God is Truth (Ezra 5:6-17)

Source: https://quotefancy.com/

Ezra 5:6-17
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bonzenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: "To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?' 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. 11 And this was their reply to us: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said to him, "Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site." 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.' 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter."

Conniving, underhanded and desperate. These people from Beyond the River (that is the River Euphrates) had already tried to stop the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem by questioning the Jews. But, as you can read in God is With Us, God was indeed with the Jewish elders and gave them strength and courage not to back down. They knew by whose authority they were rebuilding, even if that king was no longer around. They knew that God had stirred the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia to allow the temple to be rebuilt. However, the governor and his associates from Beyond the River were having none of it. They were going to stop the Jews from rebuilding the temple of the God of heaven and earth if it was the last thing they did.

Failing to stop the Jews directly, the governor and his associates resort to desperate measures and write a letter to the king of Babylon. Now, it had been more than 18 years since Cyrus king of Persia had received the word of God (Ezra 1:1 and God is In Control, the year 539BC) and in that time, there had been two other kings after Cyrus and before the current king, Darius king of Babylon. No doubt, the governor and his associates were relying on that fact to succeed in their sinister plans.

Notice, however, this letter, thanks to the historical accuracy of the author of the book, is accurate to the wording spoken to and by the Jewish elders. These people in opposition to God's plan are not resorting to lies which have the potential of being found out, rather they resort to the truth and ask the king to search the records. Perhaps they did not believe a king would authorise such a thing to the 'enemy' or that the records had been lost over time, perhaps they had hoped Darius would refuse to search for the decree, choosing to believe them. Either way, they put the responsibility on the king to find the royal decree giving permission to rebuild. In doing this, they absolved themselves of any wrongdoing against those they saw as a threat, almost washing their hands of the situation and 'passing the buck' to the king.

The same thing happened to Christ Jesus leading up to his death on the cross. In Matthew 27, Jesus is bound by the chief priests of the Jewish people and taken to the Roman Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. They wanted to absolve themselves of all responsibility for killing the man they saw as a threat: Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be the Son of God. Perhaps they saw it in the Holy Scriptures that this man was the Messiah, he certainly fitted the bill, but in order to accept that, they would have to agree to a great many changes in their lives and the way they did things. The very beliefs they held dear were under threat from this man, Jesus. They were hoping the Roman governor would take matters out of their hands.

To their surprise, however, Pontius Pilate absolved himself in Matthew 27:24 where he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." The Jewish leaders who were against Jesus did not have a leg to stand on (so to speak). This all fitted into what God had ordained centuries before by prophets such as, Isaiah. Scriptures had to be fulfilled and the plans of the Jewish leaders were foiled by God's ultimate plan.

Even today, those opposed to God will resort to a great many things to stop the good news of Christ Jesus, including the truth. Do not be deceived just because they tell the truth, they very well may be trying to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing so they are not held to blame for things that go wrong. Satan uses this tactic in the garden with the woman. He twisted the truth to make God out to be the spoil sport. “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5).

Notice how Satan uses the truth to persuade the woman, but goes a step further and twists it. The man and woman did not physically die, but when they introduced sin into their lives and separated themselves from God, they died spiritually. Satan absolved himself of the fallout of the introduction of sin by blaming God and giving the responsibility of committing the sin to the woman and the man. But if you keep reading Genesis 3, you will see God has the final triumph and Satan's plots are foiled, as they are through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Therefore, do not be deceived. Be like the Jewish elders in Ezra 5 who held firmly to the God of heaven and earth and stood their ground when opposition came knocking. Those who try to get you into trouble may tell the truth, or at least what sounds like the truth, but if it is not from God, it is not the truth.

God is With Us (Ezra 5:1-5)

Source: christianitymalaysia.com

Ezra 5:1-5
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?" 4 They also asked them this: "What are the names of the men who are building this building?" 5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

We return to the scene at Jerusalem when the returned post-exilic Jews were rebuilding the temple and city as per the instructions of King Cyrus of Persia (God Is In Control). Chapter 4, it would seem was a side note of happenings off to one side, that led to the halt of the temple and city rebuild in God is Challenged. But now, we return to the rebuild in the second year of Darius king of Persia (Ezra 4:24).

Haggai and Zechariah are two prophets with different backgrounds and styles, yet they both have one thing in common, the God of Israel...was over them (v1). God spoke through these two prophets who came together with the high priest, Jeshua and king descendant, Zerubbabel (son of King David) to rebuild the temple and city walls.

Notice, there is still some opposition to the rebuilding, Tattenai, Shethar-bozenai and their associates demanded why the Jews had resumed rebuilding the temple and wanted the names of those who were building, no doubt for some sinister reason.

God's people were going to need prophet, priest and king to succeed in rebuilding the house of God. The prophets (Zechariah and Haggai) spoke God's word, the priest (Jeshua) would represent the people to God and the king (Zerubbabel) to represent God to the people.

