Overview
Shethar-Boznai served as a Persian governor or official during the reign of King Darius I. When the Jewish people resumed construction of the temple in Jerusalem under Zerubbabel's leadership, Shethar-Boznai and his associates questioned the builders' authority and reported the matter to the king, initially seeking to halt the work. However, when King Darius investigated and discovered the original decree of Cyrus permitting the temple's reconstruction, he commanded Shethar-Boznai to cease interference and even to provide resources for the project's completion.
Key Scriptures
"At the same time Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai and their associates came to them and asked them, 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?'" (Ezra 5:3, ESV)
"Then King Darius issued a decree, and search was made in the archives where the documents were stored in Babylon. And in Ecbatana, the capital that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written" (Ezra 6:1-2, ESV).
Application
God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human opposition; He works through circumstances and authorities to accomplish His will.