Ezra 4 Study Notes: Opposition Halts the Temple Rebuilding
Zerubbabel and the leaders refuse an offer of help from their adversaries, who then spend years discouraging and frightening the builders. A later letter to King Artaxerxes accuses Jerusalem of rebellion, the king orders the work stopped, and the temple project stands idle until Darius’s second year.
General
What did Artaxerxes command Rehum and Shimshai to do (4:21-22)?
Answer: Halt the rebuilding until he himself ordered otherwise
Persuaded by the letter, Artaxerxes told Rehum and Shimshai to issue an order making the men stop, so that the city would stay unbuilt until he gave a further command. He warned them not to be careless about it, so that the danger to the king would not grow (4:21-22). Even a king’s decision, though, is never outside God’s control: the heart of a king is like a stream of water in the LORD’s hand, and He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1). The LORD who removes kings and sets them up (Daniel 2:21) remained free to overrule this order in His own time.
- Ezra 4:21-22 (BSB)“Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?”Artaxerxes orders the work stopped until he gives a further decree.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God removes kings and establishes them.
Theological
What was the substance of Artaxerxes’ command to Rehum and Shimshai (4:21-22)?
Answer: Halt the rebuilding until he himself ordered otherwise
Artaxerxes ordered the work stopped and the city left unbuilt until he himself should decree otherwise, charging the officials to act promptly lest the threat to royal interests grow (4:21-22). The decree was real and binding, yet it stood under a higher sovereignty: the LORD directs a king’s heart like a channel of water (Proverbs 21:1), and the God who sets up and deposes rulers (Daniel 2:21) governs even the decisions that hinder His people for a time.
- Ezra 4:21-22 (BSB)“Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?”Artaxerxes orders the work stopped until he gives a further decree.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God removes kings and establishes them.
General
After their offer was refused, what did the local peoples do to Judah’s builders (4:4-5)?
Answer: They frightened the builders and paid advisers to undo their plans
Once turned away, the local peoples set out to weaken the resolve of Judah’s people and fill them with fear of building. They also hired counselors to work against them and defeat their plans, and they kept this up from Cyrus’s time into the time of Darius (4:4-5). Fear and discouragement are common tools against God’s work; Nehemiah later faced the same tactic and prayed for God to strengthen his hands (Nehemiah 6:9). Yet the LORD brings the schemes of nations to nothing while His own purposes stand forever (Psalm 33:10-11).
- Ezra 4:4-5 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The people of the land discourage and frighten the builders and hire counselors against them.
- Nehemiah 6:9 (BSB)“For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.”Nehemiah’s enemies also tried to frighten the builders, and he prayed for strength.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD frustrates the plans of the peoples while His own counsel stands.
Theological
Describe the opposition the surrounding peoples mounted after their offer was refused (4:4-5).
Answer: They frightened the builders and paid advisers to undo their plans
Rejected, the surrounding peoples turned to intimidation and political maneuvering: they discouraged the builders, made them afraid, and hired counselors to thwart their purpose through the reigns of Cyrus and on to Darius (4:4-5). The same strategy of fear met Nehemiah, who answered it with prayer (Nehemiah 6:9). Human scheming against God’s work can delay it, but the LORD’s counsel endures and He brings the schemes of peoples to nothing (Psalm 33:10-11).
- Ezra 4:4-5 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The people of the land discourage and frighten the builders and hire counselors against them.
- Nehemiah 6:9 (BSB)“For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.”Nehemiah’s enemies also tried to frighten the builders, and he prayed for strength.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD frustrates the plans of the peoples while His own counsel stands.
General
Why did Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and their fellow family leaders turn down the offer of help (4:3)?
Answer: The returned exiles alone were to build it, as Cyrus had ordered
Zerubbabel, Jeshua the priest, and the other family heads answered that the newcomers had no share in building God’s house; the returned exiles were to build it themselves for the LORD, because that is what the Persian king Cyrus had commanded them (4:3). Their answer rests on the commission they had been given: Cyrus’s decree had called those who belonged to the LORD’s people to go up and build His house (Ezra 1:3), and their earlier work had gone forward under his authorization (Ezra 3:7). Years later Nehemiah gave a similar answer to the opponents of his own building work (Nehemiah 2:20).
- Ezra 4:3 (BSB)“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.””The leaders decline the offer, citing their task and Cyrus’s command.
- Ezra 1:3 (BSB)“Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.”Cyrus’s decree called the LORD’s people to go up and build His house.
- Ezra 3:7 (BSB)“They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.”The returned exiles’ building had gone forward under Cyrus’s authorization.
- Nehemiah 2:20 (BSB)“So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.””Nehemiah gives a similar answer to those opposing the rebuilding.
Theological
What reason did the leaders of the returned community give for declining the offer (4:3)?
Answer: The returned exiles alone were to build it, as Cyrus had ordered
The leaders’ refusal appealed to their commission: the house was theirs alone to build for the LORD, as Cyrus had commanded (4:3). Cyrus’s decree had summoned those who belonged to the LORD’s people to go up and build (Ezra 1:3), and their work had proceeded under his authorization (Ezra 3:7). Their reply rests on that commission to build a house for Israel’s God; Nehemiah later answered the opponents of the wall in the same spirit (Nehemiah 2:20).
- Ezra 4:3 (BSB)“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.””The leaders decline the offer, citing their task and Cyrus’s command.
- Ezra 1:3 (BSB)“Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.”Cyrus’s decree called the LORD’s people to go up and build His house.
- Ezra 3:7 (BSB)“They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.”The returned exiles’ building had gone forward under Cyrus’s authorization.
- Nehemiah 2:20 (BSB)“So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.””Nehemiah gives a similar answer to those opposing the rebuilding.
General
In the letter to Artaxerxes, what warning did Rehum and Shimshai give about the rebuilding (4:12-13)?
Answer: That a rebuilt, walled city would stop paying the king’s taxes
Rehum, a commander, and Shimshai, a scribe, wrote to King Artaxerxes that the Jews were rebuilding Jerusalem, which they called a rebellious and evil city, and were repairing its walls and foundations (4:12). They warned that if the city and its walls were finished, the people would stop paying their taxes and the king’s revenue would suffer (4:13). They went on to claim that the king would lose his hold on all the lands beyond the Euphrates (4:16). God’s people have often been accused of disloyalty to rulers; believers in Thessalonica were accused of defying Caesar by proclaiming another king, Jesus (Acts 17:6-7), and Peter urged believers to live so well that slanderers would be put to shame (1 Peter 2:12).
- Ezra 4:12-13 (BSB)“Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring its walls and repairing its foundations. Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.”The letter accuses the Jews of rebuilding a rebellious city that will stop paying taxes.
- Ezra 4:16 (BSB)“We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.”The writers claim the king will lose his rule west of the Euphrates.
- Acts 17:6-7 (BSB)“But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!””Believers in Thessalonica were accused of acting against Caesar by naming another king.
- 1 Peter 2:12 (BSB)“Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”Believers are to answer slander with good conduct.
Theological
What political and financial charge did the letter to Artaxerxes raise against the Jews (4:12-13)?
Answer: That a rebuilt, walled city would stop paying the king’s taxes
The complaint to Artaxerxes framed the rebuilding as a political threat: a defiant and evil city was being rebuilt with walls and foundations (4:12), and once complete, it would withhold its taxes, damaging the royal revenue (4:13) and costing the king his rule beyond the Euphrates (4:16). Charges of sedition against God’s people recur in Scripture, as when believers in Thessalonica were accused of defying Caesar by proclaiming Jesus as another king (Acts 17:6-7); believers answer such slander by honorable conduct (1 Peter 2:12).
- Ezra 4:12-13 (BSB)“Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring its walls and repairing its foundations. Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.”The letter accuses the Jews of rebuilding a rebellious city that will stop paying taxes.
- Ezra 4:16 (BSB)“We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.”The writers claim the king will lose his rule west of the Euphrates.
- Acts 17:6-7 (BSB)“But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!””Believers in Thessalonica were accused of acting against Caesar by naming another king.
- 1 Peter 2:12 (BSB)“Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”Believers are to answer slander with good conduct.
General
Besides a record of revolt, what else did Artaxerxes say his search had found (4:19-20)?
Answer: That powerful kings had once ruled the region from Jerusalem
Artaxerxes replied that he had had the letter translated and heard it read and that a search had shown Jerusalem had risen against kings in the past (4:18-19). He added that strong kings had once reigned in Jerusalem, ruling all the lands beyond the Euphrates and collecting taxes from them (4:20). Though he meant it as a warning, his words recall the greatness of Israel’s kingdom under Solomon, who ruled the kingdoms beyond the Euphrates and received their tribute (1 Kings 4:21, 4:24).
