Ezra 6:22For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
It is one thing to have a leader who doesn’t stand in the way of progress. It is entirely a different matter when their attitude is one of support. And what is amazing to watch is when the same leader moves from being someone who stands in the way to someone who supports. That is worth getting excited about. This is exactly what happens with King Darius. Darius was the king in charge of the Israelites in Jerusalem. He was allowing those he ruled some freedom. Some of his fellow Persians did not like this freedom. They wanted to be in charge, especially when it came to being in close to the King. Perhaps they wanted to show their loyalty to the king in hopes of a promotion. We know some wanted to help build, but because they were not Israelites, they were not allowed to help build. They felt excluded, so they wanted to get even. So they work hard to sway the king to their point of view. But the king’s heart is changed by the LORD. He becomes an overwhelming supporter of the building project, carrying out a law written my one of the previous kings. It is wonderful when a leader is a positive influence, rather than pushing their own agenda, supporting what the people want and what the law says. It is another when a leader ignores the law. (The Defense of Marriage Act comes to mind.) One of the lessons from this incident is to find places of ministry for people who want to minister. Don’t reject or ignore their requests to help. Another is the importance of praying specifically for our leaders, that the LORD would change their attitudes.
The Arnold Journey 