Ezra 5 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Ezra 5 Short Summary:
After about 10 years of the Temple site sitting stagnant, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, started working on the Temple again. They were confronted by Tattenai, a governor of the land, who demanded to know if they had royal authority for the project. When the Jews told him they did, he wrote to Darius, the king of Persia, to double check.
Ezra 5 Summary
WHEN:
538-537 BC - The people of Judah return to Judah.
536 BC - Rebuilding of the foundation of the Temple.
536-530 BC – The adversaries of the Jews oppose the Temple rebuilding.
530-520 BC – Work on the Temple stops by decree of King Artaxerxes.
520 BC – Work on the Temple resumes.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Captives of Judah (Jews) – The descendants of Israel who returned to Jerusalem and Judah following 70 years of exile in Babylon. The returning exiles became known as the Jews (4:12).
Zerubbabel – One of the leading men of the returning exiles. He was one of the leaders of the Temple rebuilding project. Many believe he was also known as Sheshbazzar, and that he was appointed by King Cyrus to be governor of Judah (1:8; 5:14).
Jeshua – Leader of the priestly families. He managed the construction of the new Temple, alongside Zerubbabel.
Haggai and Zechariah – Prophets of God who worked amongst God’s people in the days of Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
Tattenai – The “Governor of the province Beyond the River.” He questioned the Jews about whether they had royal authority to rebuild the Temple.
Darius – King of Persia from 522-486 BC.
WHERE:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple. The city was under reconstruction after being destroyed by the Babylonians 50 years earlier.
OUTLINE:
THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE RESUMES (5:1-5):
After about 10 years of the Temple site sitting stagnant, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, started working on the Temple again.
Tattenai and his associates, the adversaries of the Jews, confronted them about resuming their work, demanding, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” (5:3). They also demanded to know the names of the men in charge.
God was with the Jews, and they continued steadfastly in their work.
TATTENAI’S LETTER TO KING DARIUS (5:6-13):
Tattenai sent a letter to the new Persian king, Darius, to inform on the Jews.
He told the king about the Temple project and how his men questioned those managing it.
The letter to Darius documented the answers they received from the Jews.
The Jews said they were rebuilding the Temple because it had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in the days of their father’s faithlessness. They also claimed Cyrus the Great had decreed the rebuilding of the Temple in the first year of his reign.
Tattenai asked Darius to have the royal archives searched to see if the Jews were telling the truth about Cyrus’ decree or whether they were making it up.
APPLICATION:
Sometimes leaders, even great leaders, need someone to encourage them and to push them to the finish line to complete the good work they started.
What we find out from the Book of Haggai is that, after their initial setbacks, the Jews were very slow to begin working on the Temple again.
God sent Haggai to Zerubbabel and Jeshua to motivate them complete the reconstruction.
From what we know, Zerubbabel and Jeshua were great leaders, but even great leaders need an extra push sometimes.
For application, If you know someone in your church who is a leader or who started a good work, be a motivator and an encourager to them.
If you see their work falling apart, push them to keep going, offer to come along side them and help, like Haggai did.
God isn’t going to send Haggai to your church, but He did put you there!
Some people are great leaders, some people are great encouragers and motivators, this chapter displays the harmony between those roles and why they are both necessary. One does not succeed without the other.
