Saturday, August 3
Read Ezra 4
Think About It:
- From the beginning, the remnant faced opposition from the mixed population of the land who really didn’t want the Jews inhabiting Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple. Why was the offer from the Samaritans so dangerous? If these outsiders had begun to mingle with the Jewish remnant while helping to build the temple, it would not have taken long for the two groups to start socializing and intermarrying; and that was contrary to the Law of Moses (Exodus 34:10-17; Deuteronomy 7:1-11). Israel was a nation set apart from the other nations (Numbers 23:9) because God had given them a special task to perform in the world (Genesis 12:1-3). If in any way the people of Israel were corrupted, the success of their God-given ministry would be jeopardized.
- Have you ever started a task for the Lord and got “help” you didn’t ask for and things just seemed to go wrong? Why was that?
- Ezra notes other instances of the work being attacked, including the events during the time of Darius (522 to 486), Xerxes of the book of Esther (486-465) and Artaxerxes 1 (465-424). It is additional evidence of the fact that whenever God’s people try to serve the Lord, somebody will oppose them. Rehum gave four reasons why the king must order the Jews to stop rebuilding Jerusalem. It was a rebellious city, an independent Judah would mean a loss of revenue and tribute to the empire, a successful rebellion would also bring dishonor to the king, and if the Jews rebuilt, they would no doubt conquer the entire territory. In the search by the King’s officers they did indeed find strong kings (David, Solomon, Josiah, Hezekiah) and also a rebellious king, so Rehum’s accusations were correct. During the declining years of Judah, their kings had made and broken treaties with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon and had refused to pay tribute to Assyria and Babylon. The work was stopped and most likely the Persians wrecked the work the Jews had already completed, and the report that Nehemiah received from his brother described what the Persians had done, not what Babylon had done.
- What can we do when we are opposed? What Spiritual Warfare verses in the Bible give us supernatural strength to withstand the attacks of the enemy?
Family Time:
- Adversary means enemy. In verse 1, the enemies of Judah and Benjamin wanted to help build the temple. These enemies worshipped God superstitiously (with the wrong heart). Did the heads of Israel let them help? Was that a good decision?
- How did the adversaries act when they were told they could not help? (verses 4-5)
- Sometimes we have to stand up for what is right. Sometimes what is right doesn’t always make sense – like not letting someone help you with a project. That can make people treat us bad. It’s still the right choice. Have you ever been in a situation like that?
