What is the meaning of Ezra 6:22? For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy • The returning exiles celebrate exactly as Moses commanded (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:6–8), showing that centuries of captivity have not erased God’s law from their hearts. • Joy saturates the week, echoing the command, “Rejoice before the LORD your God” at the pilgrim feasts (Deuteronomy 16:14–15). • Their glad obedience parallels Solomon’s temple dedication, when Israel “kept the feast seven days” with great rejoicing (2 Chronicles 7:8–10). God’s people are most joyful when His worship is central. because the LORD had made them joyful • True gladness springs from the LORD, not circumstances (Psalm 126:2-3; John 16:22). Exiles who once wept by Babylon’s rivers now laugh in Zion restored. • God is the active Giver—He “had made” them joyful. The people respond, but the initiative is His. Their celebration is grace-driven, not self-generated. • This divine joy equips them for faithfulness; Nehemiah would later remind a similar generation, “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them • Though Darius rules the Persian Empire, the ancient title “king of Assyria” underscores God’s reach over every throne in former enemy territory (compare Ezra 6:1-12). • Proverbs 21:1 is on vivid display: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse.” • God had earlier stirred Cyrus to release the exiles (Ezra 1:1) and would later incline Artaxerxes to aid Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:4-8). The pattern reassures every generation that no ruler is beyond God’s sway. to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel. • The immediate outcome of royal favor is fresh resolve to build (Haggai 2:4; Ezra 5:8). Divine joy and human diligence flow together. • “Strengthen their hands” echoes Nehemiah 2:18, where the people say, “Let us rise up and build,” because “the good hand of my God was upon me.” • The temple is called “the house of the God of Israel,” highlighting covenant ownership. Their labor is not mere construction but participation in God’s redemptive plan. summary Ezra 6:22 paints a living portrait of grace in action: the people rejoice in a biblically grounded feast, because God Himself infuses them with joy, moves a foreign king’s heart, and empowers their hands to complete His house. Obedience, celebration, and divine sovereignty intertwine, reminding us that the LORD who commands our worship also supplies the favor, gladness, and strength to fulfill it. |
    |