Written by: Paul Morley
Ezra 4 v 1-5
When the enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned
captives were building a Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came
to Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families. The enemies said, “Let
us help you build, because we are like you and want to worship your God. We
have been offering sacrifices to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria,
who brought us here.”
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the leaders of Israel answered, “You will not
help us build a Temple to our God. We will build it ourselves for the LORD, the
God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us to do.”
Then the people around them tried to discourage the people of Judah by making
them afraid to build. Their enemies hired others to delay the building plans
during the time Cyrus was king of Persia. And it continued to the time Darius
was king of Persia.
Notes
You can be sure that whenever God is doing something in your life the enemy
will come to try and hinder the work.
The enemies of God and his work do not appear as a devil with a tail and a pointed fork. NO! That would be too obvious. The enemy is sneaky. He will look for any way to hinder your faith growing. On the surface this seems a great offer: “Let us help you!”
The leaders of Israel were aware of God’s commands and refused. They didn’t want the help of those who had ulterior motives. In the New Testament, Paul writes: “You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them” (2 Corinthians 6 v 14). In God’s work do not be joined with unbelievers. It may seem OK on the surface, but the motives, the driving force, are not the same. The leaders knew outside help would come at a cost.
Compromise! Make sure compromise is not a part of your life.
Prayer
Lord, today let me be led by your Holy Spirit to be aware of the sneaky ways
of the enemy. Help me to make God decisions, not just good decisions. Amen
Ezra 4 v 6-10
When Xerxes first became king, those enemies wrote a letter against the people
of Judah and Jerusalem.
When Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and those
with them wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in the Aramaic language
and translated.
Rehum the governor and Shimshai the governor’s secretary wrote a letter
against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king. It said:
This letter is from Rehum the governor, Shimshai the secretary, and their fellow
workers—the judges and important officers over the men who came from
Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, the Elamite people of Susa, and those
whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal forced out of their countries and
settled in the city of Samaria and in other places of the Trans-Euphrates.
Notes
Building the temple was of major importance to the Jewish people. It would
be the focal point of praise and worship, sacrifice and offering, prayer
and guidance. The enemies did not want it to be established. The New Testament
refers to your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. You are encouraged to
build yourself and others up in the holy faith. That is what the enemy hates.
Have you ever wondered why so many things hassle you, discourage you and come against you, when you determine to do something you know God wants you to do? Well, expect it; it’s the enemy trying to give you the easy option of quitting rather than pressing on.
Sometimes it’s even “important people” who may side against you. Letters seem to carry weight; the pen is mightier that the sword. The enemy knew this and knew it would cause a reaction when read by the king. Do not react to people’s reactions; stay focused on what God is building in you. You’re his temple.
Prayer
Lord, today continue your work of building me up in my faith in you. Amen
Ezra 4 v 11-16
(This is a copy of the letter they sent to Artaxerxes.)
To King Artaxerxes.
From your servants who live in Trans-Euphrates.
King Artaxerxes, you should know that the Jewish people who came to us from
you have gone to Jerusalem to rebuild that evil city that refuses to obey.
They are fixing the walls and repairing the foundations of the buildings.
Now, King Artaxerxes, you should know that if Jerusalem is built and its walls
are fixed, Jerusalem will not pay taxes of any kind. Then the amount of money
your government collects will be less. Since we must be loyal to the government,
we don’t want to see the king dishonoured. So we are writing to let the
king know. We suggest you search the records of the kings who ruled before
you. You will find out that the city of Jerusalem refuses to obey and makes
trouble for kings and areas controlled by Persia. Since long ago it has been
a place where disobedience has started. That is why it was destroyed. We want
you to know, King Artaxerxes, that if this city is rebuilt and its walls fixed,
you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.
Notes
Those who once wanted to help in the rebuilding of the temple now became a
major hindrance. Their true colours were seen in the letter they sent to
the king. The Jewish people had been doing the work a previous king, Cyrus,
had set them. The enemy plays on fear and rumour. What they were saying was,
you won’t get what’s yours! Taxes and honour, o king!
People misread things when you do things God’s way. When I became a Christian in the Royal Navy, some 33 years ago, some said it was terrible the way I had gone. Why? Only because I got rid of some unhelpful books and attended a fellowship. People exaggerated what the fellowship did. Some things never change. Have you been called a “Bible basher”? Yet you have never hit anyone with it. No! Why are these things said? Because God’s work is in the process of building you up.
Sadly, even people today look at negatives. Here the Jewish people were sorting out a demolition site and turning it into something special. How was that wicked? Don’t listen to the negative reports about people or churches; look at the fruit that’s being produced.
Prayer
Lord, today let me see the positive in those who have negatives said about
them. Amen
Ezra 4 v 17-24
King Artaxerxes sent this answer:
To Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary, to all their fellow workers
living in Samaria, and to those in other places in Trans-Euphrates.
Greetings.
The letter you sent to us has been translated and read to me. I ordered the
records to be searched, and it was done. We found that Jerusalem has a history
of disobedience to kings and has been a place of problems and trouble. Jerusalem
has had powerful kings who have ruled over the whole area of Trans-Euphrates,
and taxes of all kinds have been paid to them. Now, give an order for those
men to stop work. The city of Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until I say so.
Make sure you do this, because if they continue, it will hurt the government.
A copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes sent was read to Rehum and Shimshai
the secretary and the others. Then they quickly went to the Jewish people in
Jerusalem and forced them to stop building.
So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year
Darius was king of Persia.
