Chapter 5
First verse:
1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. [Ezr 5:1 ESV]
These prophets were active in Judah at this time. Ezra likely knew them personally, as they also knew him. I believe Ezra was still in Babylon at this time, but Haggai and Zechariah had "boots on the ground". The MSB note is long, so I will summarize. Haggai's book, in the Bible, is styled as a "royal administrative correspondence" from God, as Sovereign King of the Universe, through Haggai his messenger. Part of the message is addressed specifically to Zerubbabel, Judah's political leader and to Joshua, the religious leader. Both these prophets were adamant and direct that work on the temple should recommence, and that if it didn't, there would be dire consequences. And if it did, there would be prosperity. So work began again, after the 16 year break.
(It is taking me so long to do my morning reading and notes these days...but I am learning so much. I never understood where these books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi - the minor profits) fit in, or why they were important before. The OT up through Daniel cover the time from creation to the end of the 70 year exile in Babylon. God had given Israel up to wrath at this time, and they will not return to the glory of Solomon's day until the end times. But God will preserve them. The "minor prophets" cover the preservation of Israel, through that captivity and up until TODAY. They cover the time of the return from Babylon to the intertestamentary period. They complete the OT history of Israel up to that point. Then the long silence...and in Matt 1:1 we pick back up. Much has changed during that time. The intertestamentary period is when the Maccabees and all those things occurred. Masada, repeated rebellions, Roman conquest...at some point Herod builds a temple, or "remodels" this temple we're reading about in Ezra. The timeline IS CONTINUOUS, from Adam to the intertestamentary period in canonized scripture. It is continuous in extra-biblical literature from the close of the book of Micah to Jesus in the NT. Then NT canonized scripture takes it from there through the establishment of the church - basically to the end of the life of Paul. No other nation can trace its history from creation until today. Israel can. No other nation has survived from creation until today. Israel has. How can anyone say this book is not supernatural! It is the history of the world, and the last chapter of it tells us how it will all end! There is nothing like it anywhere.)
The governor of the "Province Beyond the River" asks them who gave them permission to start again? So they refuse to stop. Their prophets are telling them God is with them, and they are to continue. Beginning in Ezr 5:6 is a copy of the letter the governor sent to the new king. Again, Ezra had access to the royal archives, and I believe this is an exact copy of that letter. Ezra held the original in his own hands. The message relates that those building this temple claim it was ordered by Cyrus, and that they aren't done yet. It asks King Darius to check his records and see if there is any truth in this story.
The tone of those questioning the elders seems different this time. It is as if they have forgotten the previous edict to stop building until the previous king said it was okay to commence again. All that has been forgotten. They ask the current King if it is true that Cyrus ordered this work done. They don't ask if the edict to stop the work has been laid aside now that the King who said that is dead. It's like none of that happened...or...once again the way this jumps around has me a bit confused on the sequence of events.