A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 5
Ezra CHAP. V. Haggai, Zechariah.
THIS Chapter gives an Account (falling in here as to Time) how the Building of the Temple was (after ſo long an interſpace of Interruption) begun again, by the Inſtigation of Haggai and Zechariah the Prophets, yet again was obſtructed by the Governour of the Province; Tatnai hinder'd it, partly by Threats, and partly by Letters to Darius, &c.
Remarks Firſt, Upon his Threatnings; as
Firſt, The Occaſion of his Minatory Meſſage, which was, the Jews reaſſuming to carry on the Building of the Temple, according to both the Counſel of God, by his Prophets, ver. 1. and the Command and Example of both their Eccleſiaſtical and Political Governours, ver. 2. N.B. The Building of the Temple lay quite forlorn for ſeventeen Years (ſaith Dr. Lightfoot) in which Time the whole Hiſtory of Hawan, Eſther and Mordecai, &c. happened: For though Matters went well with the ſcattered Jews in the Provinces of Perſia, by the means of Mordecai's Might in the King's Court, which was much corroborated by Queen Eſther likewiſe, yet thoſe Jews that were returned to Jeruſalem, and had begun the Building of the Temple's Foundation, Chap. 3. ver. 10. did not carry it forward to Perfection, becauſe this Artaxerxes Ahaſuerus (the Husband of Eſther) had prohibited it by his Proclamation, Ezra 4.5, 12, 21. which was not ſtill diſanulled; whereas Haggai comes in the Name of the Lord to rebuke them for their ſloth and ſlackneſs, and for their being grown ſo cold and careleſs after their return from Captivity, repeating their frivolous and frigid Excuſes in their own very Words [The People ſay, the Time is not come, the Time, &c.] Hag. 1.1, 2. for indeed this King of Perſia had not forbidden them from finiſhing the Temple, but had only commanded them to deſiſt from Building that Rebellious City, Ezra 4.12, 21. that is (ſaith Oſiander) from fortifying it with ſtrong Walls and Bulwarks, for they took Liberty, without any hinderance to build their own Houſes, and ſo they might have built alſo the Houſe of God, had they not been too Lazy, for which Haggai checks them, and quickens them up to Work, &c. ver. 3, 4, &c.
Remark the Second, So ſoon as ever they began to build God's Temple, they immediately meet with Oppoſition again, Ezra 5.3. as they had done before at laying its Foundation, Ezra 4.5, &c. (Their firſt Impediment at this Time) now the ſame Rabble of Rebels againſt God, and his People combine together (like that Company of Caitiffs, Pſalm 83.5, 6.) to obſtruct the Work with Threats, accuſing the Jews of diſobedience to the former Decree for deſiſting, which depended ſolely (ſaith Grotius) upon the Will and Pleaſure of the King, and was not any unalterable Decree, ſuch as the Laws of the Medes and Perſians were commonly reputed and reckoned. N.B. However, that Humane Decree did but yet carry on the Divine Decree; thus all Oppoſers of God and Godlineſs, while they ſit backward (like Watermen) to God's Command, yet Row forwards to God's Decree, which though it permit them for a while to get the Ball upon the Foot, and think to carry all the Game away before them, yet is it not [Ad exitium, ſed ad exercitium eccleſiae] for the Ruine of the Church, but for the Exerciſe of her Faith and Patience, and that only for a little Time, Iſa. 10.25. Rev. 2.10. The Triumph of the Wicked is ſhort, Job 20.5. Thoſe Ruffians come here and cry [Who hath commanded you to build this Houſe] ver. 3. the old Oppoſers Rehum and Shimſhai are not named here (ſaith Sanctius) becauſe they were either Dead, or removed from their Offices by this new Emperor Artaxerxes Darius: But the Devil never ſtarves his Work for want of Inſtruments no more than God doth: Tatnai and Shetherboznai muſt be the Devil's Drudges here, to Queſtion their Authority about building God's Houſe, who never interrogated them in building their own Houſe, and becauſe they had a Mind to do them all the miſchief they could, they take the Names of the Builders, ver. 4, 9, 10. as Informers lately did of Meeters, &c.
Remark the Third, The Enemies endeavours of Interruption became fruitleſs, fruſtrate and ineffectual, ver. 5. for ſuch a ſpecial Eye of God's Providence was upon the Builders, that their Foes could not cauſe them to ceaſe; and they had Zerubbabel and Jehoſhuah to encourage them, yea and Haggai and Zechariah who helped them (ſaith Junius) both by Word and Deed: The Work then muſt needs go forward in deſpight of their Enemies Threats, ſeeing [The Words of the Wiſe are as Goads] Eccleſ. 12.11. pricking Men forward to Duty, but more eſpecially, when themſelves (as ſome ſay) ſet their own Sides and Shoulders to God's Work. N.B. What Man could hang back from being a fellow-labourer with their Chief Prince, their High-Prieſt, and with the two Prophets of the Lord, all perſonally helping them as is ſaid, ver. 2. and above all this [the Eye of their God was upon them] not only the Eye of God's General Providence, but alſo that of God's ſpecial Grace and Favour, Pſalm 34.15. which was ſuch an Eye as both over-awed the Hearts, and over-powered the Hands of their Adverſaries, ſo that they neither did nor durſt hinder them by force of Arms, which they might have done, if they had not been over ruled: Moreover Menochius well obſerves, that thoſe Governours were not ſo corrupted by the Samaritans, as the former were, in Chap. 4. theſe ſeem not to doubt of God's favour to the Jews, ſo dare not War againſt them, and though they (to gratifie the Samaritans) write to Darius, yet ſo as not to harm the Jews, but only requeſt to know the King's Pleaſure therein, &c.
