Read Ezra Ch. 1 and Ch. 3-7. What difficulties do the Jews face as they try to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple? What helps them overcome these difficulties? Note especially the role of leaders like Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra himself. Also note the contrasting attitudes of Persian leaders, e.g., Cyrus and Artaxerxes.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Ezra (Extra Credit)
Read Ezra Ch. 1 and Ch. 3-7. What difficulties do the Jews face as they try to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple? What helps them overcome these difficulties? Note especially the role of leaders like Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra himself. Also note the contrasting attitudes of Persian leaders, e.g., Cyrus and Artaxerxes.
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Broc Kilber- As the Jews attempted to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple they faced many challenges and difficulties. The local population seems to have resented the rebuilding and didn't want it to take place. They bribe officials and threatened to get work slowed or stopped altogether. These difficulties are overcome by the intercession of the King's of Persia, Darius and Xerxes. Darius when he hears about the plight of the Jews searches for the decree by Cyrus and then adamantly protects the Jews and offers them gifts. Xerxes on the other hand at first stops work then after being asked by Ezra allows it to continue and gives gifts to the Jews. These challenges are overcome by the intercession of the Persian Kings and by the great leadership they had.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition that Jews faced came from multiple sides, both interior and exterior forces.
ReplyDeleteA large part of the threat was related to the King and their advisors, something that is understandable. When it came to Artaxerxes, people convinced him that Jerusalem, having a history of going against Kings, would equally turn against him and cause him problems. Once this was confirmed, he ordered for the work to cease - no king wants to introduce yet another problem to deal with.
It could also simply be a case of discrimination, as it has been made clear in previous sections of the Bible that Jews are not very well liked, often being run out or enslaved. Allowing them to rebuild might be inconceivable for those who already don't like them (which largely appears to be the advisors, heads of houses, and other higher positions of power).
Regardless of their adversaries, the Jews maintain hope and do what they can, often boosted by Kings who go through their archives and realize that yes, a promise to allow the Jews to rebuild was made, and that this promise has continually been disregarded by those who don't want the rebuilding to take place.
In Ezra 1 and 3-7, the Jewish people faced several difficulties: opposition from the neighbors, the need to rebuild the temple, and the need to form a new society with their religious identity. They focused on physical and spiritual help. The opposition stated that the Samaritans and other surrounding people opposed the Jewish people's efforts to rebuild and establish themselves. They took the form of criticism and attempted to halt construction. For rebuilding the temple was the start. They had to rebuild the temple and their lives. This included gathering resources and dealing with the aftermath. The return faced mental challenges. They had to ensure the law. Finally, God's promise helped restore them.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction is that the hardships showed who they were in the end. Dealing with the aftermath, they built back up. God will keep his promise, and we will better ourselves. therefore, the Jews had hardship and they prevailed.
Walker Larson
ReplyDeleteRead Ezra Ch. 1 and Ch. 3-7. What difficulties do the Jews face as they try to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple? What helps them overcome these difficulties? Note especially the role of leaders like Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra himself. Also note the contrasting attitudes of Persian leaders, e.g., Cyrus and Artaxerxes.
Unexpectedly, the Jews got explicit and enthusiastic permission to return to Jerusalem by Cyrus. Instead of seeing the Jews as trying to usurp his authority, he saw them as loyal subjects willing to defend and build up his border. But, like so many of us have experienced in the past, there was a change of management and building was ordered to be stopped. This was due to neighbors sending a letter to Artaxerxes suggesting they were trying to subvert his authority. This is easy to understand because if Herodotus' story about the false Smerdis power struggle is to be taken at face value, I would not want to support the creation of a rival power immediately after a succession crisis. But when Cyrus' decree is discovered by King Darius the order to halt the building of the temple is reversed and the project is resumed. This is a great lesson to learn from, intentions matter a lot. If the Jews were dishonest or bad intentions were discovered, their dreams of restoring the temple would crumble forever in front of them. Their accusations would have ground and their enemies would be given credibility. If Cyrus had mistrusted the Jews or written a hint of doubt into his letter, Darius may not have let them rebuild the temple.