Read: Ezra 5:1-6:22; 1 Corinthians 3:5-23; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 20:26-27
The building of the temple had stopped for 40 years during the reign of Artexerses and now Darius was king. The prophets started encouraging the people to begin rebuilding again because God’s law is higher than man’s. When the governors of their region got news of what they were doing they came to ask them who authorized them to build. They had no building permit! LOL! They explained that God had authorized them through Cyrus and asked the king to look through his archives and he would find the decree.
King Darius did and found that they not only had authority to build, but they were to be fully funded by the royal treasury. Even the sacrifices were to be provided for from the king. If anyone changed the decree, a beam was to be pulled from his house and he was to be impaled on it. His house was then to be torn down. Darius agreed to carry out the decree with diligence. Smart man!
The Jews were able to finish building the temple and dedicate it with joy. It makes me wonder if the ones who had cried remembering the first temple were now dead and their response had caused the delay of the finishing of the temple. This time everyone was glad. They finished it in time for Passover.
Paul talked about a different building. In the Old Testament they built the physical temple of the Lord but in the New Testament the fulfillment was the temple in the hearts of every believer. As everyone builds this temple in their hearts, corporately we are building the house of God on the earth. God also warned that anyone who destroyed His temple would be destroyed. In Proverbs it says that God drives the threshing wheel over the wicked.
Lord, may your glory be known in the earth through your people. May your temple be fortified in us.
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