and his associates failed in their first three attempts to stop the returned exiles from building the temple. Then they wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes, who issued a cease and desist order to the Jews, pending further notice from the king. The work stopped for about 18 years. The adversaries won that round.
When Haggai and Zechariah came to Jerusalem, they prophesied in the name of the LORD to the people, and reignited the zeal for building the temple. The new governor Tattenai and his fellow governors came to Jerusalem to stop the project again. But the builders didn't stop the second time. So Tattenai decided to try the letter to the king again. By this time, Darius was the king of the Persians and he sent a reply. Tattenai and Company were probably glad when the missive from the king arrived. But this time, the letter got very different results, It was truly a case of getting "more than they bargained for."
The governors of the province Beyond the River had asked the king to check the royal records and see if Cyrus had ever issued such an order to rebuild the temple, as the Jews claimed. They also asked the king's pleasure, or what he wanted them to do about it.
The reply from Darius is another example of God using a pagan king to bless and help his people. Darius said that Cyrus had indeed ordered the Jews to return and build the temple of God. Then, he added his instructions to the governors and people in the province. He told them to stay away from Jerusalem and leave the workers alone. Not only that, he commanded them to pay the expenses for the rebuilding project out of their own revenues. He even required that they provide whatever animals the Jews needed for their sacrifices. And he warned of the fatal consequences that would come to any who disobeyed him about the matter.
You can see why I said these fellows got "more than they bargained for" from their letter writing campaign. To his credit, Tattenai was a loyal subject and obedient servant of the king who appointed him. Whether he liked it or not, he obeyed the king's orders and paid for the Jews to build their temple. He even provided the impoverished returning exiles with animals for their sacrifices to God. This incident reminds me of a line from Eliphaz's windy first speech in Job: "He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success."
The Jews rejoiced when they completed the temple. They had a celebration to dedicate it, and when the appointed date for Passover came, they kept the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. They recognized that the LORD had helped them and turned the heart of the king to them. God made their adversary assist them, and they rejoiced in the sovereign hand of God acting on their behalf.
From this chapter let's remember that God is in complete control. When God's people are obedient and put their trust in the Lord, we are saved from so much frustration and fear. Let's also note that God is able to overrule our clever schemes, so we gain nothing by plotting to disobey him. If we should ever find ourselves in a situation where we know but do not like what
God has said, as loyal subjects and servants we should obey him anyway, and pray that God would forgive our reluctance to obey and turn our hearts by his grace to rejoice in his will for us.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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