THE EYE OF GOD UPON THE WORK
Ezra 5 is a gentle reminder that God never abandons what He begins. The people of Judah had grown weary. Opposition had slowed their hands. The foundation of God’s house had been laid, but years of discouragement pressed upon them like a long winter. Then God sent His Word again. “Then the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah… prophesied to the Jews”—a fresh breath from heaven stirring cold embers back into flame. Every true revival begins here, not with human strength but with the living voice of God. When God speaks, the soul wakes up; when God calls, weary hands rise.
“So Zerubbabel and Jeshua rose up and began to build the house of God”—a quiet miracle in motion. These leaders had seen opposition, felt exhaustion, and carried the weight of a discouraged people, yet at the sound of God’s Word they stood like soldiers at attention. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. God never gives a command without giving companions. He places encouragers around His servants. He weaves His people together so no one carries the burden alone.
Then shines the great line of the chapter: “But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews.” The world may mock. Authorities may question. Enemies may whisper. But the eye of God rests upon His people like sunlight upon a growing field. He watches with affection. He guards with wisdom. He guides with unbroken attention. They tried to stop the work again, but they could not. Heaven had fixed its gaze upon a half-built temple, and no earthly power could turn that gaze aside. The same Lord watches you. His eye is not merely observational—it is protective, purposeful, and deeply personal.
As the chapter unfolds, the testimony of God’s people rises with dignity. When questioned, they do not panic. They do not compromise. They simply say, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.” What a banner to carry through a hostile world. They confess their sins honestly—yes, their fathers had provoked God and gone into captivity—but they also cling to the mercy of God who moved Cyrus to rebuild His house. They remember that their story is not one of defeat but of redemption.
God had placed kings, nations, and centuries into the machinery of His providence. Gold vessels were returned. Decrees were written. Hearts were turned. The story looked political on the surface, but beneath it ran the river of God’s sovereignty. And by the end of the chapter, the enemies of Israel are doing the very thing that will lead to their vindication: they send the matter upward, appealing to the king. What they meant as a hindrance will become God’s instrument of deliverance in chapter 6.
Ezra 5 holds a truth for every believer who has ever grown tired in the work of God. God sees. God speaks. God revives. God protects. The work may be opposed, but the Worker never is. Christ Himself—greater than Zerubbabel, greater than Jeshua, greater than Cyrus—builds His church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. When you lift your hands to serve Him, His eye rests upon you with covenant love. And when His eye is upon the work, the work cannot die.
Lord Jesus, revive my heart as You revived Your people in days of old. Speak to me through Your Word. Strengthen my hands. Surround me with Your people. Let Your eye rest upon my life and upon every work done for Your glory. Make me bold to say, “I am Your servant,” and faithful to live as one. Finish in me the work You have begun. Amen.
BDD
