May 16
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ARTAXERXES AND DARIUS ON THE TEMPLE REBUILT
A poem by ILMA
When Cyrus allowed the Israelites to come back to Jerusalem
The king wanted the Israelites to rebuilt the Lord’s temple
Opposition from the enemies of Judah and Benjamin arose
They convinced Artaxerxes that Israelites are rebellious.
Rehum and Shimshai prompted this opposition to stop building
And the king agreed to put a stop to the restoration of the temple
So, the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem was halted
Haggai and Zechariah however prophesied that they will resume again.
Tattenai, the governor questioned the resuming of the project
But since the Lord was watching over them, Darius was sent a report
He inquired about the validity of the directive from Cyrus’ time
King Darius issued orders to search in the Babylonian archives.
The king found a scroll that stated the declaration of Cyrus about the Temple
He wrote a decree quickly that they will resume the work and extend all help
The project was completed on March 12 during the sixth year of Darius
The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the Israelites.
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MEMORY VERSE
But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a repost was sent to Darius an he returned his.
– Ezra 5:5
Read: Ezra 4-6
The story of the rebuilding of the Temple is quite interesting since it was the king from a foreign country who ordered the Temple to be rebuilt. We clearly see the hand of God in all of these.
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REFLECTION
• What have you allowed to die to ruins in your life that the Lord wants you to restore and rebuild so He can be glorified?