The Gaze of God and the Grinding of Gears Text: Ezra 5:3-5
Introduction: The Audacity of Obedience
We live in an age that is allergic to authority, unless, of course, it is a kind of authority that has first been thoroughly neutered and domesticated. Our culture loves to speak of mandates and decrees, but only when they flow from the sterile offices of a secular bureaucracy. But when God issues a decree, when He commands His people to build, to advance, to take ground, the world suddenly remembers its love for permits, paperwork, and proper channels. The gears of the administrative state begin to grind.
This is precisely the situation we find in our text. After a long and dispiriting hiatus, the people of God, spurred on by the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, have taken up the work of rebuilding the temple once more. The sound of hammers has replaced the sound of crickets. And as surely as sparks fly upward, this renewed obedience attracts attention. The local authorities show up with their clipboards and their questions, demanding to see the proper forms, filled out in triplicate. "Who issued you a decree?"
This is more than a simple zoning dispute. This is a clash of kingdoms. It is the kingdom of God, which advances by prophetic command and faithful obedience, colliding with the kingdom of man, which operates by bureaucratic procedure and the intimidating force of the state. And in the middle of this confrontation, we are given a glorious statement that reveals the secret engine driving the entire project forward. We are told that "the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews." This is where the real power lies. Not in the decree of Cyrus, though that was important. Not in the strength of the builders, though that was necessary. The true power was in the unwavering, protective, and sovereign gaze of God Himself.
This passage teaches us a fundamental lesson about the nature of Christian obedience in a hostile world. It teaches us that faithful work will inevitably be questioned by the world's authorities. It teaches us how to answer them with a straight spine and a clear conscience. And most importantly, it teaches us that the ultimate determining factor in any conflict is not the eye of the governor, but the eye of our God.
The Text
At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “Who issued you a decree to rebuild this house and to complete this structure?” Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were rebuilding this building. But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a document be returned concerning this.
(Ezra 5:3-5 LSB)
The Inevitable Inspection (v. 3)
We begin with the arrival of the fact-finding committee.
"At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “Who issued you a decree to rebuild this house and to complete this structure?”" (Ezra 5:3)
Notice the timing. "At that time." At what time? At the time when the people of God started obeying Him again. For sixteen years, the work had languished. The Jews were busy paneling their own houses while God's house lay in ruins. And during that time, Tattenai the governor seems to have been perfectly content. There were no inspections, no threatening letters, no bureaucratic meddling. But the moment the work on the temple restarts, the official convoy rolls up. This is a spiritual law. Faithful obedience stirs the pot. Satan is perfectly happy to let you build your own little kingdom, but the moment you start building for Christ, he will dispatch his deputies.
Tattenai and his crew are not necessarily the fire-breathing opponents we saw in the previous chapter. They are not the Samaritans who wanted to sabotage the work from within. These men appear to be standard-issue government functionaries. They are pagan bureaucrats. Their question is the quintessential bureaucratic question: "Who issued you a decree?" In their world, nothing happens without a permission slip from the proper authorities. Their worldview is horizontal. All authority flows from the king, through his governors, down to the people. The idea of a vertical authority, a decree issued from the God of heaven and earth, is entirely foreign to them.
Their question is designed to intimidate. It is a power play. It translates to, "By what authority are you doing this? Show us your permit. We are the ones in charge here." They see a construction project, but what they are really questioning is the legitimacy of the entire enterprise. They are challenging the right of the Jews to exist as a distinct, covenant people engaged in a God-given task.
A Straightforward Answer (v. 4)
The response of the Jewish elders is simple and direct.
"Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were rebuilding this building." (Ezra 5:4 LSB)
There is some debate among translators whether this verse is a statement or a question from Tattenai. But the context suggests this is the Jews' response. They do not dissemble. They do not hide. They give the names of the men responsible. This is an act of courage. In a situation like this, the temptation is to become evasive, to point fingers, to claim you are just a low-level volunteer. But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders stand up to be counted. They are not ashamed of the work, and they are not afraid to attach their names to it.