These three attributes are completely met in Christ Jesus. He is a prophet, high priest and king. He is the word of God made flesh and sits on the right hand of God the Father to mediate between the Father and man. We have nothing to fear.

With God on the side of the Jews, he was always watching (v5), his plan started in Ezra 1:1 would not fail. He would see it through to completion. At this stage of the construction, the only stumbling block the Jews would experience would be fear of those who oppose them.

It is the same with us, the only thing that causes us to stumble is fear of what others think, do or say. If you believe, God has started a good work in you, a work he intends on seeing through to completion. Christ Jesus is that good work, his death and resurrection allow you to live a life saved by God's grace.

Christ is rebuilding the temple walls within your own heart and he alone is faithful to complete it. There will be opposition to our way of life, our beliefs and our standards, yet God has promised he will never leave us, just as he was over the Israelites (v1), he will remain with us until Christ returns to complete our salvation.

God is Working Behind the Scenes (Ezra 4:6-23)

Source: Darby Dugger Blog

Ezra 4:6-23
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, Tabell 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 of 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 in 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.
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 issue 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.

Not being content with the challenge already as written in God is Challenged. Those who are against the rebuilding of Jerusalem and, therefore are against Jerusalem being the centre of the religious world are employing the king in their attack.

Verses 6-8 show that not only one official complaint was lodged, but three. Xerxes I reigned between 486-465 BC (v6), Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabell and the rest of his associates (v7) wrote a letter to Artaxerxes I who reigned from 464-423 BC and in v8, Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote another letter to Artaxerxes. It is only this third attempt that warranted a reply from the king.

Verses 9 & 10 show how Rehum and Shimshai were trying to impress the king with a long list of people and fulsome tributes to the tyrannous king, the great and honourable Ashurbanipal, who reigned between 669-627 BC. Ashurbanipal, although well thought of as a king by those who he ruled over, had a reputation for being harsh and cruel to those he conquered and he conquered a lot of people including those in v9 people of Persia, Uruk and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa.

Notice in verse 12 onwards, the writers are appealing to the king's pride with comments like the royal revenues will suffer (v13), it is not proper for us to see the king dishonoured (v14), city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition (v15) and you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates (v16). They clearly know how to 'win over' this king by inflating his pride and self-importance.

Verse 17-22 show us how these tactics worked on the king and he orders the workers to stop work immediately (v21-22).

It seems to me, along with bribing counsellors to frustrate their purpose (v5), the adversaries were pulling out all the stops to end the rebuilding of the temple and the city. Of course, the temple was the place where God was to reside to be among his people and so these challenges were against God, himself. A letter to the king that inflates his ego was enough to empower their cause even further and as we read in v23, this is exactly what happened, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

Even today, Christians are faced with adversaries. People who are pulling out all the stops to ensure their plan of attack is successful. It may seem that sometimes, the authorities are against us because their ego has been inflated by those who challenge us. Rules are being made that make it difficult for Christians to express their faith, live the life they are called to live and feel in many ways, persecuted for their faith.

It feels like the enemy has won. I am sure that is what it felt like to the Jews in Ezra 4 when they were forced to stop rebuilding Jerusalem. To many of us, it will feel like Satan has won. But we have to remember...

There is always hope. Amongst the order to stop rebuilding the city walls, Artaxerxes says this...

so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order (v21).

Although this king believes he is in control, we can ascertain from the letters sent to and from him, he is easily influenced. His ego was inflated by mere men and he accommodated their request, how much more, then, can God influence this king, or indeed any future authority to do his will?

Indeed, having just celebrated Easter, we are reminded that God influences the authorities of the day to bring about his plan of salvation and redemption. Here, too, God is working behind the scenes to bring about his plan to his glory.

God is Challenged (Ezra 4:1-5)

Source: Q8 Oils

Ezra 4:1-5
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here." 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Last time in God is Merciful, we read how the older Jews who had known the former glory of the Temple of God wailed when the foundation stone had been laid, whilst the younger ones praised God. This had been a sign the older ones were not grateful for the small things but wanted the larger things.

In Ezra 4, there is opposition from non-Jews, the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin (v1). The very fact they still called the Israelites as returned exiles (v1) suggests there was still some animosity between the adversaries and the families of Judah and Benjamin (v1). But verse 2 opens with a shocking tactic, they actually ask to help to build the temple. At this stage, we're not told how the adversaries felt about the temple but this becomes clear as we move through the verses.

This is their first of three attacks they mount upon the people of Israel before finally resorting to bringing in the king. Here, in verse 2, the adversaries are testing the Israelites' integrity. They are seeing if they would go back on their Lord and allow others to help with the building of the temple. They even say they have been worshipping God since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.

After being rebuked by the Israelites, the adversaries do not give up. Their second assault comes in v4 when they discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.

Failing to break their integrity in worshipping God, the adversaries try another tactic, a less subtle attack, one that directly influences the people. This would be every kind of tactic within their power, disarming, menacing, defamatory and obstructive. Whatever tactic they adopted, they all were for this one purpose - to prevent the rebuilding of the temple.

