(5:1-2) Prophets of God - "With them were the prophets of God helping them." God sometimes sends prophets to encourage and strengthen his people. To accomplish this, Haggai and Zechariah not only preached but also got involved in the labor. In the church today, God appoints prophetic voices to encourage us and to help us with our work (Ephesians 4:11-13). Their ministry should have the same effect upon us as Haggai's and Zechariah's had on Israel. "He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). In turn, we should encourage those who bring God's words to us.

(5:2) Haggai and Zechariah - More details about the work and messages of Haggai and Zechariah are found in the books of the Bible that bear their names.

(5:3-5) Distractions - The non-Jews who lived nearby attempted to hinder the construction of the temple. But while the legal debate went on and the decision was under appeal, the Jews continued to rebuild. When we are doing God's work, others may try to delay, confuse, or frustrate us, but we can proceed confidently. God will accomplish his purposes in our world, no matter who attempts to block them. Just as he watched over the Jewish elders, he watches over you. Concentrate on God's ultimate purpose, and don't get sidetracked by intrigues, slander, or other difficulties.

(5:6-17) The Lord Will Accomplish His Will - This letter, in comparison with the previous one (4:11-16), at least stated the facts correctly and asked a fair question. The earlier letter had accused the Jews of preparing the foundation for the entire city rather than reporting that they were doing only what they had been permitted by Cyrus to do. Perhaps the opposition simply thought that sending this letter to Babylon would create enough concern to stop the Jews from rebuilding the temple. God had other plans, however. We can't predict how God will get his purposes accomplished, but we can certainly trust that he will succeed!

(5:11) Serve The Lord - While rebuilding the temple, the workers were confronted by the Persia-appointed governor, who demanded to know who had given permission for their construction project (5:3). This could have been intimidating, but, as we learn from the letter, they boldly replied, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth." It is not always easy to speak up for our faith in an unbelieving world, but we must. The way to deal with pressure and intimidation is to recognize that we are workers for God. Our allegiance is to him first and people second. When we contemplate the reactions and criticisms of hostile people, we can become paralyzed with fear. If we try to offend no one or to please everyone, we won't be effective. God is our leader, and his rewards are most important. So don't be intimidated. Let others know by your words and actions whom you really serve.

(5:13-17) Why is Cyrus called the king of Persia in 1:1 and the king of Babylon in 5:13? Because Persia had just conquered Babylon, Cyrus was the king of both nations. Babylon is more important to this story because it was the location of the Hebrews' 70-year captivity. The Babylon referred to in 5:17 may be the city of Babylon, which was the capital of the nation of Babylonia.

 Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Ezra with Chapter 5 and we see the rebuilding continues with the Haggai and Zechariah proclaimed the Word of God and then worked to accomplish the task. In making application we see the need to make application of the Word of God. When the Lord instructs us to do something in His Word it is not enough to just proclaim its promises we must apply it to the actual actions of our life. How about you? Do you apply the Word of God to Your life? let us from our text today and example of Haggai and Zechariah to make application of the Word of God.