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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghi, and today we're in Ezra chapter four,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. The
Speaker 1: enemies of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that
Speaker 1: the people had come back to rebuild the temple of
Speaker 1: the Lord God of Israel. So they went to Zerubabyl
Speaker 1: and to the family leaders and said, let us help.
Speaker 1: Ever since King Esarhaddan of Assyria brought us here, we
Speaker 1: have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him. But
Speaker 1: Zerubabile Joshua and the family leaders answered, you cannot take
Speaker 1: part in building a temple for the Lord, our God.
Speaker 1: We will build it ourselves, just as King Sais of
Speaker 1: Persia commanded us. Then the neighboring people began to do
Speaker 1: everything possible to frighten the Jews and to make them
Speaker 1: stop building. During the time that Cyrus was king, and
Speaker 1: even until Darius became king, they kept bribing government officials
Speaker 1: to slow down the work. In the first year that
Speaker 1: Xerxes was king, the neighboring people brought written charges against
Speaker 1: the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Later, Bishlam Mithradath Tabil
Speaker 1: and their advisers got together and wrote a letter to
Speaker 1: Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. It was written
Speaker 1: in Aramaic and had to be translated. A letter was
Speaker 1: also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rahum, Secretary Shimshai,
Speaker 1: and their advisers, including the judges, the governors, the officials,
Speaker 1: and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this
Speaker 1: letter by people from Erik and Babylonia, the Ilamis from Susa,
Speaker 1: and people from other foreign nations that the great and
Speaker 1: famous asher Banipal had forced to settle in Samaria and
Speaker 1: other parts of Western Province. This letter said, your Majesty
Speaker 1: King Artaxerxes, we are your servants from everywhere in Western Province,
Speaker 1: and we send you our greetings. You should know that
Speaker 1: the Jews who left your country have moved back to
Speaker 1: Jerusalem and are now rebuilding that terrible city. In fact,
Speaker 1: they have almost finished rebuilding the walls and repairing the foundations.
Speaker 1: You should also know that if the walls are completed
Speaker 1: and the city is rebuilt, the Jews won't pay any
Speaker 1: kind of taxes, and there will be less money in
Speaker 1: your treasury. We are telling you this because you have
Speaker 1: done so much for us, and we want everyone to
Speaker 1: respect you. If you look up the official records of
Speaker 1: your ancestors, you will find that Jerusalem has constantly rebelled
Speaker 1: and has led others to rebel against kings and provinces.
Speaker 1: That's why the city was destroyed in the first place.
Speaker 1: If Jerusalem is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will
Speaker 1: no longer have control over Western Province. King Artaxerxes answered
Speaker 1: greetings to Governor Rayhum, Secretary Shimshai, and to your advisors
Speaker 1: in Samaria and other parts of Western Province. After your
Speaker 1: letter was translated and read to me, I had the
Speaker 1: old records checked. It is true that for years Jerusalem
Speaker 1: has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations,
Speaker 1: and powerful kings have ruled Western Province from Jerusalem and
Speaker 1: have collected all kinds of taxes. I want you to
Speaker 1: command the people to stop rebuilding the city until I
Speaker 1: give further notice. Do this right now, so that no
Speaker 1: harm will come to the kingdom. As soon as this
Speaker 1: letter was read, Governor Rayhoum, Secretary Shimshi, and their advisors
Speaker 1: went to Jerusalem and forced everyone to stop rebuilding the city.
Speaker 1: The Jews were forced to stop work on the temple,
Speaker 1: and we're not able to do any more building until
Speaker 1: the year after Darius became king of Persia. Let's pray, Lord,
Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you
Speaker 1: for the privilege of being able to look at it
Speaker 1: together today. And Lord, in this portion of scripture, we
Speaker 1: see a group of people who are intent on doing
Speaker 1: what you've called them to do, as they're working in
Speaker 1: Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and to do work in
Speaker 1: the city to establish it as a place of worship
Speaker 1: once again. But we can see that where you inspire
Speaker 1: people to follow your will, adversity often follows. You tell
Speaker 1: us in your word that our adversary, the devil, prowls
Speaker 1: around this world looking for people to devour, and he
Speaker 1: actively seeks to oppose your work, and at times he'll
Speaker 1: put ideas and thoughts into the minds of men so
Speaker 1: that they conspire together to try and stop the work
Speaker 1: that you're accomplishing. Lord, This was something that the people
Speaker 1: were dealing with in Jerusalem during this particular era, and
Speaker 1: that's something that we deal with right now. Lord, we
Speaker 1: recognize that in the midst of our daily walk with
Speaker 1: your son Jesus Christ, we have an enemy, Satan himself,
Speaker 1: and those who align with him work against the people
Speaker 1: of God, and in the spiritual realm seek to operate
Speaker 1: as adversaries to your plan and to your will. In
Speaker 1: Lord of times, we experience that we seek to grow
Speaker 1: in our walk with your son Jesus Christ. But we
Speaker 1: deal with adversity, and we deal with all sorts of
Speaker 1: things that try and drag us in different directions. But Lord,
Speaker 1: you are stronger than any adversity we may experience, and
Speaker 1: we're grateful that you're present right here with us. So Lord,
Speaker 1: we pray that you'd grant us your strength today. We
Speaker 1: pray that we'd walk with you faithfully today, and we
Speaker 1: pray Lord that our confidence in your ability to guide
Speaker 1: us and direct us and protect us in the midst
Speaker 1: of all we deal with would be strong. Thank you,
Speaker 1: Lord for your love, thank you for your presence with
Speaker 1: us today, and we commit this day to your care
Speaker 1: and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.