Ezra 3-6

 

Ezra 3

Ezra 3:1-3 The Jews assembled in Jerusalem, not living there. Building an altar on its foundations before the foundation of the Temple was laid goes back to the tabernacle in the wilderness. Initially, there was no Holy of Holies, but there was also no ark of the covenant. They simply built an altar for burnt offerings to the Lord. What separates this from pagan worship is that they wanted to do things according to the law of Moses. And they knew that God had designated Jerusalem as the point of His presence. 

Ezra 3:4-6 They celebrated the feast of booths, and the regular daily sacrifices were offered. It is not clear if they had any harvest to celebrate so this was an act of faith. But doubtless they were reminded of the Exodus and the tent living and provision in the wilderness that got their ancestors to the promised land in the first place. 

Ezra 3:7-9 To begin the process of rebuilding the temple as Cyrus had commanded, they contracted with Tyre and Sidon, as Solomon had, centuries earlier. (2 Chronicles 2:3-10) That they built it at the command of a pagan ruler (1:3), they nonetheless were in deep commitment to God’s ways and His plan. They appointed Levites to supervise the construction. 

Ezra 3:10-13 As construction moved forward, after the temple foundation was laid they reinstituted worship. Rebuilding the temple was not going to be just about offering sacrifices, but to include praise. They appointed worship leaders, just as Solomon and David had (2 Chronicles 8:14). They sang at least one of the Psalms (Psalm 107:1). This psalm deals explicitly with punishment, suffering, and redemption. Considering that they had just endured decades of exile and slavery, how much was this an act of faith, recognizing God’s love in the chastening. (Hebrews 12:4-11) They were emotionally expressive, something that modern fundamentalist revivals didn’t invent. The word got around.

Ezra 4

To keep events on a timeline, the dates of each ruler are helpful, along with the associated passages. Unfortunately  there is confusion and scholars have identified at least two possible chronologies. And the timing of the events recorded in Nehemiah are also subject to confusion.

• Cyrus ruled Babylon 539-530 BC (Ezra 1:1-4:5)
• Cambyses II, not mentioned by name in Ezra, 530-522 BC (Ezra 4:24)
• Darius 522-486 BC (Ezra 5:2-6:22)
• Xerxes 486-465 BC (Ezra 4:6)
• Artaxerxes 465-424 BC (Ezra 4:7-24, 7:6-10:17)

Alternative chronology

• Cyrus 539-530 BC (Ezra 1:1-4:5)
• Cambyses II, not mentioned by name in Ezra, 530-522 BC
• Darius 522-486 BC 
• Xerxes 486-465 BC (Ezra 4:6)
• Artaxerxes 465-424 BC (Ezra 4:7-24)
• Darius II 424-403 BC (Ezra 5:2-6:22)
• Artaxerxes II 404-359 BC (Ezra ch 7-10)

The clear observation from this is that the story may or may not be in chronological order. The role of Darius in the rebuilding is told after the story of the opposition and cessation of construction under Xerxes and Artaxerxes.

The order between Ezra and Nehemiah is equally confusing. Scholars have debated who came first. 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/the-reverse-order-of-ezra-nehemiah-reconsidered/

So it is important to focus on the main points of what God is doing and saying through these stories, about His interaction with and care for His people. 

Ezra 4:1-3 There are (at least) two possible interpretations of the request of the pagans to help build the temple. One is that they were hoping to get inside access so as to sabotage the effort. Another is that they practiced syncretism and wanted to merge worship of YHWH with their pagan religion. In either case, the Jewish leaders refused. Their interpretation of all that had happened before and during the Babylonian captivity was that they must worship God alone and avoid contamination with the pagan peoples around them. That was what had led them to be punished in the Babylonian exile in the first place.

Ezra 4:4-6 The local residents opposed the building of the temple through political means from this time until the end of the period Ezra recorded. Ezra is recorded as coming during the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, roughly 458 BC. (7:7) Cyrus issued his decree around 539 BC, so this spans a period of about eighty years. Politics hasn’t changed much in 2,500 years. They made accusations and bribed officials. The following letter was apparently written during the reign of Artaxerxes before Ezra went to Jerusalem.

Ezra 4:7-10 The writers of the letter are identified, and some are named in the header of the letter to Artaxerxes. These are the people officially appointed by Artaxerxes administration to govern this area. It isn’t entirely clear if these political maneuvers were motivated by long-standing racial hatred, religious considerations, or political ambition.  The goal is clear - to stop the construction with the power of the Persian empire.

