Ezra 5:6-10 – Be sure to serve God well

After 15 years the Jews under Zerubbabel and Jeshua resumed the rebuilding of the temple. They were goaded on by two prophets, namely Haggai and Zachariah. Ezra 5:3-5 show that they again faced a second wave of opposition.  The good thing was that they had a kinder and more noble governor in Tattenai. He and his team were not so pernicious. He wrote a letter to report to King Darius concerning the resumption of the rebuilding of the temple by the Jews. While waiting for the king’s response he allowed the rebuilding  to go on.  

Tattenai and his team wrote a report to King Darius. Being a fair man, what he wrote were facts that he had discovered, not hearsay. He had no intention to trap the Jews, so he did not exaggerate but told it as he saw the situation.  In Ezra 5:8, the governor first talked about his visit to the temple, which he referred to as the house of the great God. What the governor saw was a massive ongoing construction. The stones used were huge and beams were used to line the wall. The project was succeeding at the hand of the Jews who took great care and diligence in the building. This was to indicate that the contents of the report were not hearsay. They were facts that he had gathered in his trip down to Jerusalem to see the situation for himself. The second thing he did, recorded in Ezra 5:9-10, was to ascertain that they had permission for the building and completion of the temple. He also took care to find out the people, especially the leaders, who were involved in the building.

Two things we learn about from these verses. Tattenai wanted to be exact in his reporting. He did not use hearsay but facts and truth he discovered for himself. What he did shows us that accuracy and fairness are important in any report. This is all the more so for us believers in the Lord. We must not exaggerate or present half and misleading truths. A lot of misunderstandings and mischief have been caused by lies and half-truths. We must learn to be accurate and precise in our reporting. Secondly, we learn that to succeed in the work of God, we must attend to it wholeheartedly, with care and diligence. Tattenai's report said that the Jews put their heart into the work of God and was succeeding. So like them, we must also put our hearts diligently and carefully into the work of God to ensure its success. The right attitude, hard work, and diligence are not easy, but they are needed for excellent results. For the work of God, nothing short of the very best will do.