Read Ezra 6:1-12
As we expected, King Darius confirmed the Israelite’s story. It took a little digging from the sounds of it, but the message was exactly as Tattenai had been told. Did you love King Darius’ response to the meddling Tattenai and his cohorts! “[S]tay away from there!” In other words, don’t mess with the Israelites.
King Darius took it a step farther as well. He decreed that Tattenai actually help the Israelites. The king’s instructions left little doubt of what should be done. I can just about feel Tattenai’s blood boiling even after all of these generations. He was probably very sorry that he had “opened that can of worms” when he first made his inquiries.
I was a little surprised by the extreme nature of the warning and consequences for disobedience. King Darius was certainly covering his bases to assure that the construction project continued as decreed by King Cyrus. “Let it be obeyed with all diligence.” Because God was orchestrating the whole project, his divine involvement was probably also in play.
The key theme in this passage, in my opinion, is the importance of truth. Truth prevailed. Psalm 86:11 is a beautiful prayer to recite every day. “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” In John 8:32-33, we read that “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Spend some time today reflecting on your discipline of reading the Bible. That’s where you’ll find and be immersed in truth. Don’t let what the world is calling “truth” distract you from the only truth, Jesus, the Word.
Let’s pray. Father God, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you that I can rely on you and your truth to prevail. Help me stand against all the misinformation circulating in our world today. Help me to discern and help others do the same. I look forward to getting to know you by spending more and more time in your word. Thank you for this amazing gift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