Ezra 4:11-16 The letter itself informs the king about the construction, and then brings up the history that led to the city’s destruction. In very accusatory terms (and pretending to look out for the king’s interests), it says the Jews are rebellious and troublesome. The argument is that if the walls are restored, the king will lose control of that area of his empire.

Ezra 4:17-22 King Artaxerxes response was to issue a stop work order. He gave Rehum, the commanding officer of his forces in that region, orders to stop them. 

Ezra 4:23-24 The locals must have been very happy to get what they wanted. Not only were the walls not built, but temple construction was halted. 

Ezra 5-6

Ezra 5:1-4 The Jews resumed work on rebuilding the temple. Since they had previously received an official stop work order (4:18-22), it is unclear if they had any pretext for doing this. Tattenai was different than Rehum, perhaps more diplomatic, so instead of forcibly stopping the work, he asked the Jews for their authorization paperwork.

Ezra 5:5-10 Perhaps to appear diplomatic in Darius’ eyes, Tattenai sent an official letter to Darius. He actually included what must have been a fairly truthful report of the Jews’ response and rationale for resuming work. 

Ezra 5:11-16 In a display of amazing honesty and humility, the Jews acknowledged their faults before God, and the judgment and punishment that He inflicted on them. They had justly been punished, but God is good and Cyrus issued a decree for the rebuilding of the temple, and also contributed all of the temple furnishings that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away, to be returned to the Jews. They did not explicitly say that God caused Cyrus to do this, but I think it is implied.

Ezra 5:17 Tattenai requests that Darius have the  archives searched and make a decision accordingly. A respectful request that honors both king and the rule of law.

Ezra 6:1-2 Darius responded affirmatively to this request. Upon searching archives, a scroll dating back to Cyrus. It was over a hundred years old. 

Ezra 6:3-5 The substance of the decree (1:2-4), which predated Artaxerxes stop work order is transcribed. Apparently the weight of history honored earlier rulers over later rulers. Even though the rulers were generationally descended, Cyrus’ earlier decree took precedence.

Ezra 6:6-12 Darius then gives instructions that line up with this decree. The province officials are not to interfere with temple construction. Moreover, the royal treasury is to fund both the construction and provide the daily offerings that please the God of heaven, and prayers are to be made for the well-being of the royal family. Finally, dire punishment will be inflicted on anyone who defies the decree. The extent to which Darius was a polytheist, or a believer in the true God (as Nebuchadnezzar was at the end of his life - Daniel 4:34-37), or simply risk averse as regards that possibility, this passage doesn’t explicitly say. Secular history records that he practiced Zoroastrianism. 

Ezra 6:13-15 Construction then continued, and was completed in approximately the sixth year of the reign of Darius. The Jews did the work, as co-laborers with God. The text says it was in accordance with both the command of God and the royal decrees. They were expecting God’s holy presence to inhabit this building, so they were diligent and meticulous. Would that we would be meticulous in building our lives daily with the expectation of God’s holy Presence in us.

Ezra 6:16-18 The Israelites dedicated the temple on its completion. When Solomon offered sacrifices to dedicate the first temple, he had enormously more resources, 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats (1 Kings 8:62-63), compared to 100 bulls and 612 sheep and goats at this time. A more significant difference is that the Ark of the covenant was taken into the temple Solomon built, but was absent now. But the Israelites followed the instructions recorded by Moses. (Numbers 3:6-9, 8:5-11, 18:1-32) This included having the Levites perform the duties of the work of the tabernacle, bringing them before the Lord to consecrate them, and making appropriate offerings.

Ezra 6:19-22  The Temple had been completed on the third day of Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish religious calendar. It is unclear if that was the day of its dedication, or sometime later, but it appears to have been before the 14th day of the first month, Nisan, when Passover was observed. They celebrated both according to Mosaic law, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt when God caused the death angel to pass over them while killing the Egyptian first-born, and also that the attitude of Darius had been changed by God to not only allow, but assist in the building of the temple as a house for the God of Israel. They separated themselves from the unclean practices of the surrounding gentiles. No doubt this was in recognition of God’s judgment on Israel in the Babylonian captivity for having corrupted His ways by contaminating themselves with pagan practices and doing evil in the sight of the Lord. (2 Kings 24:20; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16)