June 10, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Ezra? Here’s today’s reading:
Ezra 4 (NIV)
Opposition to the Rebuilding
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”......Continue Reading
Ezra 4
Ezra 4, uh oh….bad guys seem to get the upper hand! Bad guys tried to eliminate the children that could be Messiah. Bad guys tried to trip up Jesus working miracles on the sabbath, they tried to silence his disciples in Acts.
Bad actors everywhere.
Just spoke with three teenage children of Pastor John Westin here in Silverdale, a HS graduate, a next year senior and next year freshman. They tell me, this generation of peers are nihilist. They see no future worth working for, brag about failing classes, comparing who has the most F’s, see no use in working, because social security won’t be there. I told them, words to the effect, mount up and be men, go out and make a difference. Quit being a pansy like the others, don’t follow them.
Bad actors are all about us, holding us down, or back. We may not fully understand why our work for God’s Kingdom is interrupted, but we will know the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He has sent.” John 6. Peace. Gordy
Two thoughts come to mind as I read this chapter. The first is beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. We need to be wary of those who appear to be for us, but are really against us, without being cynical about everyone. As Jesus says, it is by their fruits that we will be able to identify their true motives. The second thought was, wherever the work of God exists, opposition from those who are against God are sure to manifest themselves. And don’t be surprised as they do in this chapter to capitalize on any past failure and project it in the present or even misrepresent facts to benefit their agenda. Now let’s make sure we don’t do the same, and yet represent the truth well as well as be compassionate to those who are opposing us. Jesus tells us to love our enemies even when we might be defending ourselves in certain matters. These principles will be more important as the world falls further away from the standards God promotes. How we need the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit in these matters!
I couldn’t help but think of our government while reading this chapter.
Chapter 4 is out of sequence according to many. But it was placed there to support and demonstrate Ezra`s theme. [ The Teacher`s Commentary] In this chapter as I was studying it Ezra brings up for of the kings in order of history of when they ruled. But did leave out two of the kings in between Cyrus and Dairus 1. Which are Cambyses and then Smerdis. Ezra in verses 5-7 brings up each reign of Cyrus, Darius, Ahasuerus, and Artaxerxes. During these reign`s the enemy was attacking the people of Israel as they were building the temple etc. Inserted in this chapter is the letter to Artaxerxes from the enemy. They only give a bad report of Israel and deceive the king. So he orders the work to stop. Latter in his 7th year of reign he sends a letter to Ezra by decree that Ezra is to go and finish the work. He puts Ezra in charge of getting the work done. He allows the people to get what is needed for the temple with his blessing. Ezra 7; 12-23. Either this is the same king Artaxerxes in chapters 4 and 7 or the king in chapter 4 is a different king. What is a little confusion is the way chapter 4 ends. Because in verse 23 it mentions Artaxerxes that he sends a decree to stop the work and then in verse 24 it says that the work of the Lord was stopped until the reign of Darius. It seems like the same event. We know that the Artaxerxes mentioned in chapter 7 wasn`t in power yet. Looking up the name Artaxerxes in [ All the Men of the Bible] there is a reference in the Young`s Concordance that he was possibility The Cambyses of secular history in chapter 4 or Artaxerxes Cambyses as in chapter 7 there is Artaxerxes Longimanus. In the end this doesn`t matter. Just like Herod in the New Testament there were many Herods. The Jewish people have been persecuted throughout history and still are. We as believers of Jesus have been told in scriptures that we too will be persecuted. I hope this helps clear up this chapter a little. I learned more by studying it. We have to come back to scripture and Ezra in chapter 4 doesn`t mention Cambyses but only Artaxerxes. Because of this I have to agree with this chapter being out of sequence. He kind of lumps it all together. God bless you all.
There are different opinions as to how to interpret Ezra mentioning letters to Xerxes and Artaxerxes in this chapter…but because Ezra mentions the kings specifically, even if out of order, he is being historically accurate. But just lumping together the opposition that the Jews met. It is also important to distinguish opposition to rebuilding the Temple and opposition rebuilding the wall or the city…..
There were, are, and will always be those who oppose the work of God. We must be careful and we must be in tune to the voice of God so not to be lead astray by those who wish to disrupt God’s work. This chapter sure is a great example of how that can happen.
Thanks Pastor Peter for your verification on Ezra 4.