Darius Hystaspes had quickly followed Artaxerxes (the pseudo—Smerdis) on the throne of Persia, and he proved to be a supporter of the policies of the great Cyrus, but what is first set out in this book, is not the friendliness of the new king of Persia to the feeble band in Judah's land; but the ministry of those devoted servants of God, —Haggai and Zechariah, who were raised up at this time to seek the heart restoration of the remnant.
It is evident from the book of Haggai, that what was due to God, was not the first thought of the people, and they were called to consider their ways. Zechariah's prophecy takes up the future of Jerusalem, going on to the last days.
Now stirred to action by the servants of God, Zerubbabel and Jeshua began again to work on the temple, and the prophets helped. The king's ruler in Palestine, and another official and their companions, learning of the resumption of work, came on the scene, and would have stopped it, but it was not of God that they should succeed, and the work continued until the king could be heard from.
The report sent to Darius is most interesting; it contains the fullest acknowledgment of the sin of Judah which had led to the captivity, and to the destruction of the temple. A request was made that the king's treasure house be searched for the orders of Cyrus, of which the Jews had told the present king's representatives.
It was now fifteen years, at least, since Cyrus had authorized the Jews to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem, and Cambyses his son and Gomates, a Mede who pretended to be the brother of Cambyses, and was killed after a reign of eight months, had occupied the throne since the death of Cyrus, about seventy years after his proclamation in favor of the Jews. The pseudo-Smerdis had, as we learned from chapter 4, stopped work on the temple, but the new king had no respect for the former king.
Once more then, God is over-ruling in the affairs of men in favor of His people, poor and feeble, and not remarkable for godliness; but they were His people, and dear to Him. The next chapter shows the answer to the prayers of those who feared Him.