Ezra 4 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Ezra 4:1-5

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.’

3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, ‘You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.’

4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

A. Find Out:

1. Who heard about the building work? v.1
2. What did they first ask? v.2
3. What did the leaders reply? v.3a,b
4. On whose authority did they rely? v.3c
5. What two things did their enemies try to do then? v.4
6. How persistent were they? v.5

B. Think:

1. Why do you think the ENEMIES of the Jews would volunteer to come and help?
2. How do the Jews describe whose Temple it is?
3. How do fear and discouragement so often go hand in hand?

C. Comment:

We now start seeing some of the strategies of the enemy when he hears that the Jews are seeking to re-establish the dwelling place of God in their midst. First, we see him come in APPARENT FRIENDSHIP (just like Satan came to Eve) making friendly helpful noises. Fortunately the Jews are wise to this and they know that these other people haven’t got THE God as their God. They worship idols, not Jehovah, so it’s “No thanks” politely but firmly. In 2 Cor 11:14 the apostle Paul describes Satan as coming disguised as an angel of light. There are times when they enemy tries to deceive us into allowing him to share in our activities by appearing nice.

Second, we see the enemy coming out into the open with his intentions – to discourage and make afraid so the work won’t go ahead. In 1 Pet 5:8 the apostle Peter refers to Satan coming as a roaring lion, one who comes blatantly to cause fear and to destroy.

Whenever WE, as God’s people try to go on with the work of God, Satan comes and tries to discourage us and put us off. Look up Jas 4:7 and remember it as God’s promise to you.

Note in passing here that this refers to opposition to the temple rebuilding lasting through the reigns of three kings.

D. Application:

1. Satan uses different tactics to put us off serving God.
2. We are to resist him, holding firm in our faith.

Passage: Ezra 4:6-16

6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.

8 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

9 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates – the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, 10 and the other people whom the great and honourable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates:

12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer. 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonoured, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

A. Find Out:    

1. What did they bring against the Jews? v.6
2. How did they do it? v.7
3. Who actually were they? v.9,10
4. Where were they living? v.10
5. What did they say the Jews were doing? v.12
6. What did they say would happen? v.13,16
7. How else did they speak against the Jews? v.15

B. Think:

1. Why do you think these troublemakers in Samaria were against the Jews back in Jerusalem?
2. In what two ways were they appealing to the king?
3. Look up Rev 12:10 for a description there of Satan.

C. Comment:

We now see the further plotting of the enemies of the people of God who, after they have tried discouraging the rebuilding of the Temple , went on to try to stop the later rebuilding of the city itself. There they appealed to the king to try to get him to act against the Jews.

We see first of all that they are exiles from many different places who, perhaps, are jealous that the Jews are being allowed back to their homeland while they are still in a foreign land. It had been the practice of conquering kings to take the people from their land and transport them and put them in a foreign land; in that way they would be submissive to their new rulers, no longer feeling secure at home.

Next we observe they are coming in the reign of a later king to complain about the city rebuilding (v.12). Finally we see they appeal to the king on the basis that he will lose money and power if he doesn’t act. Loss of revenue and power is always something the worldly man will respond to!

Satan is called our accuser and he will seek to come against us and condemn us wrongly or show us in a bad light. We need to be sure of who we are and rely on Jesus to be our defender, and not be put off.

D. Application:

1. Satan will appeal to man’s lower nature to rise against God’s people.
2. Satan often uses lies and discouragement.

Passage: Ezra 4:17-24

17 The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:

Greetings.

18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

A. Find Out:

1. What had the king first done with their letter? v.18
2. Then what had he done? 19
3. What had he found? v.19,20
4. What did he then instruct? v.21 (be careful)
5. What did the enemy do? v.23
6. How long did that situation continue? v.24

B. Think:

1. Think back. Why is what the king found only half the truth?
2. What do you think the Jews in Jerusalem OUGHT to have done at this point?
3. Why do you think they didn’t?

C. Comment:

We saw above how enemies of Israel sought to pervert the truth and the king now unquestioningly accepts what he is told and when he checks the records he only gets half the story, that Jerusalem HAS been a problem in the past, so he sends the order to stop work.

The point the writer makes is that like the later Jews, the present ones under pressure at this point simply accept and submit to the opposition and give up the work. We’ll see soon what they then did, but for the moment they just give up. They could have prayed and sought God’s help or written to the king to remind him it was by Cyrus’s command they were building the Temple, but they just gave up. Perhaps that was the easiest thing to do, because the work was hard and the constant opposition from the enemy got them down, but it wasn’t the right thing. Did they forget that what they were doing was because God had brought it about?

When the enemy rises against us, in whatever way, and looks like he is all-powerful in the situation, the temptation is simply to give up, yet our Jesus is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, HE is the one who is ruling in the midst of his enemies (Psa 110:2) and it is to him that we should immediately appeal! May it be so!

D. Application:

1. The enemy sometimes looks all-powerful, but he isn’t!
2. Jesus is the Lord over ALL the earth! Remember it!