20250403

an offer to help

Ezra 4:1-24

Ezra 4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahveh, the God of Israel,
Ezra 4:2 they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”
Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God since we alone will build it for Yahveh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”
Ezra 4:4 Then the people already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.
Ezra 4:5 They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.
Ezra 4:6 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, the people who were already in the land wrote an accusation against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra 4:7 During the time of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his colleagues wrote to him in Aramaic and translated.
Ezra 4:8 Rehum, the chief deputy, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:
Ezra 4:9 From Rehum, the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues– the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa (that is, the people of Elam),
Ezra 4:10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.
Ezra 4:11 This is the text of the letter they sent to him: To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men from the region west of the Euphrates River:
Ezra 4:12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations.
Ezra 4:13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, duty, or land tax, and the royal revenue will suffer.
Ezra 4:14 Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king, and it is not suitable for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king.
Ezra 4:15 states that a search should be made in your ancestors’ record books. In these record books, you will discover and verify that the city was rebellious and harmful to kings and provinces. Revolts have been occurring in it since ancient times, which is why this city was destroyed.
Ezra 4:16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates.
Ezra 4:17 The king replied to his chief deputy Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates River: Greetings.
Ezra 4:18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.
Ezra 4:19 I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts.
Ezra 4:20 Powerful kings also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates River, and tribute, duty, and land tax were paid to them.
Ezra 4:21 Therefore, order these men to stop so that this city will not be rebuilt until I have pronounced a further decree.
Ezra 4:22 Do not neglect this matter. Otherwise, the damage will increase, and the royal interests will suffer.
Ezra 4:23 As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai, the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
Ezra 4:24 Now, the construction of God’s house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.

an offer to help

The returning exiles were offered the “help” of a group of “people of the land” in their God-given and king approved task of rebuilding the temple. They chose to turn that offer down. These were actually adversaries seeking to disrupt the work. This was shown in the review of subsequent history. From that time on, the people of the land (leftovers from syncretistic Samaria) made sure that the rebuilding would not happen. They had been wolves in sheep’s clothing.

LORD, give us discernment, so that we know who our real allies are.