Jesus Calls Us
Experiencing the Resurrection
Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5Ezra 4:1-10 The Voice4 When the residents of the former Northern Kingdom, who were enemies of the Southern Kingdom tribes of Judah and Benjamin, heard that the exiled Jews had returned to build the Eternal God of Israel’s temple, 2 they asked Zerubbabel and the tribal leaders if they could help. Northern Enemies: Let us help you build this templeto the True God, whom we both follow. You see, our families began sacrificing to Him when King Esarhaddon of Assyria sent us to colonize the Northern Kingdom after he conquered it. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the Tribal Leaders: 3 You have nothing in common with us! You are not heirs to the Lord’s promise to Abraham. King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us to build the Eternal God of Israel’s temple, so we will do it by ourselves. 4 To intimidate the returning Jews from building, the people of the land made the returning exiles afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors to hinder the Jews’ efforts throughout the reigns of Cyrus and Darius, the kings of Persia. 6 When Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes I)ascended to the Persian throne in 485 b.c., they wrote a letter to him accusing the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem of crimes. 7 They did it again during Artaxerxes’ reign; Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their coconspirators wrote a letter to the Persian king in Aramaic, which was later translated into Hebrew.8-10 A third time, they wrote a letter to the Persians. This time, Rehum the commander, Shimshai his scribe, and their associates (the judges, the lieutenant governors, the officials, the secretaries, the Babylonians, the Elamites of Susa, the residents of Erech, and the other colonists who were relocated by the great Assyrian King Osnappar in Samaria and beyond the Euphrates) drafted a letter to King Artaxerxes I slandering Jerusalem.
For Reflection
"The elders recognize that the Assyrian colonists have impure motives. They don’t want to help the Jews; they want to inhibit the reconstruction of the nation. But foreigners aren’t the only ones interested in hindering progress. Those people who remained in the Southern Kingdom while the Jews were exiled tried many times to disrupt Israel’s tender alliance with the Persian emperors. The Jews have to fight to rebuild the temple during the reigns of Cyrus and Darius, and decades later, they will fight to rebuild Jerusalem." (Embedded in the text of The Voice)
One must be watchful. God’s work stirs opposition from God’s enemies and deception offers cooperation that leads to destructive compromise. God’s enemies like to disguise themselves as God’s friends. Be aware of those whose words sound collaborative but intend to sow division and doubt.
Pray Pray and be vigilant.
Forward to a friend
Sign up for our mailing list!
| 
