After The FallEzra and Nehemiah

Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

Ezra Chapters 4-6

Announcements

Week Date Topic

1 04 Sep 13 Rebuilding the Temple: Ezra 1-3

2 11 Sep 13 Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple: Ezra 4-6

3 18 Sep 13 Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem: Ezra 7-8

4 25 Sep 13 Ezra’s Prayer: Ezra 9-10

5 02 Oct 13 Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem: Nehemiah 1-2

6 09 Oct 13 Rebuilding the Walls: Nehemiah 3-4

7 16 Oct 13 Nehemiah Helps the Poor: Nehemiah 5-6

8 23 Oct 13 Nehemiah Reads the Law: Nehemiah 7-8

9 30 Oct 13 Israelites Confess Their Sins: Nehemiah 9-10

10 06 Nov 13 New Residents of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 11-12

11 13 Nov 13 Nehemiah's Final Reforms: Nehemiah 13

12 20 Nov 13 Summary of Ezra and Nehemiah

13 27 Nov 13 Malachi 1-4

Nehemiah

Today’s Objectives• Review last weeks lesson• Learn how the enemies of Judah and Benjamin

who had resettled in Jerusalem stopped the temple from being rebuilt

• Learn why the people of Judah decided to proceed ahead with rebuilding the temple, despite the Persian king’s orders

• Learn how God intervenes on the part of Judah and convinces a different Persian king to allow the rebuilding to continue

• Learn what Judah does after the temple is finished

Overview of Ezra• Two distinct parts:

– Part 1 – From 538-515 BC, return, rebuilding the temple– Part 2 – Around 459 BC, Ezra’s arrival and teaching,

first and third person writing style• Ezra was a priest and scribe, son of Seraiah and a

lineal descendant of Phinehas, the son of Aaron• Ezra is sent by the Persian king to Jerusalem to

enforce religious laws• Ezra leads the second body of exiles that returned

from Babylon to Jerusalem in 459 BC• Book of Ezra is a work of religious history• Describes his religious reforms, including

introduction of the law and divorce of foreign wives

Babylonian EmpireUnder Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC)

Turkey

IranIraq

Saudi Arabia

Achaemenid Persian Empire Under Cyrus (530 BC)

Iran AfghanistanSyria

Iraq

Turkmenistan

Pakistan

UzbekistanKyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

India

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Armenia

Kazakhstan

China

Main Characters of Chapter 4-6• Sheshbazzar (Persian name)/Zerubbabel - Prince of

Judah, at the head of the first Jews that returned to Jerusalem after the Exile

• Ahasuerus – some call Xerxes, ruled around 485-465 BC, tried to prevent rebuilding of the city

• Artaxerxes - reigned between 464 and 424 BC• Darius - king of Persian from 522 BC to 486 BC,

allowed the completion of the temple• Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai of Judah

Places of Chapter 4-6• Judah – region of southern Israel, strategically

located on the mountains overlooking the Jordan river

• Jerusalem – capital of Judah, or the southern kingdom, “city of David”, location of the temple

• Persia – part of modern day Iran

• 612 BC — Fall of the Assyrian Empire• 605 BC – Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of the Babylonian

empire, initial attack on Jerusalem, Daniel, others carried away• 597 BC – Nebuchadnezzar’s second attack on Jerusalem, most

of Judah carried away including, Jehoiachin• 587 BC – Nebuchadnezzar’s third attack on Jerusalem,

remaining people carried away• 561 BC – Evil-Merodach becomes king of Babylon, releases

Jehoiachin• 552 BC – Cyrus becomes king of Anshan (Mede vassal nation)

and proceeds to unite the Persians• 546 BC – Cyrus becomes king of Persia• 539 BC – Cyrus conquers Babylon• 535 BC – Second temple reconstruction begins• 480 BC – The Battle of Thermopylae (Persians against Greeks)

Geopolitical Situation

Offer of a Dangerous Alliance(Ezra 4:1-3)

• Judah’s enemies want to help build (4:1-2)– Approached Zerubbabel and asked to help– Why? Because they had worshipped God as well– Why not? See 2 Kings 17:24– They had worshipped many gods and practiced false

worship of the true God

• Zerubbabel refuses their offer (4:3)– Along with the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel– Because King Cyrus commanded it

Pasargadae(Iran)

Samaritan Interferes with Building(Ezra 4:4-24)

• Their resistance under Cyrus (4:4-5)– 539-530 BC– Even hired others to interfere with construction– Even until the reign of Darius, in 521 BC

• Resistance under the reign of Ahaseurus (4:6)– 485-465 BC– Samaritans continued to interfere with construction in

Jerusalem

• Resistance under the reign of Artaxerxes (4:7-16)– Write a letter opposing construction of the city– Fears the rebuilt city will rebel against Persia

A great god is Ahuramazda, the greatest of gods, who created this earth, who created that sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, who made Xerxes king, one king for all, one ruler for all. I am Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings, king of all kinds of peoples with all kinds of origins, king of this earth great and wide, the son of king Darius, the Achaemenid.

King Xerxes says: King Darius, my father, by the grace of Ahuramazda built much that was good, and he gave orders to dig this niche out, but because he did not make an inscription, I ordered this inscription to be made.

May Ahuramazda and the other gods protect me, my kingdom, and what I have made.

• Artaxerxes stops rebuilding of the city (4:17-23)– History reveals Jerusalem's past rebellion– Commands rebuilding to cease– By force of arms if necessary

• Rebuilding of the temple in Darius days (4:24)– As a result of all of this early interference, the temple

was not finished until the days of Darius– Picks up from verse 4:5

Samaritan Interferes with Building(Ezra 4:4-24)

God Helps His People(Ezra 5:1-5)

• God helps by sending prophets (5:1-2)– Haggai and Zechariah prophesy– Zerubbabel rises and begins rebuilding the temple– Haggai 1:2-10, the prophet rebukes the people

• God facilitates the work (5:3-5)– Samaritans again object– Do not use force, but decide to consult the king, Darius– The governor is much more reasonable than earlier

Samartians

Letter to King Darius(Ezra 5:6-17)

• Address of the letter (5:6)– Sent by the governor to Darius

• Message of the letter (5:7-17)– Temple of God being built of heavy stones and timber– History of the temple’s destruction– How king Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the temple– Governor asks for search of the records to confirm the

story

Darius Responds to the Governor(Ezra 6:1-12)

• A diligent search for the decree of Cyrus (6:1-2)– The scroll is found at Achmetha or Ecbatana, the

northern capital of the old Median Empire

• Text of the record found (6:3-5)– Let the house be rebuilt– Confirms the story of those in Judea

• Darius’ reply to the Governor (6:6-12)– Let the work of rebuilding the temple continue– Let the cost be paid by the king– Give the builders whatever they need– Whomever interferes will be empaled

Temple is Finished and Dedicated(Ezra 6:13-22)

• Temple is completed (6:13-15)– Governor follows Darius’ orders– Finished in 515 BC

• Temple is dedicated (6:16-18)– Celebration– Followed the law as written by Moses

• First Passover in the second temple (6:19-22)– 14th day of the first month– The Lord made them joyful

Western Wall Jerusalem

Review• Reviewed last weeks lesson• Learned how the enemies of Judah and Benjamin

who had resettled in Jerusalem stopped the temple from being rebuilt

• Learned why the people of Judah decided to proceed ahead with rebuilding the temple, despite the Persian king’s orders

• Learned how God intervenes on the part of Judah and convinces a different Persian king to allow the rebuilding to continue

• Learned that Judah celebrated and followed the law as written by Moses