Ezra 6:1-12 – Stamp of Approval

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.

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Ezra 5:6-17 – A Spy’s Report

Read Ezra 5:6-17

The saga of the temple’s construction continues. We met Tattenai, the provincial governor, in our last reading. Apparently, he is so troubled by seeing this temple rebuilt that he started interrogating the workers to find out who was in charge. After all, this is a building project he believes is under his jurisdiction, shouldn’t he be able to question it?

This governor seems to be more like an undercover spy looking for a scoop. He took the intel he received from the construction leaders and sent a letter to King Darius. I wonder what Tattenai is afraid of. Perhaps he’ll lose the favor of King Darius should there be a rebellion. Of course, it will take a while for Jerusalem to be rebuilt to its glory and power of the past.

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