The Second Impediment was by Letters to King Darius, writ and ſent by Tatnai and Shetherboznai, and their Accomplices, ver. 6, 7.
Remark the Firſt, their Letter gave a candid Account as to Matter of Fact, ver. 8. and gives a true and fair Narrative of the Jews Anſwers to their moſt material Objections, ver. 9. to ver. 16. wherein is related impartially the Jews Apology: As 1. That Solomon had built that Temple above five hundred Years ago, and Dedicated it to the great God, whereby they acknowledg'd their own Idols to be falſe Gods, and but petty Deities at the beſt, calling and counting Jehovah (as the Jews did) the God of Gods, &c. Deut. 10.17. 2. The Letter relateth really the Jews ingenuous Confeſſion, how their Sins had ſeparated the Lord from them, &c. Iſa. 59.2. and had provoked him to ſell them into Nebuchadnezzar's Hands, &c. 2 Kings 24.2. and 25.8. 3. It gives a fair account alſo, of the Grand Decree of Cyrus for rebuilding that Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had burnt, as Ezra 1.1, 2. 4. The Letter as fairly relateth, that it was not yet finiſhed, not at all mentioning, how it had been hindred by a Royal Decree from Darius's Predeceſſor, Chap. 4.23. hereupon (ſaith Menochius) ſurely this Letter was writ in favour of the Jews, for Darius muſt more eaſily grant, that a building (never intermitted) ſhould be carry'd on, than that a building prohibited by his Predeceſſors (which the Letter omits) ſhould be reaſſumed, &c.
Remark the Second, Though it cannot be denied, but that thoſe who wrote to Darius here, uſe ſofter and ſmoother Expreſſions concerning the Jews, than thoſe who before wrote to Artaxerxes, Chap. 4.12, 13, &c. yet may it not be imagined, that they were any whit better Minded toward them; for theſe following Reaſons.
Firſt, Thoſe Enemies of the Jews (ſaith Dr. Lightfoot) pretended much obſequiouſneſs and officiouſneſs to the King, uſing ſilken Inſinuations (as well as many fine ſugar'd Sentences before) in the cloſe of their Letter, ver. 17. as [If it pleaſe the King, and we will obſerve the King's Pleaſure, &c.] yet their Malice was ſuch as intended to hinder the Temple, &c.
Secondly, The Prophet Zechary (who propheſy'd in the eight and eleventh Month of the ſecond Year of Darius, as Haggai did in the ſixth, ſeventh and ninth of the ſame) ſeeth a Viſion of four Horns that ſought to ſcatter Judah, &c. Zech. 1.1, 19. now theſe four Horns were Rehum and Shimſhai that wrote the firſt Letter, Chap. 4. and Tatnai and Shetherboznai who wrote this ſecond Letter, ſo that the Viſion makes the two latter, as equally puſhing Horns, as the two former. N.B. God never ſuffers any Maladies to befal the Church, but he provides Remedies in due time to redreſs them. Though theſe four Iron Horns aforeſaid, were permitted by the Lord to puſh his People almoſt in pieces, and to toſs them up in the Air, as furious Beaſts do with their Horns, what they meet in their way, &c. yet God raiſes up ſo many Carpenters [Fabros ferrarios non lignarios] Smiths with Iron Inſtruments to batter and break thoſe Horns (who were Zerubbabel, Jehoſhuah, Ezra, and Nehemiah) ſo ſoon as the Horns had puſh'd God's People home to the Lord, then no Man lifts up his head, Zech. 1.20, 21.
The Third Reaſon may be this; Tho' Tatnai and Shetherboznai do punctually ſet down the very words of the Jews Anſwer and Apology, &c. yet all this might be done upon no good Deſign: N.B. They did no more, than what Doeg did out of malice to David, tho' what he ſaid to Saul concerning Ahimelech, &c. was for the moſt part Truth, 1 Sam. 22.9, &c. yet theſe few words (ſaith Kimchi) were full of Poiſon; and that pick-thank Paraſite, or buſie-headed Informer, (as the name Doeg ſignifies) is branded by David for a Lyar, Pſal. 52.3. ſpeaking all-devouring words, ver. 4. quot Verba, tot Tonitrua, as many words ſo many Thunderbolts, againſt the Lord's Prieſts; hence Doeg is doomed to Hell by David, ſay the Rabbins, Pſal. 120.4. See more of this in its proper place: Even ſo thoſe Sycophants here might ſpeak much of Truth to the King Darius, but for Deviliſh Deſigns, as certainly ſuppoſing that no ſuch Decree of Cyrus could be found in the King's Chronicles, as the Jews had ſuggeſted to them; but if they were found falſe fomentors of ſuch Stories, then theſe Men might get greater Advantage againſt them for ſuch Fictions. Notwithſtanding all theſe Artifices of Tatnai and Shetherboznai, (who are better adjudged Adverſaries than Favourers or Friends of the Jews) the good hand of God over-ruled all for Advantage to his Church, and Matters fell out far otherwiſe; like as Paul's Perſecutions at Rome fell out rather to a furtherance of the Goſpel, Phil. 1.12. than any hindrance of it. N.B. Thus here again God overſhoots the Devil in his own Bow: So ſoon as God's Houſe began to be Rebuilt, the Devil ſtirr'd up his Imps to hinder it, as ver. 3. and now God by his Wiſdom and Power, makes thoſe very means (they thereby deſigining to obſtruct it) to become effectual for promoting it; as is largely proved in the next following Chapter.