Ezra 6:1
Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
When Darius became king of Persia, his decree set aside the prohibition by which Smerdis the usurper had stopped the work on the house of God at Jerusalem. The verse records that Darius ordered a search to be made in the house of the rolls, the royal archives and record house at Babylon, for the decree concerning the rebuilding of the Lord's house. That search discovered Cyrus's original decree authorizing the rebuilding of God's temple in Jerusalem.
On that basis Darius issued a second decree and command for building the house of the Lord at Jerusalem after the proclamation of Cyrus, confirming that decree and issuing orders that protected and supported the work. The rebuilding begun under Cyrus as God's agent to free the Jews and furnish the work, and carried on by his successor, was thus released to go forward under God's hand and resources, even while the Jews themselves remained indifferent and neglected the work. Darius continued the work begun under Cyrus, with the later decrees carrying forward and completing Cyrus's decree concerning Jerusalem, so that the actions of the kings count as one decree. This unified decree is dated to the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 457 B.C., as the starting point of Daniel's seventy weeks.
The verse shows that the Lord still moves upon the hearts of kings and rulers in behalf of His people, moving men of the world and using their authority to advance His work, provide help for His people, and do things for the advancement of His cause. This remains true as long as the world remains, the Spirit of God still strives with the world, and the door of mercy is not yet closed. It teaches that as long as that time lasts, God's people are to both impart and receive favors, giving the world the light of truth in the Scriptures while receiving what God moves worldly men to do for His cause. They must not cut off favors or withdraw from the help God has moved men to give, a duty especially binding on those interested in the religious liberty question.