“But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.”
~ Ezra 5:5
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you okay with being told what you are to do? Are you okay with being questioned about what you are doing? Are you okay with being asked what you are doing? Your grandpaa remembers a little guy who liked to play with a toy wood train. This little guy would play with his toy wood train on wood train tracks. This little guy did not talk. The little guy’s grandmaa and grandpaa were one day at this little guy’s house spending time with their little grandkid as they visited with their grandkid’s dad and ma. While this little guy was playing with his toy wood train on the toy’s wood train tracks, this little guy’s grandpaa began playing with his grandkid. This little guy’s grandpaa would have the toy wood train go the opposite way on the toy’s wood train tracks than what this little guy wanted his toy wood train to go. After this little guy’s grandpaa had turned the toy wood train around a number of times on the toy’s wood train tracks, this little guy – who no one had ever heard say anything, looked at his grandpaa and said ‘whatcha doing? Your grandpaa knows that there is always more than one way to do something. Your grandpaa knows that there will invariably be a guy or gal who will always want to change something that is being done. Your grandpaa knows that there will invariably be a guy or gal who will always question what is being done. Your grandpaa knows that there will invariably be a guy or gal who will always want to make sure that permission has been given for something to be done. Your grandpaa knows that there will invariably be a guy or gal who will always what to make sure that something is being done the right way – whatever the right way is to that guy or gal. Your grandpaa knows that there will invariably be a guy or gal who will always ask ‘whatcha doing’. Your grandpaa knows that he is one of those guys who will invariably . . .
Tattenai is a guy who asked ‘whatcha doing’. 520 years before Jesus’ birth on planet Earth, God had a number of His specially chosen guys go to Jerusalem – where He expected these guys to rebuild the temple where He once had His presence reside. The guys who God had go to Jerusalem had been living in servitude in Babylonia. After the Persian army overran Babylonia, the Persian King – Cyrus, had a decree penned which stated that some of God’s specially chosen guys should go to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house – which was the temple that was in Jerusalem. The Babylonian army had razed the temple in Jerusalem about 65 years earlier when they ravaged Jerusalem. The Babylonia army would take many of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who were living in Jerusalem to Babylonia. Tattenai was the Trans-Euphrates governor. Tattenai did not know anything about the decree that Cyrus had had penned that God’s house – which possibly before the Babylonian army demolished it, was the most ornate, beautiful structure that had ever been and would be built by guys should be rebuilt. Cyrus chose Sheshbazzar to go to Jerusalem with the decree to rebuild God’s house and to be Jerusalem’s governor. Before Cyrus sent Sheshbazzar to Jerusalem, Cyrus gave Sheshbazzar temple articles that had been kept in a Babylonia temple that had once been in the temple that had been in Jerusalem to take to Jerusalem with him. When Sheshbazzar arrived in Jerusalem, Sheshbazzar began the task of seeing to the reconstruction of what once had been a beautiful temple. Sheshbazzar was able to see to the rebuilding of the temple’s foundation and the starting of the temple’s reconstruction but . . .
Are you able to do something better when you are being encouraged? Or are you able to do something better when you are being criticized? What is it that motivates you to get something done? When the work of rebuilding the house of God in Jerusalem really slowed down after the foundation was finished, some guys showed up to encourage God’s specially chosen guys who were living in Jerusalem to continue reconstructing the place where God would again have His presence reside on planet Earth. Haggai was one of the guys who showed up in Jerusalem to encourage the guys who had been reconstructing the house of God that was in Jerusalem. Haggai was one of God’s prophet spokesmen. Haggai has a book that is included among the minor prophets that became entitled with his name. The Haggai Book – which are the speeches that Haggai made in Jerusalem to encourage the finishing of the reconstruction of the house of God there in Jerusalem. Zechariah – another one of God’s prophet spokesmen, was there with Haggai – along with Zerubbabel, a king’s kid – whose dad – Jehoiachin, was the second to last king of Judah. Zerubbabel and Jeshua – a high priest kid, were the guys who took on the responsibility of overseeing the reconstruction of the house of God in Jerusalem. Ezra – in Ezra 5, recorded Tattenai’s concerns and the letter that Tattenai sent to Darius. Tattenai wanted to know who authorized the reconstruction of the house of God that was in Jerusalem and he wanted to know the names of the guys who were doing the reconstruction of the house of God that was in Jerusalem. Tattenai did not stop the work that Zerubbabel and Jeshua – with Haggai and Zechariah’s help and with probably help from a lot of other guys, were doing on reconstructing the house of God that was in Jerusalem. Verse 5 says “But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.” God really wanted His house that was in Jerusalem reconstructed so that He could once again be worshipped by His specially chosen guys and gals. If you do what God has told you to do, you will not go wrong. If you do not do what God has told you to do, you will hopefully have God sent Christ-followers showing up in your lives to ask you ‘whatcha doing’ until you return to worshipping God.
Ezra 5 (259)