Key Texts: Ezra 5:5, Nehemiah 4:20

Study Focus: Ezra 4:4–24; Ezra 5; Ezra 6 (see also Nehemiah 3, Nehemiah 4, and Nehemiah 6:1–13 for a complete picture); Daniel 10:12, 13, 20

This lesson expands on the stories of opposition that each group of return ees faced while rebuilding the temple, the city, and the walls, first during the time of the governor Zerubbabel, then Ezra, the priest, and finally with the governor Nehemiah. Although the stories are not always written in chronological order (some parts of the book are put together thematically), we can piece together the sequence of events based on the kings who are addressed in each letter and the complaint against the Jews.

Despite the fact that work stopped several times because people were afraid of threats from the surrounding nations or kings and lost faith in God’s protection, the Lord always sent leaders who encouraged the people to build again. At times, there were several years before a project was continued, but it was not abandoned indefinitely. God wanted the Israelites to return to the Promised Land and was with them despite the opposition, humiliation, and, at times, violence against them. Just because something is difficult does not mean that God did not call us to do it. God asks big things from ordinary people, and then He Himself provides what we need to make them happen. In Ezra and Nehemiah, God inspired leaders and prophets to stand strong against hostility.

God always looks for people of faith who trust Him in spite of compli cated circumstances so He can intervene in their favor and do His work. God rewards collaboration, willingness to go forward, and determination to fulfill His given task.

Part II: Commentary

Chronology of the Work in Ezra

Under Governor Zerubbabel

• 537–535 b.c.—rebuilding the temple’s altar and foundations (Ezra 3)
• 535–520 b.c.—work abandoned due to strong opposition (Ezra 4–6)
• 520–515 b.c.—work reinstated under prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah
• 515 b.c.—temple completed (Ezra 6:13–22)

Before Ezra

• 465–464 b.c.—opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem (Ezra 4:7–23)— Artaxerxes stops the work in his early years

Ezra

• 457 b.c.—Ezra arrives in Jerusalem (Ezra 7) while work is stopped

Ezra 3 mentions the rebuilding of the temple’s altar and the founda tions, which took place in 537–535 b.c. as the result of Cyrus’s edict (Ezra 1:1–2:70). After an initial celebration (Ezra 3:10–13), the work was aban doned (Ezra 4:1–5) because of strong opposition, which began around 535 b.c. and lasted until 520 b.c. (for details, see Ezra 4:24 to 6:12). Ezra 4:6 briefly describes the opposition to building under Xerxes (486–465 b.c.). Then in Ezra 4:7–23, we read of the opposition during the early reign of King Artaxerxes. Ezra includes copies of the letters that were sent to both kings Artaxerxes and Darius. The letters are inserted in Aramaic while the rest of the book is written in Hebrew, which means that these were official documents preserved in the language that was used for public documents at that time. (Aramaic was the universal language at that time, just as English is today.) In 520 b.c., after 15 years of vigorous opposition, the prophet Haggai stirred up the people to continue building the temple (read his five short, powerful sermons in the book of Haggai). The prophet Zechariah joined in support, resulting in the completion of the temple in less than five years and its dedication in March of 515 b.c. (Ezra 6:13–18), fol lowed by the celebration of the Passover one month later (Ezra 6:19–22).

Daniel 10:12, 13, 20

God prepared everything for God’s people to be able to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after their return from Babylonian exile. He person ally engaged to stop hindrances and open the way for this godly activity. According to Daniel 10, the angel Gabriel and Michael (another name for Jesus Christ) were fighting for the minds of the Persian kings, namely, Cyrus and his son Cambyses, to persuade them to advance the rebuilding program when Israel’s jealous local enemies enticed these rulers to ter minate the restoration work on the temple. God was fighting with these princes to stir up their minds in favor of granting God’s people a place to worship the living Lord. It is sad that the Jews were discouraged and stopped working at this time even though God with His might was on their side. The work was resumed when the prophet Haggai appeared on the scene.

This situation also warns us against a lack of faith and cowardice in not following God’s leadership when He prepares a way for us to move forward to do His will. However, God’s providence always works better than our best calculations or plans. But we need to trust His guidance and follow His lead. We can be assured that His plans and directions are the best, and He always has our prosperity in mind.

