Summary
In Ezra Chapter 3, we see the people setting their priorities on God.
Ezra Chapter 3 begins in 537 BC in the "seventh month" of the Hebrew calendar, which coincides with the September/October time frame. In Leviticus 23, we see that the seventh month was the most sacred month of the year.
When the Jews return to Judah from exile, they find other people living in the surrounding areas, and they are afraid of them. Despite this fear, the people come together in unity, "as one man," build an alter, and start sacrificing and worshipping God in accordance with "the Law of Moses." The people also give of their limited resources to acquire the manpower and materials to start rebuilding the Temple. Instead of building walls and other defenses, the people turn to God for their protection.
In 536 BC, in the "second month" of the Hebrew calendar, which coincides with the April/May time frame, the people begin to build the new Temple. This is significant in two respects. First, in 1 Kings 6:1, we see that it was in the second month that King Solomon started to build the first Temple. Second, this completes the prophesies of Jeremiah 29:1-14 and Isaiah 44:24-45:7 in which God promised that 70 years after the fall of Judah, he would bring the people back to the land to rebuild the Temple. Judah fell to Babylon in 605 BC. Seventy years later, in 536 BC, the people start rebuilding the Temple.
When the foundation for the new Temple is finished, the people come together to celebrate. Some people shout for joy. The older Jews who had seen the first Temple, however, "weep." Although it is not entirely clear, the context suggests that they wept in grief, either because it was already clear that the new Temple was not going to be as grand as the first Temple or they were reminded of the destruction of the first Temple which had been due to their own sin.
In Chapter 4, we see the people start to face obstacles. The Book of Ezra demonstrates a simple truth--just because you are doing God’s work, you are not exempt from facing distractions and crises. To the contrary, oftentimes, when you are doing God’s work, the enemy will make sure that you face opposition and adversity.
At the outset, it is worth noting that Ezra Chapter 4 presents an issue. In Ezra Chapters 1-4, Ezra mentions four Persian kings; Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and Artexerxes. All four are historical figures. We know when each reigned over the Persian Empire. We also know when the second Temple was completed. If we read Chapter 4 as if it were written chronologically, it would not match up with the reigns of the kings or the completion of the Temple.
This issue leads to two possibilities. First, Ezra Chapter 4 may not have been written in chronological order. Second, Ezra may have erred in presenting the order of the Persian kings. In our view, the latter alternative is unlikely. Ezra was a well educated man and, in Chapter 7, we are going to see that Ezra either lived in or at least spent time in Persia. Thus, it is doubtful that Ezra would have erred in such a simple matter. The most plausible explanation is that Ezra did not write Chapter 4 chronologically. Instead, in verses 6-23, Ezra goes off on a tangent to either make or emphasize a point. In those verses, Ezra moves us forward in time to discuss a separate matter, only to bring us back in time in verse 24.
Starting in verse 1, we see that "the enemies of Judah and Benjamin" come and offer to help rebuild the Temple. As the Jewish historian Josephus records, these "enemies" are from the group who would later be called the Samaritans. Recall that when Israel split into two kingdoms, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern Kingdom and the remaining ten tribes formed the Northern Kingdom, having as its capital the city of Samaria. When Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrians exiled some of the Israelites out of the country and moved some of their own people in. Over time, the Israelites and the Assyrians began to intermarry. This is why the Jews, even up until Jesus' time, considered the Samaritans to be "half-breeds."
The Jewish leaders soundly reject the Samaritan's offer, perhaps because they still harbored bitterness regarding the split of the nation or because they knew the Samaritans had a history of worshiping false gods. The Samaritans respond by making every effort to frustrate the Jews' efforts to complete the Temple. Jumping down to verse 24, we see that the Samaritans caused so much trouble that the Jews were compelled to stop construction of the Temple until the "second year of the reign of Darius," which coincides with 520 BC.
In verses 6-23, Ezra takes us forward in time to the reigns of King Xerxes (486-465 BC) and King Artexerxes (465 BC - 424 BC). By this time, the second Temple is completed, and the Jews are working on rebuilding Jerusalem and walls around the city. The Samaritans continue to try to thwart the Jews' construction efforts by makinge accusations to Xerxes and writing a letter to Artexerxes. The Samaritans charge that Jerusalem has a history of rebellion and that the Jews will stop paying taxes if the city and the walls are rebuilt. Artexerxes investigates the matter and commands that the work on the city be stopped until further order. In our view, Ezra went off on this tangent to emphasize the obstacles the Jews faced in view of the Samaritan's actions.
The events described in Chapter 4 highlight several of the reasons why, even up until Jesus' day, the Jews were very hostile toward the Samaritans.
Life Application Points
--We should seek refuge from our fears by seeking the Lord. As it says in Psalm 34:4: "I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."
--When doing God's work, we will face obstacles. In those situations, we should respond with faith and courage. As it says in Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Verse of the Week
"With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; His love to Israel endures forever.'" Ezra 3:11.
