Ezra 5:6-17
So with "the eye of their God" upon them (v. 5; Psalms 32:8) the Jews resumed the work but their enemies, for their part, also resume their evil schemings.
As long as our Christian life is at a low ebb and we seek after our own interests, we cause the devil no trouble. Indeed he will take good care not to disturb our sleep. It suits him down to the ground. But once the Lord awakens, by His word, our hearts and our zeal for Him, immediately we find Satan once more in our way (see 1 Corinthians 16:9).
The governor and his companions use the same tactics which succeeded so well in the previous chapter: they write to Darius, the new king, to try to make him intervene but on this occasion hiding their enmity beneath a cloak of indifference and even tolerance. Unintentionally their letter, which reports the statements of the Jewish elders, provides a fine testimony in favour of the latter (v. 11 and the following verses). These elders were not ashamed to call themselves servants of God, nor reveal what the LORD has done for them, even if that compels them to confess the faults of their fathers.