The third attack comes in v5, brided counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose. Not content with these first two attacks, the adversaries must get their enemies discredited and on the wrong side of the law. V2, they were subtle, v4 they made sneered remarks and v5 they bring in the professional counsellors to frustrate their purpose.

These three tactics are still in use today. When we are on our own away from other believers, we are more vulnerable to Satan's attacks. He will subtly tempt us away from God. He will try every trick in the book to persuade us to go against our integrity.  Not content with just the subtle approach, he will send others to make the act of persuasion even more prominent, even more forceful. 

They will call us names, ridicule us for doing what we do, give us things to do that means we miss our morning prayer time with God, they will put obstacles in our way making us focus on other things. This constant barrage of tempting us away from God can be powerful to resist. We all have things we enjoy doing regularly, we all have things we would rather be doing, but we must remain faithful. We must continue with our integrity. We must fully rely on Christ to carry us through.

But notice in this passage, it is not the people they challenge, but they challenge God. Sure it is the people, Judah and Benjamin who are on the receiving end of these attacks, but the adversaries are trying to prevent the temple of God from being built. They do not want Jerusalem to be the place where God resides. This is clear in v2 when they are speaking to the heads of the Israelite families, for we worship your God as you do. The Israelites call God ours but the adversaries cannot even bring themselves to identify him as their God!

Let us remember, that when God on our side nothing or no one can go up against us. If we remember that, we will be ready when the hired hands come to frustrate our purpose.

God is Merciful in the Small Ways as well (Ezra 3:7-13)

Source: Life, Hope and Truth

Ezra 3:7-13
Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia. In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah ) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

We have arrived at the point where the rebuilding of the Temple of the Lord has begun. The Israelites have already put God First, by praising him, now, it was time to get the temple started.

v7 sees the masons and carpenters to be paid with money, whilst the people of Sidon and Tyre were to be paid in food and drink for transporting the cedar logs by sea from Lebanon. V8, the supervisors are chosen from among the priests and Levites who were 20 years or older.

It is clear, that careful planning was essential right down to the time at which things were to be done. The first month of the year would have been dominated by the Passover, leaving the second month (v8) to start laying the foundations. This would have been perfectly planned with King Solomon in mind since he also built his temple to the Lord in the second month of the year (1 Kings 6:1).

In verse 10, the builders lay the foundation stone, which results in a chorus of praise to God - the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord. Although there is no ark, like there was in Solomon's time, God is still enthroned through the praises of his people. Verse 11 records the words spontaneously sang, perhaps pointing toward their memory of what God had done for them (by bringing them out of Babylonia again). The sight of the temple would have been a momentous achievement for the people of Israel, those who had returned from the 70-year exile. This was a sign that God had not forgotten them and indeed was moving forward with them. His throne was once again among his people and once again, God would sit upon it.

To a people who had known no temple of the Lord (which would account for many of those who had returned), this was a joyous occasion, however small the act was. These young Levites and Israelites were ecstatic with awe and joy because to them, God had worked miracles to achieve his goal of dwelling among his people out of nothing. To them, God had surely made a way where there seemed to be no way.

Not everyone was happy, however, verse 12 shows that many of the older Israelites were wailing at the sight of the foundation stone. No doubt remembering the magnificent design and splendour of the previous temple of the Lord. As verse 13 points out, their wailing was just as exhuberant and loud as those who were praising God. To these people, this second temple was a pale comparison to the former glorious temple of the Lord. Perhaps they were thinking that God would find it a poor house to dwell in. Their memories were clouding their judgement. They were allowing what they remember, former glories, former apearances, former wonders to take over their lives and minds. They focused on the sin that had caused the first temple to be taken down, rather than on the future.

To the young, even the laying of the foundation stone was a great achievement. They see the glory of God's mercy, however small and seemingly insignificatn it appears to us.

To the older Israelites, their inward facing sin forced them to dwell on the past, dwell on those who destroyed the temple before, focus on the past that caused them to be exiled to Babylon, rather than focus on what God is doing today!

That is something we do, today. We often choose to focus our thoughts on the past, the bad things that happen in our lives, the people who caused us hurt, the job that we lost, anything. We choose to dwell on the bad things in life - this is exactly why TV drama is so negative at times - we love to watch (or read in the case of books) when things go wrong. We have begun to sympathise with the darkness. We have begun to accept the darkness as normal, as what our lives ought to be and we only dream of what our lives was once before all the darkness took over. We are very much like the older Israelites who wailed and cried at the laying of one small (relatively!) stone. We cannot accept that things could be better when they were so good in the past. We have forgotten to be thankful for the small good things God has given us.

But, as Ephesians 2:4 tells us because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. 

Our lives today can be governed by one of two things: 1) us dwelling on our past problems or 2) us focusing on what Christ has done for us. Which will you choose?

Let us not allow the memory of past afflictions drown out the wonder of present mercies.