The Decree of Darius
Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon. And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it:
Memorandum:
In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. (The house was to be approximately 90 feet or 27.4 meters in height and width; Syriac (see also 1 Kings 6:2) It is to be sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.) The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.
Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
Therefore Darius decreed:
To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region:
You must stay away from that place! Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site. I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God:
The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail. Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble (a dunghill) for this offense. May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem.
I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.
The Temple Completed
In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed. So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo.
They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
The Feast of Dedication (2 Chronicles 7:8-10)
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.
They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
The Returned Exiles Keep the Passover
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover. All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean.
And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves. The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land, in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
For seven days they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.”
WOW! Let’s hear it for scribes, secretaries, and those who maintain files! Tattenai and his cronies thought they had the Jews firmly in their grasp, only to learn that the Jews were correct and that Cyrus really had been the motivating force behind the rebuilding of the temple. Not only that, but Darius went even further in his proclamation than had Cyrus.
“You must stay away from that place! Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site. I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail. Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons. “
One more time, we see that this pagan king greatly respected the God of Israel, to whom he referred as the God of heaven. But wait, there was more! “I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble (a dunghill) for this offense. May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.” Hmm. Darius was a ruler who was obviously used to being obeyed unconditionally. Seems as if Darius knew Tattenai and his bunch quite well and wanted to make sure they didn’t play games with his directives. No wonder that Tattenai complied!
With this administrative logjam cleared, the Jews succeeded in completing the temple and celebrating Passover. Who were those described as “having separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land?” These people may have been Samaritans who saw true worship of the Living God for the first time and were attracted by God’s holiness. The ringing endorsement given by Darius might have encouraged these people to join with the Jews as well.
APPLICATION: Deliverance comes in all kinds of forms, some of them more dramatic than others. This time, the Jews received deliverance because of the diligence of the Babylonian scribes and file clerks. Had those people not been scrupulously careful, the records from the time of Cyrus might have been lost and the Jews would have been without proof of their claims.
Sometimes we might think that the jobs we do are menial and meaningless; after all, file clerks are generally considered among the least important workers in businesses. But it was the nameless file clerks toiling in some part of the Persian Empire whom God used in this situation.
We never know who is watching us to see if we truly follow God or if we are merely giving lip service to the idea. There were plenty of gods in Persia, and yet, Darius was so moved that he issued strong edicts to protect the Jews in Jerusalem. Darius graphically demonstrated that he greatly respected the God of Israel, calling Him the “God of heaven,” and referring to the temple as the “house of God.” All the time that the Israelites were turning away from God, there were those in other nations who fully appreciated God’s power and glory. Did Darius worship God himself? Who knows? How did Darius learn about the God of Israel? Surely believing Jews in his kingdom must have distinguished themselves by their righteous conduct, causing Darius to inquire further.
Deliverance, diligence, and faithfulness – these are three themes that shine through this chapter of Ezra. The diligence of the scribes and secretaries brought about deliverance for the Jews who had demonstrated their faithfulness to God. That faithfulness moved Darius to go far beyond the original mandate of King Cyrus. May God give us new visions of ways in which we can honor Him, no matter how mundane our jobs might be!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be faithful and diligent so that others will see Your grace at work in our lives and will be drawn to You, the One True Living God. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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