April 25, 2025, Ezra 5:6-17
6 This is
a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the
River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in
the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They
sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all
peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to
the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with
huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and
prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those
elders and spoke to them thus: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house
and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked
them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of
their leaders. 11 And this was their reply to us:
‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the
house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built
and finished. 12 But because our fathers had
angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people
to Babylonia. 13 However, in the first year of
Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God
should be rebuilt. 14 And the gold and silver
vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple
that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the
king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose
name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and
he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in
Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” 16 Then
this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God
that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and
it is not yet finished.’ 17 Therefore, if it
seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in
Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding
of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in
this matter.”
God intends for people to
learn from the faithfulness as well as the sin of previous generations. Think
of people you have known and are possibly even related to. What have you
learned from them and how have you applied your knowledge to your relationship
with God?
Debbie Walker
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