They are not being defiant in a worldly sense. They are not railing against the authorities. They are simply bearing witness. They are answering the question asked. This is a model for us. When the world demands an account, we are to give it with clarity and without apology. We do not need to be belligerent, but we must be bold. They asked for the names, and they got the names. This is the quiet confidence of men who know they are acting under a higher authority. They are not ashamed of the gospel, and they are not ashamed of the work.
The Decisive Factor (v. 5)
Now we come to the heart of the passage, the verse that explains why this confrontation did not end with a cease and desist order.
"But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a document be returned concerning this." (Ezra 5:5 LSB)
This "but" is a glorious, gospel-drenched "but." It is a divine interruption. On the one hand, you have the intimidating power of the Persian empire, represented by Governor Tattenai. On the other hand, you have a small, beleaguered group of exiles. All the earthly power is on one side. But. The eye of their God was on the elders. This changes everything.
The "eye of God" is a rich biblical concept. It signifies His watchful care, His detailed knowledge, His sovereign protection, and His active favor. It is not a passive, distant observation. It is an engaged, powerful gaze. The God who sees the sparrow fall to the ground had His eye fixed on these men. This is the doctrine of providence in action. God is not merely the God of the big picture; He is the God of the construction site. He is governing the questions of pagan officials and the heart-rate of Jewish elders.
Because God's eye was on them, the enemies were restrained. "They did not stop them." Tattenai and his colleagues had the authority and likely the power to halt the work immediately. That is what the enemies in the previous chapter had accomplished. But here, something stays their hand. They are providentially hindered. They are constrained to act with a moderation that is entirely out of character for a pagan bureaucracy confronting an unpermitted project. They decide to kick the issue upstairs, to send a report to Darius and wait for a reply. This delay is a divine gift. It is God buying His people time to continue the work.
God did not send fire from heaven to consume Tattenai. He did not send an angel to strike the officials dumb. He simply worked through the ordinary means of bureaucratic procedure. He used the very grinding gears of the state, which are so often used to hinder God's people, to protect them. This is the beautiful subtlety of God's sovereignty. He can use a pagan governor's caution and love for protocol just as easily as He can use a prophet's thunderous sermon. He is the Lord of both.
Living Under the Gaze
So what does this mean for us? We are also a people commissioned to build. We are building the house of God, not with stones and mortar, but with the living stones of redeemed men and women. We are to be about the business of the Great Commission, discipling the nations, teaching them to obey everything Christ has commanded. And as we do this, we should fully expect the Tattenais of our world to show up.
They will come from the city council, from the HR department, from the federal agencies, and from the court of public opinion. And they will ask the same question: "By what authority are you doing this? By what authority do you teach your children that there are only two genders? By what authority do you refuse to celebrate what God condemns? By what authority do you claim that Jesus is the only way to the Father?"
And we must be ready to answer as the elders of the Jews did. We answer, not with a spirit of craven fear, but with a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. We give a straight answer. We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are acting under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given. We do not need to be obnoxious, but we must be clear. We must be willing to put our names on the line.
But above all, we must remember where the real battle is won. It is not won in the courtroom or in the legislature, though we should be faithful in those places. It is won because the eye of our God is upon us. This is the truth that dispels all fear. The sovereign gaze of our Father is our ultimate protection. He sees the threats before they materialize. He governs the hearts of kings and bureaucrats. He can turn a hostile investigation into a delay that allows the work to continue. He can make the wrath of man to praise Him.
Therefore, do not be intimidated by the grinding gears of the opposition. Do not be surprised when the inspectors show up. Get to work. Obey the call. Build the house. And do it all with the quiet, joyful confidence that comes from knowing that the eye of your God is upon you. His gaze is not a scrutinizing glare, but a Father's protective watch. And under that gaze, the work will not be stopped.