Ezra 6:8–12

The king’s reply

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. 9 Whatever is needed— young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the wellbeing of the king and his sons.

11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble. 12 May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

The ancient world had no concept of the separation of church and state. Everyone expected that the temples and religious rites of the gods of any region should be supported by the tax revenues of that region, in the same way that any other public work would be. If the Lord was the accepted god of Judah, the Persian kings saw nothing unusual about supporting his worship with tax revenues from that area. The rulers also expected the priests to offer prayers and sacrifices for the welfare of the state.

We might be taken aback by the harshness of Darius’ decree. It threatened a shameful death and the destruction or confiscation of property for any offender. This was similar to other royal decrees surviving from the ancient Near Eastern empires. Punishment was swift and harsh.

Not only local governors but even great world rulers are under the control of the Lord, the King of kings. Even though their power has been magnified by terrible weapons of mass destruction, the rulers of the world are still under the control of the King of kings. He directs the affairs of this world for the final good of his people.