Notes
Have you ever thought or said, “God, why don’t you do something
when this is for you?” And God seems to do nothing. We need to understand
that God is never doing nothing. This applies even when the enemy seems to
be getting the upper hand.
In today’s Bible passage, it seemed the enemy had won. The king responded to the letter with a command for the work to stop. The Jewish people obeyed. This action showed that they were not rebellious as was claimed but obedient.
Obedience is important. The Bible teaches that we should obey authority that God has put over us. Yes, God has put them there. Obedience even when you don’t like it shows a life that is under a higher authority – God’s. Obedience applies to parents, teachers, church leaders, police - the list goes on.
The temple work was stopped for about one or two years. In obedience, God allows us to refocus on our motivation and teach us trust in him.
Prayer point
Are you hindered at the moment? Take time to look at your motivation and ask: “Am
I trusting in the Lord?”
Ezra 5 v 1-5
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the
Jewish people in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who
was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak
started working again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the
prophets of God were there, helping them.
At that time Tattenai, the governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai,
and their fellow workers went to the Jewish people and asked, “Who gave
you permission to rebuild this Temple and fix these walls?” They also
asked, “What are the names of the men working on this building?” But
their God was watching over the older leaders of the Jewish people. The builders
were not stopped until a report could go to King Darius and his written answer
could be received.
Notes
God’s in control all the time; nothing takes him by surprise. The builders
were obedient to the order to stop work. Legally they could have continued
because a decree by a king couldn’t be overturned. The builders learnt
obedience to the law of man and the will of God. The only time a refusal to
obey authority is allowed is when it is in direct conflict with God’s
word.
In the “off work” period God sent two prophets to bring God’s direction. It was back to work. Why the change now? There was a new king, one who favoured the Jewish people. God knew that he would read the previous decrees and the work would be unhindered. There is a key principle here. The Bible says the God of Israel was over them.
Whatever you do or are involved in, is the Lord God over you and it? If not, then what is being built and who it is for? “Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success” (Proverbs 3 v 6), “because the Lord will keep you safe. He will keep you from being trapped” (Proverbs 3 v 26).
Prayer
Lord, today be over me and over all that I do. Let my confidence be in you
alone. Amen
Ezra 5 v 6-12
This is a copy of the letter that was sent to King Darius by Tattenai, the
governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and the other important officers
of Trans-Euphrates. This is what was said in the report they sent to him:
To King Darius.
Greetings. May you have peace.
King Darius, you should know that we went to the district of Judah where the
Temple of the great God is. The people are building that Temple with large
stones, and they are putting timbers in the walls. They are working very hard
and are building very fast.
We asked their older leaders, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this
Temple and these walls?” We also asked for their names, and we wrote
down the names of their leaders so you would know who they are.
This is the answer they gave to us: “We are the servants of the God of
heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple that a great king of Israel
built and finished many years ago. But our ancestors made the God of heaven
angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who destroyed
this Temple and took the people to Babylon as captives.”
Notes
The building was taking shape and looking a lot better than the mess that was
once there. But even then the troublemakers were not happy. Another letter
was sent, but what was meant for harm actually did good. Look at the big
picture of what God is doing in your life and in your circumstances. The
letter said: “They are working very hard and are building very fast.” Are
you a hard worker or “work shy”? Christians need to be known
for their hard work, not for witnessing on company time. Let your work be
a witness to others around you. The phrase “building fast” shows
us that time-keeping is important here (the New Testament instructs us to
recognise that all we do is done as if being done for the Lord Jesus). Evidence
of these actions was seen and noticed. Today, is the evidence of your Christian
life seen and noticed?
The workers made it their responsibility to work fast; you and I have a responsibility to ensure that we are being built up and growing in our faith. Fast work means “they got stuck in” and didn’t put things off. Are you getting stuck in or putting things off? Today is the day for change.
Prayer
Lord, let my life be one that represents you in all I do, at home, at work
or at play. Amen
Ezra 5 v 13-17
“Later, in the first year Cyrus was king of Babylon, he gave a special
order for this Temple to be rebuilt. Cyrus brought out from the temple in Babylon
the gold and silver bowls and pans that came from the Temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar
had taken them from the Temple in Jerusalem and had put them in the temple in
Babylon.
“Then King Cyrus gave them to Sheshbazzar, his appointed governor. Cyrus
said to him, ‘Take these gold and silver bowls and pans, and put them back
in the Temple in Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of God where it was.’ So
Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem.
From that day until now the work has been going on, but it is not yet finished.”
Now, if the king wishes, let a search be made in the royal records of Babylon.
See if King Cyrus gave an order to rebuild this Temple in Jerusalem. Then let
the king write us and tell us what he has decided.
Notes
The letter to the king that was meant to stop the work actually pointed the
king in the right direction. The governor described the history of how the
Jewish people returned to Jerusalem and started work on the temple. But look
at this: treasure was returned to the temple, and later the king would provide
all that was needed for the temple.
What was God doing? Simply turning what looked like a tragedy to triumph. You may be wondering how God is going to do it, provide it, accomplish it in your life. Well these things are God’s department, not yours! You work, he provides. Someone once said: “God’s work done, God’s way gets God’s provision.” This is the lesson I learnt many years ago. God provides in all my overseas work; it’s God who has provided airfares, etc.
The work wasn’t finished yet (see verse 16). It took some 18-20 years to finish the temple.
Remember, you are not the finished article yet. Allow the Holy Spirit to come with the treasures of heaven and continue what he has begun.
Prayer
Lord, you are the provider of every good and perfect gift. Come and continue
your good work in me, that I may reflect your glory. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes