Ezra 4:17

The Bible says in Ezra 4:17-24, “Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.[18] The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.[19] And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.[20] There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.[21] Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.[22] Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?[23] Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.[24] Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The plan of the enemies of Israel worked. The enemy letter was well received by the king of Persia, and the king did stop the rebuilding that was taking place in Jerusalem. But the final outcome is what is most important. That is why you must make sure that you are born again through faith in Christ. You might lose some of the battles in this life, but you win the war if you end up in heaven.

God wanted the temple to be rebuilt, and so it was going to be rebuilt. The wheels of God may seem to turn slowly, but they continually turn.

The Bible says in Ezra 5:1-5, “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.[2] Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.[3] At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?[4] Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?[5] But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.” In these verses the Israelites once again continue building the temple in Jerusalem. They had stopped for a while because of the opposition. It is important to notice that in verse one the Word of God was preached unto them by the prophets, and then after they heard the Word of God they started doing once again what God wanted them to do. Do not underestimate the importance of hearing the preaching of the Word. Paul told Timothy, “Preach the Word.” Jesus told the disciples, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.” Ephesians 4:11-12 is talking about some of the gifts that Jesus gave to believers when He ascended to heaven. It says, “And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” That is one of the reasons that you cannot serve God as effectively as you might by staying home and only reading the Bible and praying at home. It is imperative that you hear the preaching of the Word from a preacher in a congregation of believers.

The Bible says in Ezra 5:6-17, “The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king:[7] They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace.[8] Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.[9] Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?[10] We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.[11] And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.[12] But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.[13] But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.[14] And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;[15] And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.[16] Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.[17] Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.” Notice that the Israelites did not rebel against authority. The law in the Persian Empire was made up of the decrees made by the kings. Since King Cyrus had made a decree permitting the building of the temple, the Israelites referred to that decree when they wrote to the current king. There is a proper way to make your requests known. We are a nation of laws too, and we should go to court if need be, but never resort to rebellion against authority. Jesus is King of kings. If the King of kings wants something to happen, He will move the other kings and judges in the right direction.

The Bible says in Ezra 6:1-12, “Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.[2] And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:[3] In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;[4] With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expences be given out of the king's house:[5] And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.[6] Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:[7] Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.[8] Moreover I made a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expences be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.[9] And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:[10] That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.[11] Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.[12] And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.” This time God uses Darius king of Persia to help the Jewish people. We have seen three kings of the Persian Empire. One of the kings opposed the Jewish people, but two of the kings, Cyrus and Darius, helped the Jewish people. The final impact over time was that the temple got rebuilt. God is in control. God uses leaders of nations. If the leader of a nation forbids God’s people to do what God wants done, then the Lord of the universe is quite capable of changing leaders to get someone in power who will listen to the Spirit and who will do God’s will. Darius not only re-instituted the decree of Cyrus, but Darius added even more benefits to it. For example, Darius said in verse eight, “Moreover I made a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expences be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.”

The Bible says in Ezra 6:13-17, “Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.[14] And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.[15] And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.[16] And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,[17] And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.” The Israelites “finished” the work of building the temple. “Finished” is the key word. It says in verse fourteen, “And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel.” It says in verse fifteen, “And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar.” Always finish the job. Anyone can start something, but it takes some character to finish what you start. Once you come to know Christ as Savior, you are called to fulfill a great challenge. The challenge is to live a life of faith in the Lord all the way through to the end. It will not be easy. There will be trials and temptations. There will be enemies and opposition. Just make sure that your plan, and your goal, and your decision is to go all the way to the end of the life of faith. What if you mess up and sin? Then confess your sins quickly and get back in fellowship with Christ. Evidently, the Apostle Paul made it to the end of his Christian life still putting his faith in the Lord Jesus. Paul said before his death in Second Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

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