AN INNER REFORM, AND A RESUMPTION OF BUILDING In the third chapter, the foundations of the temple were laid, and the people were joyful for it; Yet it so seems that many of them were so preoccupied with their own affairs, that once the enemies started their opposition, and the king’s letter came to stop the work, an inner response came conforming to that command from some rich people. It might seem that the stoppage of the building was caused by the outer opposition, the false accusations, and by the evil counsel of those who stirred up the king; but it was actually the corruption of the hearts of the leaders of the Jews. God, therefore, sent the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah to put things in order. Those who returned from captivity got slothful, and their hearts got preoccupied with building and adorning their own houses instead of rebuilding the house of the Lord. Then came the word of God saying: “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (Haggai 1: 4) Motivated by the two prophets, and their hearts moving to work with faithfulness, the Lord gave them grace in the sight of all, like ‘Tattenai’ the governor of the region beyond the River, to whom all the governors of the regions submitted, including Judah; and ‘Shethar-Bozenai’ his scribe, and their companions, … beside ‘Darius Hestasis’ king of Persia. Encouraged by the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel and Jeshua started building anew. That caused ‘Tattenai’ and the others to move as well, but with a new spirit, not to oppose, but even to support in secret. For, in his message to king Darius, Tattenai so reported: 1- “They are building a house for the Great God (7) 2- Having the hand of God work with them; they work fast and with success. 3- He included a list of names, so as not to seem as though collaborating with them, or slothful to investigate. 4- He gave the answer of the Jews, that they are building the house by the command of king Cyrus. 5- He intentionally disregarded the decree issued by king Cambyses to stop the work. 6- He sought from king Darius to search for the royal decree issued by king Cyrus. The message of ‘Tattenai’ was therefore not an accusation, but rather a report of what was going on, with a spirit of godliness and support! It is the work of God in the repentant hearts; that makes the enemies turn to support. It is amazing that the governor did not seek the stoppage of the work until the king’s response comes from king Darius. Reconcile with God, to get reconciled with yourself and your brethren; For then, even your enemies will work to your account. 1- The coming of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah 1 - 2 2- The eye of their God was upon them 3 - 7 3- ‘Tattenai’s” letter to king Darius 8 – 17 1- THE COMING OF THE PROPHETS HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH: “Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of God of Israel, who was over them” (1) In the last verses of chapter 4, we saw how the devil stood strongly against the building, and how he actually managed to stop the work. … Has the devil the power to stop the work of God? Certainly not, unless we give him the chance to do. According to the prophecy of the prophet Haggai (1: 3), we see how that the people have been slothful to build the house of the Lord, and everyone of them cared for building his own house, and even to panel it, namely to adorn it in an extravagant way. The outer stoppage by king Artaxerxes would, therefore, never happen unless there was slothfulness by the people; for then, the outer attack would conform to the inner slothfulness. … Yet God did not forsake His work. God sent His two prophets to prophesy strongly “in the name of God of Israel who was over them” . The Spirit of God stirs up for work, “’Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit’, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4: 6). The two prophets had authority and strength from the Spirit of God; for their goal was the glory of His name; Therefore their words had a strong impact to strengthen the slothful hands. According to St. Augustine, the two prophets here, even though they encouraged the people to resume building the temple that was left in ruins, Yet what actually preoccupied them was setting the temple of God in the life of man. He also says: [He who builds the house of the Lord in his depths, will praise the Lord, not with his tongue, as much as with his life itself]. + Get out of the adorned houses hewn with evil; Ascend to the mountain of the heavenly Holy Scripture; Take wood from the tree of wisdom, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge; Make your ways straightforward; and let your works be befitting, and of benefit to building the house of the Lord. (St. Ambrose) “So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them helping them” (2) Zerubbabel and Jeshua might be discouraged before the inner pressure of the rich and the poor; the rich who, despising the building of the house of the Lord, gave the priority to building their own houses; and the poor because of the material anguish and the injustice of the rich; And before the opposition of the outer enemies. But God would never forsake His faithful servants; He sent two great prophets to support those two leaders and those who were with them for the divine work. Zerubbabel listened to the divine voice on the tongue of the prophet Zechariah, saying: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it’” (Zechariah 4: 6-7). Zerubbabel was called to consummate the building; as while he was doing it, by the inspiration of God, he saw the new building – the church of the new covenant with all its beauty and splendor, which the divine “Cornerstone” sets, amid the shouts of the fathers and the prophets, and even of all the heavenlies: “Grace, grace be to it” ; namely, (grace to men of the old covenant who for long, have waited for its coming; and grace to men of the new covenant who enjoy what the fathers and prophets have longed to see). The work in the temple was resumed under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Here we notice those were engaged in it: 1- The two prophets: Haggai and Zechariah. 2- A governor – Zerubbabel the son of David. 