“Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence…”

Interesting, very interesting.  Here we have a topic that ought to be a no-brainer.  God of heaven?  Well, sure, why not?  If you’ve got a God, where else is he going to live? Hindus have tens of thousands of gods, and most of them live on earth.  You can see their temples dot the countryside of the Indian sub-continent. Buddhists and New Agers’ impersonal god really doesn’t “live” anywhere, because their god is not alive in the sense that you and I are.  Some might disagree with me on that, but that’s OK.  Let’s just say that there really is more to the God of heaven than just a deity and his abode … much more.

At times, historical context is everything in figuring out some things.  And this is true for the God of heaven on at least two levels: the immediate and the biblical.  Let’s tackle the latter first.  By biblical historical context, I mean noting how many times this phrase is used in the Book and looking for clues as to its meaning or purpose.  This rich phrase is used strictly in both testaments 23 times, all but two in the Old Testament.  Discarding the two uses in the book of Revelation, we have the phrase used 17 out of 21 times (just over 80%) in books speaking about one key time in Jewish history: the Babylonian Captivity.  It seems as if Daniel got this description going when he urged his buddies to ask for “mercy from the God of heaven” (Daniel 2:18).  You might remember that as wise men in Nebuchadnezzar’s court, they were under a death sentence unless one of them could retell and then interpret the king’s dream (Ch. 2).  Obviously they needed the help of a higher power, much higher than any earthly king.  Daniel used the phrase again citing his information’s source to the king (v. 37).  Finally, he used it to distinguish between the kings of the earth, including Nebuchadnezzar, and the One that chose those kings (v. 44).  The cumulative impact should have helped the king to refrain from overt pride, something that unfortunately showed up only one chapter later.  Because of Daniel’s role of service in the kings’ courts, the God of heaven’s superintending presence hangs over the whole period of captivity.  After all, whatever the Babylonians conceived or what ideas their kings cooked up, God simply used them for a short period to punish his people for what they owed him: 70 years of rest for the land of Israel (see Daniel 9:1-2 and Jeremiah 25).

After the captivity, God raised up another king, Artaxerxes, as well as two Jewish contemporaries, Ezra and Nehemiah, the former to lead in reconstructing the Jewish temple and the latter to direct the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s city wall. This brings us to the immediate context mentioned earlier.  Now we are in the thick of the details, examining the situation, characters, etc.  And even at the end of their captivity, the God of heaven’s shadow is still an ever-present reality.

Artaxerxes must have been quite a fellow, as his letter to Ezra the priest recorded in the seventh chapter of his book indicates.  First, he says he’s sending Ezra (v. 14).  Second, he’s financing the operation personally (15).  Third, Ezra is free to take in collections (16).  Fourth, he gives them plenty of latitude to “do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God” (18).  Then he adds, “And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasure” (20).  How’s that for your tax dollars hard at work?!  And talk about trust!  What does this say about Ezra’s work ethic and integrity that the king gave him carte blanche?

So as to make sure he is not misunderstood, Artaxerxes continues: “Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasuries of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you—up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.  Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence… Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?” (21-23).  Notice that the king not only recognizes the God of heaven, but also has no shame in honoring him and paying for his commands both from his own personal treasury and that of his realm.  Moreover, he wants obedience to this God of heaven done with diligence, which he mentions twice.  There is also a healthy fear that he has: Why should there be wrath against…the king and his sons?  Smart guy!

Whatever his faults were, Artaxerxes knew that when it came to serving the God of heaven, you didn’t slack off; you did it with diligence and a personal cost. Do you serve him the same way?