- Ezra 4:19-20 (BSB)“I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition. And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.”Artaxerxes reports that Jerusalem revolted in the past and was once ruled by mighty kings.
- 1 Kings 4:21 (BSB)“And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”Solomon ruled the kingdoms from the Euphrates to Egypt and received their tribute.
- 1 Kings 4:24 (BSB)“For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.”Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates.
Theological
What additional finding about Jerusalem’s past did Artaxerxes report in his reply (4:19-20)?
Answer: That powerful kings had once ruled the region from Jerusalem
The royal archives confirmed a history of revolt (4:19), but they also testified that mighty kings had once reigned from Jerusalem over all the lands beyond the Euphrates, receiving their taxes (4:20). Artaxerxes cites this as a threat, yet it recalls the extent of the kingdom under Solomon, whose dominion covered every kingdom beyond the Euphrates and drew their tribute (1 Kings 4:21, 4:24).
- Ezra 4:19-20 (BSB)“I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition. And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.”Artaxerxes reports that Jerusalem revolted in the past and was once ruled by mighty kings.
- 1 Kings 4:21 (BSB)“And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”Solomon ruled the kingdoms from the Euphrates to Egypt and received their tribute.
- 1 Kings 4:24 (BSB)“For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.”Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates.
General
When the men who approached Zerubbabel asked to join the building, what reason did they give (4:2)?
Answer: They said they sought the same God and had long sacrificed to Him
When word spread that the returned exiles had begun work on a house for the LORD, a group came to Zerubbabel and the family heads asking to build alongside them. They claimed to seek the same God and said they had been offering sacrifices to Him ever since Esar-haddon, an Assyrian king, had brought them to the land (4:2). These men were adversaries of Judah’s and Benjamin’s people (4:1). Once their offer was turned down, the local population began to weaken the builders’ resolve, frighten them, and hire counselors to defeat their plans (4:4-5). The returned exiles had already been living in fear of the surrounding peoples when they first rebuilt the altar (Ezra 3:3).
- Ezra 4:1-2 (BSB)“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.””The adversaries hear of the building and ask to share in it.
- Ezra 4:4-5 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.”After the refusal, the local peoples discourage and frighten the builders and hire counselors against them.
- Ezra 3:3 (BSB)“They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.”The returned exiles set up the altar even though they feared the people of the land.
Theological
On what basis did those who came to Zerubbabel and the family heads claim a share in the temple work (4:2)?
Answer: They said they sought the same God and had long sacrificed to Him
The offer came in the language of shared worship: they sought the same God and had offered sacrifices to Him from the days when the Assyrian king Esar-haddon settled them there (4:2). Yet they were adversaries of Judah’s and Benjamin’s people (4:1). After the refusal, the local population worked to discourage and frighten the builders and hired counselors to frustrate their purpose (4:4-5), and the returned community had already carried on its worship in fear of the surrounding peoples when the altar was first rebuilt (Ezra 3:3).
- Ezra 4:1-2 (BSB)“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.””The adversaries hear of the building and ask to share in it.
- Ezra 4:4-5 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.”After the refusal, the local peoples discourage and frighten the builders and hire counselors against them.
- Ezra 3:3 (BSB)“They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.”The returned exiles set up the altar even though they feared the people of the land.
General
True or False: Chapter 4 describes the opposition as a brief problem that ended within a few months.
Answer: False
This is false. The chapter describes opposition that stretched across a long span. The hired counselors worked against the builders from the days of Cyrus until the days of Darius (4:5). The chapter then records an accusation lodged when Xerxes began to reign (4:6) and a letter sent to Artaxerxes (4:7), before returning to the halt of the temple work until Darius’s second year (4:24). God’s people often face long resistance, but the Lord’s purposes are not defeated by it (Isaiah 8:10), and His people are hard pressed but not crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
- Ezra 4:5-7 (BSB)“They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.”Opposition runs from Cyrus to Darius and includes complaints under Xerxes and Artaxerxes.
- Ezra 4:24 (BSB)“Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The work on the house of God stands still until Darius’s second year.
- Isaiah 8:10 (BSB)“Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.””Plans devised against God’s people will be thwarted, for God is with them.
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (BSB)“We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”God’s servants are pressed and persecuted but not destroyed.
Theological
True or False: According to Ezra 4, the opposition to the Jews was limited to a few months under Cyrus.