3- A high priest – Jeshua. Are those not the tasks of the Lord Christ, the true builder of the temple; namely His body, greater than the temples of Solomon and of Zerubbabel (Haggai 2: 9)? Notice that the goal of Haggai’s prophecy was to rebuke the people on their slothfulness to build the house of the Lord, and to encourage them to resume the work; to which Zerubbabel and Jeshua have already responded. Many fathers often spoke of Zerubbabel as a symbol of the Lord Christ. According to Jusabius the Ceaserian, the Lord Christ is the new Zerubbabel, who established the church, the temple of God. And according to St. Ambrose, Zerubbabel whom God made “a signet ring” (Haggai 2: 23), refers to the Lord Christ – the King of peace -- who seals His divine image upon the human soul, to become ‘Shulamite’ (feminine of Solomon). + It was said to him in a sacramental way: “I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2: 23). For, when our soul come to be in peace, it will be said to her: “Return, return, O Shulamite” (Song 6: 13); namely, return to peace; … for then, she would receive the Lord Christ as a signet ring on her; by which she becomes according to the image of God, as man would become heavenly. (St. Ambrose) 2- THE EYE OF THEIR GOD WAS UPON THEM: “At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Bezenai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: ‘Who has commanded you to build this temple and to finish this wall” (3) As the ministry of those two prophets started to give fruit, the hearts of all were kindled to resume work, and the eye of God was upon them; There came Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai his scribe and their companions to inquire from them about what they were doing; Yet with a new spirit, not that of opposition or animosity, but of inquiry and support. They could have stopped the work according to the message that was previously sent by Artaxerxes; but they let them go on working, and sent a message to king Darius that bore a good spirit. “Tattenai”; A Persian name, meaning (a gift), a governor on the provinces under the dominion of Persia, west of the River Euphrates, in the days of king Darius, including Syria, Kilikia, the Arabian desert, Samaria, and Phoenecea. …. Zerubbabel, as well, was under him. Shethar-Bozenai; A Persian name meaning (a glittering star), he probably was a scribe, or a Persian officer under the governor. “Who has commanded you?”; indicates that the inhabitants of the land made a complaint against the Jews; and the governor came to investigate the matter. “Then accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building” (4) With prudence and wisdom the governor and his companions asked for the names of those engaged in the work, lest the king would probably accuse them of slothfulness of taking sides with the elders of Israel. At the same time, the way the governor and his companions behaved, motivated the workers, not to fear to provide them with the names, to tell them about the work of God with them, and to assure them of their submission to the authorities; on account of that the work to build the temple was according to a written decree by king Cyrus (11-13). “But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter” (5) Beyond those events: “The eye of their God was upon them” (5); as according to the psalmist: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him; on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33: 18-19); And, “My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me” (Psalm 101: 6); as it is also said: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16: 9) “The eyes of their God”. If the eyes of our God are on us, whom shall we fear? … Pleased for the way of man, God surrounds him with His care; and would turn even the hearts of the non-believer rulers to work conforming to His purposes. + “My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they dwell with Me” (Psalm 101: 6). The psalmist did not say: ‘My eyes shall be on the rich, the emperors, the bishops, the priests, or the deacons, but “on the faithful”; He would say about a saintly bishop: ‘I have not set him a priest on account of that he humiliate himself before Me, nor of that he is close to me, but because he is faithful … ; for “He who tells lies shall not continue in My presence” (Psalm 101: 7). (St. Jerome) + The saints actually, never said that their own works and efforts guaranteed the way they are taking to reach progress and perfection in virtue; but they have rather prayed for them before the Lord, saying with David:: “Lead me in truth, and teach me” (Psalm 25: 5). Another saint proclaims that he discovered that same truth, not only by faith, but also through experiencing the depth of the nature of things: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10: 23); And the Lord Himself says to Israel: “I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me” (Hosea 14: 8). (Father Pavnotius) + The grace and mercy of God perpetually work for our good; and once they forsake us, man’s works and efforts would all become useless; However hard man would strive, he will never manage to resume his early state, without the help of God; and in us the words of the blessed Paul:: “It is not him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (Romans 9: 16) would apply.. (Father Daniel) + God’s care is daily with us, on the collective level of the whole congregation, as well as on the individual level, publicly or secretly; even though we know nothing about His judgments. + All things were initially created for the sake of the rational being …. God, not as ‘Celsus’ assumes, only cares for the universe as a whole; but He, also specifically cares for every individual rational human being. Nevertheless, His care for the universe as a whole does not fail; for, even if a part of the whole got loose because of sin by the rational being, God would seek his purification and the resumption of the universe to Himself. (The scholar Origen) “This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: ‘The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king” (8, 7) The message of Tattenai was truly impartial; having investigated the accusations he received, he did not come against the Jews. 3- TATTENAI’S LETTER TO KING DARIUS: The good hand of God is apparent in that message to Darius king of Persia, in which Tattenai and his companions did not refer to the he command of Artaxexes to stop the work, but only to that of Cyrus to build the house of the Lord. They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus – To Darius the king: All peace. Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls, and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands” (8) It was God’s hand that brought forth awe upon Tattenai and his companion; to write in a respectable way about what the Jewish elders were doing; Although they were pagans, yet they said “We went to the temple of the Great God” (8). Even though the house was being built by stones salvaged from the ruins of Solomon’s temple, yet they wrote: “It is being built with heavy stones”; It came in the first book of the chronicles: “David appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God” (1 Chronicles 22: 2). What are these great stones but the believers of the new covenant by whom the temple of the Lord is built, according to the words of St. Peter: “You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2: 5). For the Lord Christ is the living rock on whom we are built as living stones. As He is living, we, as well live by Him (John 14: 19). “He made us a spiritual house, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2: 18-21). + Do you think you are able to hold fast and to live, if you draw back to set for yourselves (spiritual) houses and different places? It was said to Rahab in the old:: “Bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. So it shall be that whoever goes outside the door of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless” (Joshua 2: 18, 19) (Cyprian the martyr) + The goal of building the temple is for God to dwell in.. Each of you is a temple; and all of you together are a temple, in which God dwells, being the body of Christ and a spiritual building. He did not say that we, ourselves come to God, but said that God will bring us forth to Himself. We did not come on our own, but it is God who brought us close to Himself; according to the words of the Lord Himself, saying: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the life; No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14: 6). (St. John Chrysostom) It was not possible for Tattenai and his companions to deny the testimony to the work of God, saying: “It goes on diligently, and prospers in their hands” (8) “The temple of the Great God”. Even though Tattenai did not know the true God, but because the hand of God was upon him, he felt awe and fear before God, and hence he did not dare to stop the work himself, but left it to the king to decide. Being pagan, Tattenai believed in the existence of many gods, but because of the awe and fear he felt, he said about the true God “the Great God’. As the people started to work diligently, the devil had no more authority to stop the work. Whatever great are the difficulties, they become exceedingly little before the work of the hand of God. Yet God would not intervene to work with Zerubbabel and the people, unless the themselves move to work (Zechariah 7: 4). If the problems created by the enemies are huge like a mountain, with the intervention of God, they become a plain. “Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: ‘Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?’” (9) “We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chiefs among them” (10) When they were asked who commanded them to build the temple; and to provide the names of the builders, they were not confused, but with courage and decency they responded. When man or a congregation fear God, they fear no one, for God Himself is on their side, all around them, and grants them prosperity and grace before all. The fear of God drives away from us the fear of men, and even that of the devil himself. + Fear God and keep His commandments that strengthens you in all your affairs. And in case you fear God, do not fear the devil; for fearing God will give you the authority over the devil. (Hermas) + I wish we fear God, and build houses for ourselves, to find refuge in winter with its rain and thunderstorms; for without a house, we will face great dangers in the time of winter. (Father Dorotheos) + God’s will is not to save you from fears, but will exhort you to despise them, which is greater than ridding us of them. + No one could be harmed, unless he sins against himself + If you are true with yourself, no one can harm you. (St. John Chrysostom) “And thus they returned us an answer, saying: ‘We are the servant of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed” (11) The elders of Israel did not fear to refer to that the command to build the temple before it was destroyed, several centuries ago, was issued by the God of heaven and earth; and did not deny the favor of king Solomon in building it; saying: “which a great king of Israel built and completed” (11). It was built by Solomon 500 years before the time of Darius. “But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon” (12) With courage and the spirit of openness, they confessed that their captivation in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, was not due to the power of that king, as much as because their fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath; the wrath portrayed before by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16: 35-43). … It was therefore due to the wrath of God who delivered His own people into the hand of the king of Babylon, to chastise them; and not due to the victory of the gods of Babylon on the God of heaven, “However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God” (13) Here he calls him “Cyrus, king of Babylon”, although he was the king of Persia, into whose hands Babylon has fallen. “Also the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried in the temple of Babylon – those king Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor” (14) “And he said to him: ‘Take these articles, go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site” (15) “Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not yet finished” (16) “Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by king Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning the matter” (17) After such a true and faithful report, Tattenai and his companions sought from king Darius to search the treasure of the king’s house to know from the records, whether it is so that a decree was issued by king Cyrus to build this house of God in Jerusalem; leaving it to the king to decide what is right in his sight; and they were ready to abide to whatever he decides. ------------------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM EZZRA 5 YOUR WORD IS MY SUPPORT + You sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to support the leaders and the people; All of them were filled with the spirit of strength;’ And all set forth to work with the spirit of courage; When shall I see Your Holy house set in my depths? Your word is my strong support to start building it; Your divine promises are my deposit. + With fear, I deliver to You all my affairs; For then, my soul would find rest and peace; You move all my energies for the edification of my soul; You work in all to the account of Your kingdom inside them. + Your hand moved Tattenai the governor and his companions; And Your hand directed the heart of king Darius; All of them testified that they are Yours; And even the foreigners rejoiced in Your work in us. + We confess to You; That every failure that ever dwelt upon us was caused by our sins; And every prosperity that comes to us is through the riches of Your love; You are the secret of our success and edification.
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