Ezra 5 Devotional

Under the Eye of God

“But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.”Ezra 5:5 (BSB)

The work restarts not with a new decree but with a word from God. Haggai and Zechariah prophesy in the name of the God of Israel, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua begin building again, with the prophets helping them (5:1-2). Almost at once the governor Tattenai arrives, asking who authorized the work and taking down names (5:3-4). Instead, the eye of their God was on the elders, so they were not stopped while the matter went to Darius (5:5).

Their answer in the report is worth hearing. They call themselves servants of the God of heaven and earth, and they do not hide why the first temple fell: their fathers angered God, and he handed them over to Babylon (5:11-12). They own their history, and they keep building. A psalm says the LORD's eyes are on those who fear him and hope in his loving devotion (Psalm 33:18). That gaze is not surveillance to dread but care to rest in. You can do today's work under the same watchful eye.

To think about: How would your work today feel different if you saw God's attention to you as care rather than scrutiny?