Answer: False
This is false. The opposition is presented as sustained: counselors were hired against the builders from Cyrus through to Darius (4:5); a charge was brought as Xerxes’ reign began (4:6); and a letter went to Artaxerxes (4:7). The chapter then returns to the temple, whose work stood still until Darius’s second year (4:24). Long-running hostility to God’s work is a recurring pattern, yet plans laid against Him come to nothing (Isaiah 8:10), and His servants, though pressed, are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
- Ezra 4:5-7 (BSB)“They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.”Opposition runs from Cyrus to Darius and includes complaints under Xerxes and Artaxerxes.
- Ezra 4:24 (BSB)“Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The work on the house of God stands still until Darius’s second year.
- Isaiah 8:10 (BSB)“Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.””Plans devised against God’s people will be thwarted, for God is with them.
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (BSB)“We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”God’s servants are pressed and persecuted but not destroyed.
General
What did the letter writers urge Artaxerxes to do to check their claims about Jerusalem (4:15)?
Answer: That he look in his ancestors’ records to confirm their charge
The writers said they were loyal servants of the palace who did not want to see the king dishonored (4:14). They urged him to have the records of his predecessors searched, promising he would find that Jerusalem had a long history of revolt that had harmed kings and provinces, and that this was why it had been destroyed (4:15). The city had indeed been destroyed, but Scripture gives the deeper reason: though the LORD sent messenger after messenger out of compassion, Judah ridiculed them and despised His words until His anger was past remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16), and the elders confess the same in the next chapter (Ezra 5:12).
- Ezra 4:14-15 (BSB)“Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.”The writers urge a search of the royal records to prove the city rebellious.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”Judah mocked the LORD’s messengers until His wrath was beyond remedy.
- Ezra 5:12 (BSB)“But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.”The elders later confess that their fathers’ sin brought the exile.
Theological
What course of action did the writers recommend to Artaxerxes to substantiate their charge (4:15)?
Answer: That he look in his ancestors’ records to confirm their charge
Presenting themselves as loyal to the throne (4:14), the writers asked Artaxerxes to consult the archives of his predecessors, confident they would show Jerusalem to be a city of sedition and the reason for its earlier destruction (4:15). Scripture gives the theological reason for that ruin: Judah mocked the LORD’s messengers until His wrath had no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16), and the returned elders will confess that very cause before Darius (Ezra 5:12).
- Ezra 4:14-15 (BSB)“Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.”The writers urge a search of the royal records to prove the city rebellious.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”Judah mocked the LORD’s messengers until His wrath was beyond remedy.
- Ezra 5:12 (BSB)“But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.”The elders later confess that their fathers’ sin brought the exile.
General
What did Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates do once the king’s letter was read to them (4:23)?
Answer: They hurried to Jerusalem and made the Jews stop by force
As soon as the king’s reply was read to them, Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates went at once to Jerusalem and compelled the Jews by force to stop (4:23). The chapter closes by noting that work on God’s house in Jerusalem came to a halt and stayed that way until Darius’s second year as Persia’s king (4:24). The standstill was real, but it was not the end: Haggai dates the LORD’s message through him to Darius’s second year (Haggai 1:1), and they returned to the work (Haggai 1:14).
- Ezra 4:23-24 (BSB)“When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them. Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The officials stop the work by force, and it stands still until Darius’s second year.
- Haggai 1:1 (BSB)“In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating”In Darius’s second year the LORD’s word came through Haggai to the leaders.
- Haggai 1:14 (BSB)“So the LORD stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and began the work on the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God,”The LORD stirred the leaders and people to resume the work.
Theological
How did Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates respond when Artaxerxes’ reply was read to them (4:23)?
Answer: They hurried to Jerusalem and made the Jews stop by force
With the royal letter in hand, the officials went immediately to Jerusalem and stopped the Jews by force (4:23), and the temple work stood still until Darius’s second year (4:24). The halt was genuine, yet temporary under God’s providence: Haggai dates the LORD’s word through him to Darius’s second year (Haggai 1:1), and the LORD roused the spirits of the leaders and the remnant to resume the work (Haggai 1:14).
- Ezra 4:23-24 (BSB)“When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them. Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”The officials stop the work by force, and it stands still until Darius’s second year.
- Haggai 1:1 (BSB)“In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating”In Darius’s second year the LORD’s word came through Haggai to the leaders.
- Haggai 1:14 (BSB)“So the LORD stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and began the work on the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God,”The LORD stirred the leaders and people to resume the work.