Haggai and Zechariah

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah arrive on the scene after 15 long years of opposition to building. The people have become discouraged and stop working on the reconstruction of the temple. God called and directed these prophets to speak to the people in order to inspire them to build in spite of the hostile opposition. God encouraged them not to be afraid. He was with them, and His presence would sustain them.

God approached the people with the inquiry: “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (Hag. 1:4, NKJV). Study all the instances the word for paneled (safun) occurs in the Bible in terms of building projects, and you will see something interesting. All those examples are connected with cedar (1 Kings 6:9, 1 Kings 7:3, 1 Kings 7:7, Jer. 22:14). Thus, God called His people’s houses (Hag. 1:4) “paneled” because they were not made of material normally used in that region. What was the problem with cedar logs? Originally, the Jews ordered cedar logs from Lebanon in order to rebuild the temple. The temple was to be constructed according to the model that Solomon set forth by interlaying stone blocks and wooden panels of cedar. They planned to use the cedar logs for the temple’s pan els. However, when the opposition “forced” them to stop working on the temple, they had wood lying around. Why not use it? Even though they used the wood meant for His temple for their own houses, God came up with another solution. He sent them to the mountains to bring wood from there and build His house. God does not require the most expensive materials for His own house. Rather, He just wants a house so He can dwell with them.

Most important, God wanted His people to desire His presence to be

with them, which was the purpose of the temple. The bigger problem was their uncommitted hearts—the uncompleted temple was just the symptom of their apathy. When someone is committed to a task or to another person, he or she will not be easily stopped by opposition. The lack of work displayed the lack of commitment on the part of God’s people to Him. And yet, the encouragement from God woke the people up from their lethargy and fear and motivated them to again start the work on the temple. After that, they did not waver in their work. They finished the temple five years later. Sometimes we get bogged down by the mundane and the comfortable. What we need then is a reminder of what is important in life.

Chronology of the Work in Nehemiah

• 445/444 b.c.—Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 2).
• Work opposed (Neh. 2:11–20, Neh. 4:1–23, Neh. 6:1–14)
• After 52 days (less than two months) the wall is completed (Neh. 6:15–19).

Nehemiah 4

Sanballat, who along with Tobiah controlled Samaria north of Judah, threat ened Nehemiah and turned to mockery and ridicule of the Jews. He was related to the Jews through the lineage of the high priest (by way of marriage) and therefore could sense that his power over the Jewish nation would be curbed once they restored the wall. He believed that the Jews were not strong enough, that they were inferior, and their task was far too big for them. The Jews could never rebuild the wall, he said. Other leaders in the region joined Sanballat in a political coup to stop the Israelites. The Arabs were under the leadership of Geshem and occupied the southern territory below Judah; the Ammonites lived in the east in Persian territory; and Ashdod was west of Judah. Thus, Judah was completely surrounded by hostile forces. While the people of Israel became afraid, Nehemiah took it as an affront to God and the Jewish nation. God’s name and the Israelite name were shamed by the ene mies, and so he cried out to God to “hear” and to “turn their reproach on their own heads” (Neh. 4:4, NKJV). He did not retaliate himself but asked God to take the matter into His hands. Nehemiah was sure that God had directed him to lead in rebuilding the wall, as evidenced by the favorable response of the king, as well as the people of Israel. Because the menacing words of their neighbors played with their imagination and made them afraid, Nehemiah encouraged the people to “fight,” because God is “great and awesome” (Neh. 4:14, NKJV), and He “will fight for us” (Neh. 4:20, NKJV). Nehemiah assembled the Jews and put groups of them in full battle dress at each gap in the wall, which allowed their enemies to see them. He was demonstrating to the world that they were ready for an attack.

The strategy worked; the enemies’ plans were thwarted. The Jews were reminded to trust in God and not let human enemies appear bigger than their God. Despite a few other threats toward the Israelites, they continued building until the wall was finished in a mere 52 days of work (Neh. 6:15).

Part III: Life Application

The pattern of working and stopping, working and stopping, again and again was a result of the fear of what people would do to them. Enemy threats, kings’ decrees forbidding the work, and their small number all conspired to cause them to cease from their work.