The Temple Is Finished

Darius Responds: Keep Away!

This was a diligent search. When the records were not found in the initial location they were thought to be, records were searched in a summer retreat for the Persian kings (ESVSB).

Darius may have diligently carried this task out because of his tumultuous first few years. NAC

While Cyrus’ decree was written in such a way that it could be announced aloud, Darius’ decree takes the form of a record that was likely a quote or a quoted portion of Darius’ decree. While the document may have been longer, only matters that dealt with Tattenai’s letter were included here.

The aim of the rebuilt house was to allow the Jews a place to sacrifice and worship once again. It is another evidence of God using a pagan king to bring about His desire.

The original temple built by King Solomon was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. So, the new temple, if built according to Cyrus’ command, was NOT the same.

Some argue that the absence of the length of the temple indicates a copying/scribal error in the text (CBC). However, given how particular the Jews were about transcribing the texts, it seems as if an ancient (or multiple ancient texts) would have the correct reading. The more likely explanation seems to me that what happened actually happened, and the discrepancy is on purpose.

The mention of using stones and...timber mimics 1 Kings 6:36; 7:12. Again, it draws attention to the original temple.

God Provides: Amazing Grace!

There is a decree made that the royal revenue would supply what was needed to rebuild the temple. God provides. What grace that is evident -- the place will temporarily serve as the center for worship is provided completely by God at no cost to His people.

This grace is evident in that...

Cost to be paid from the royal revenue

Ezra 6:4 “with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.”

But further, we see God’s grace in moving the heart of King Darius to protect the work:

Protection against those who work against God’s people

Ezra 6:11 “Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill.”

The Temple is Rebuilt: Something’s Missing

I’m going to read this passage of Scripture where the temple is rebuilt, and I want you to pay attention. Let’s see if we notice anything peculiar. And remember, there have been steps taken throughout, not just here, but also in Ezra as a whole,

Ezra 6:13–18 ESV

Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

Now compare:

Exodus 40:34 ESV

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

2 Chronicles 7:1–2 ESV

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house.

There is an interesting detail here. The breadth of this temple is greater than Solomon’s. Yet, the elders who remember the previous temple (Ezra 3:12) weep at the sight of this temple’s foundation. Is this to fulfill Haggai’s prophecy in Hag.2:9, (The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts.)? But, Haggai’s word is certainly messianic, so it’s ultimate fulfillment wouldn’t come until the time of Christ. According to the CCE Commentary on Haggai, Matthew 12:6 notes that something greater than the temple is here, and John 2:19 shows Jesus saying destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Indeed, Jesus is the Greater Temple and the Cornerstone upon which the spiritual house of the Lord will be built...that is, the church. Certainly Haggai’s prophecy is in the mind of the Jews when the building is bigger, but I wonder the mentality when the Lord does not descend.

The Passover is Celebrated: God is in Control

It would have seemed quite fitting for the Jews to celebrate the Passover, which commemorates deliverance from Egyptian bondage, when they themselves were free once again from exile to worship and sacrifice to YHWH.

These two verses (Vv1. and Vv.22) balance the passage of Scripture. While on the surface it appears that Darius is sovereignly decreeing matters pertaining to those he governs, we find in the last verse of the chapter that it is actually God pulling the strings all along. The king of Persia appears to be the outward actor, but the King of Glory is Author and Orchestrator behind the scenes.

The Lord aided them in the work of the house of God, yet we do not see the glory of the Lord descend in this place. It is the invitation of “already/not yet.”

The LORD made the people joyful. Such should be the case whenever God’s people see evidence of His providence in their lives. ESVSB Sadly, far too often we get caught in a “grass is greener” scenario. There was cause to weep at the dedication of the temple here, and there is the “already/not yet” situation in play, but God was faithful to His people, working in the midst of the situation while still moving salvation history forward to its intended end. Even if we labor and never see the eschatological fulfillment during our lifetime, is God somehow less worthy of our worship, and should our attitudes be any less joyful? The answer is certainly and emphatically, “No!”