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Ezra 4-6; Psalm 137    Listen Podcast

We're calling our lawyers! (Ezra 4:1-6)

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel,
2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,
5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 ¶ In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

In II Kings 17:24-33 (see notes). So, what do these polytheists do when they are denied a part in rebuilding the JEWISH temple? Well...they do what all "open-minded" liberals do in the name of tolerance; they hire attorneys to stop the temple-rebuilding project. How's that for tolerance? This action legally stops the project for about 14 years - five years under the rule of Persian King Cyrus, seven and a half under Cambyses, seven months under the Pseudo-Smerdis (an impostor who proclaimed to be the brother of Cambyses), and one year under Darius (till the second year of his reign). Let's face it; liberal thinkers have always been trouble makers. Diversity to them is just a ploy to water down the truth! However, throughout these years, there was apparently some work done on the temple despite the resistance.

Note of clarification: There were three kings of Persia named Artaxerxes - I, II and III. Identification of some of these Persian kings is up for dispute, but many think that the Pseudo-Smerdis (above) was the Artaxerxes in the following verses (Artaxerxes I) to whom the letter was written. Darius became king after him.

New king - new restraining orders (Ezra 4:7-24)

7 ¶ In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites,
10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River—and so forth.
11 ¶ (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.
13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.
14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,
15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
17 ¶ The king sent an answer: To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.
18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.
19 And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.
20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.
21 Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.
22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
23 ¶ Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.
24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The tolerant liberals have managed to keep the project stalled and/or slowed for these many years and through several kings. To some degree, between kings, the work seems to have picked back up despite the stop-work order of years ago. Now there's a new king (Artaxerxes), and the lawyers start back up again; they write a hateful letter against the Jews. In the letter, they assert that the rebuilding of Jerusalem by the Jews will result in Persia's loss of control AND REVENUE in that region. There's nothing like a threat to the pocketbook to get someone's attention. They ask the king to go back into the archives and notice Jerusalem's past reputation, "this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times" (verse 15). As a matter of fact, compare the words of this letter to the rhetoric of Muslims in the Middle East today toward Israel. Fact: Satan will always find people to attempt to thwart the work of God. That's enough for the king. There's nothing like a well-written letter from an attorney. Maybe those attorneys are right! Stop the work! After all, a king's primary job is to keep his job as king. The rules of politics really haven't changed, have they? These neighbors couldn't wait to present their new stop-work order to the Jews. Artaxerxes actually commands that the rebuilding effort cease until he gets back to them with another order...which he never issues.

What does "this side of the river" include?

We find the designation "this side of the river" used several times in the Book of Ezra to describe the land in question. The first occurrence of this phrase is found in Genesis 15:18 (see notes). This designation for the Euphrates is also found in Ezra 4:10-11,16; 5:3,6; 6:13; 8:36; Nehemiah 3:7.

Incidentally, we see a term used in verses 10, 11 and 16 - "this side of the river." See the information box to the right for details regarding that description.

Note: At this point in time, we're still working from the decree issued by Cyrus the Great in Ezra 1:2-4. You will notice in verse 12 that, even though the decree only mentions the rebuilding of the Temple, wall rebuilding was part of the project. We see that again in Ezra 5:4. All of the decrees involved the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem.

The project starts again (Ezra 5:1-5)

1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 ¶ At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”
4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.

Zerubbabel fires up work on the temple once again. The local attorneys make a call on workers and try to intimidate them. "Who authorized this work? We're telling!" But that didn't stop the work on the temple. You will notice the mention of the roles of two prophets here, Haggai and Zechariah. See the timeline to the top right of this window comparing events found in those two books, or click here to view the document in full-screen mode.

By the way, notice Zerubbabel in verse 2. He's likely the same one found in 1:8 known as Sheshbazzar (his Persian name). He's also the Zerubbabel of Matthew 1:12 (see notes).

Zerubbabel=Sheshbazzar

As a descendant of David's royal line, he played an important part in the rebuilding and return of the exiles. He wasn't considered a king, but more like a governor over Israel. As a matter of fact, we generally speak of the historical temple in 3 different phases: Solomon's temple, Zerubbabel's temple and Herod's temple - the latter two being temple rebuilds.

Another letter to a new king, Darius (Ezra 5:6-17)

6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.
7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus) To Darius the king: All peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: “Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?”
10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
12 But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.
13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.
14 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
15 And he said to him, “Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’
16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.”
17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.

This time the letter is from the non-Jewish governor over Judah, Tattenai. He's a little more objective about the issue. Here's the question: "Were these Jews authorized by the Persian King Cyrus to rebuild this temple?" Inquiring minds want to know. This new man, Zerubbabel (aka Sheshbazzar), was certainly a threat to Tattenai's authority over the land. It's kind of amusing that Tattenai tried to get the names of those Jewish leaders heading up the temple-rebuild project so he could include their names in his letter, but they apparently declined to cooperate (verses 10-11). All in all, his letter to King Darius appears to be rather objective without any vindictive undertones. Tattenai gets his reply from Darius in chapter 6 (see below).

Sure enough! Cyrus decreed it! (Ezra 6:1-12)

1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.
2 And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits,
4 with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury.
5 Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God”—
6 Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.
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 on its site.
8 Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered.
9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail,
10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.
12 And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

The Persian governor over Judah, Tattenai, had written a letter back to Darius the king to ask about whether or not the Jews had authority to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (Ezra 5:6-17, see above). His letter seemed to have a relatively impartial tone to it, despite the adversaries calling into question the rebuilding project. So, here's the reply from Darius: YES! We researched the records and found that Cyrus did roll out the red carpet for the Jews - even gave them back the furnishings that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple to put back into place. Notice verse 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 on its site." Wait! There's more! He had also commanded that the project be funded from the royal treasury. The decree had been clear, but the opposition lawyers had tied it up for years. So...what's to keep these lawyers from making an appeal to this ruling? Verse 11 takes care of that. Look at what happens to anyone who makes an appeal to the king's ruling after this, "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." That settles it - no more appeals!

Let's dedicate a temple (Ezra 6:13-22)

13 ¶ Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.
14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
17 And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
19 ¶ And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel.
22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Finally - all done and ready to be dedicated, and according to the information in verse 15, it's March 12, 515 B.C., just in time to celebrate the Passover. Just as in the style of the old days under Solomon, we're going to dedicate this temple with all due adherence to those original temple-dedicating customs - sacrifices and everything. In verse 18, we see that they put into place the whole Levite system with their associated temple duties as had been established back in I Chronicles 24 (see notes). Then they had their first passover in the rebuilt temple with the returned exiles (verses 19-21). I should point out here that, while the temple has been rebuilt and the returning Jews are free to worship the One True God there, they are still under Persian domination; they are not an independent nation. That would not be the case again until May 14, 1948 when Israel declared their independence as a nation, an independence that has lasted to this day.

The Jews were exiled, and they wept (Psalm 137)

1 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
6 If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!

This is a sad Psalm. It speaks of the time in Israel's history when Jerusalem had fallen to the Babylonians (586 B.C.) and the inhabitants were exiled to land in modern-day Iraq next to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. That was far from home. This Psalm reflects their discouragement. But that's not all. This Psalm also implicates the Edomites for the pleasure they received in Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians. Verses 8-9 are particularly sobering. The Psalmist (obviously one of the exiles) anticipates the day when Babylon will receive the same level of sorrow that they had inflicted on God's people. As I said, it's a sad Psalm.