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September 30 - Ezra 4 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:11
  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's the start of a new week.
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  It's Monday, it's the 30th of September, and you have tapped
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  me on the shoulder and said, Sean, come, let's read a chapter
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  of God's word together. And I say great plan, let us do
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  that. Let's go all the way back in
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  time. Hi to the nation of Israel.
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  They have disobeyed God. They have been dragged across
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  the plains to Babylon where they have languished for many years.
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  And now finally, they return to their land and they are all
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  about rebuilding God's temple. They're getting things back to
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  the way they ought to be. And they are facing a little bit
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  of opposition. And that's what we'll hear about
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  today. How do they deal with the
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  opposition? Will they remember to include
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  God in their plans? Will they just give up?
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  Oh, have they learnt their lesson?
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  Buckle your seatbelts friends, let us find out together.
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  As we read together Ezra chapter 4, the enemies of Judah and
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  Benjamin heard that the Exiles were rebuilding a temple to the
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  Lord, the God of Israel. So they approached Cerubible and
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  the other leaders and said, Let us build with you, for we
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  worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever
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  since King Essahedon of Assyria brought us here.
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  But Cerubabbel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied,
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  You may have no part in this work.
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  We alone will build the temple for the Lord the God of Israel,
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  just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.
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  Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the
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  people of Judah to keep them from their work.
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  They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate
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  their plans. This went on during the entire
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  reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of
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  Persia took the throne. Years later, when Xerxes began
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  his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation
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  against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
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  Even later, during the reign of King Artuzerxes of Persia, the
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  enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithridath and Tabil
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  sent a letter to Artuzerxes in the Aramaic language and it was
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  translated for the king. Reham, the governor, and
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  Shimshai, the court secretary, wrote the letter telling King
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  Artuzerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.
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  They greeted the king for all their colleagues, the judges and
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  local leaders, the people of Tarpal, the Persians, the
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  Babylonians and the people of Eric and Susa, that is, Elam.
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  They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the
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  great and noble Ushabanapal had deported and relocated in
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  Samaria and throughout the neighbouring lands of the
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  province West of the Euphrates River.
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  This is the copy of their letter to King Artaxerxes from your
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  loyal subjects in the province West of the Euphrates River.
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  The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem
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  from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city.
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  They have already laid the foundation and will soon finish
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  its walls. And the King should know that if
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  this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, it will be
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  much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay
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  their tribute, customs and tolls to you.
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  Since we are your loyal subjects and do not want to see the King
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  dishonoured in this way, we have sent the King this information.
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  We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors records where
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  you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in
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  the past. In fact, it was destroyed
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  because of its long and troublesome history of revolt
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  against the kings and countries who controlled it.
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  We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its
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  walls are completed, the province West of the Euphrates
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  River will be lost to you. Then King Artaxerxes sent this
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  reply to Rayham the governor, Shimshai the court secretary,
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  and their colleagues living in Samaria and throughout the
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  province West of the Euphrates River.
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  Greetings, this letter you sent has been translated and read to
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  me. I ordered a search of the
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  records and have found that Jerusalem has indeed been a
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  hotbed of insurrection against many kings.
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  In fact, rebellion and revolt are normal there.
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  Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and the entire
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  province West of the Euphrates River, receiving tribute,
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  customs and tolls. Therefore issue orders to have
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  these men stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt
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  except at my express command. Be diligent and don't neglect
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  this matter, for we must not permit the situation to harm the
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  King's interests. When this letter from King
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  Artaxerxes was read to Rayham Shimshai and their colleagues,
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  they hurried to Jerusalem. Then, with a show of strength,
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  they forced the Jews to stop building.
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  So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it
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  remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of
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  King Darius of Persia. Ah, Father, You are a great big
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  God, and the stretch of your hand extends beyond the horizon,
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  deep into the future, and you know what's coming and your
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  plans are long, big good plans. Lord, as we live our lives, help
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  us rest in You, trusting that you have our future secured.
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  And not just our future on this tempestuous planet we call home,
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  but our eternal future that you have won.
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  Through Jesus. We know that you will rebuild
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  this earth and it will be perfect and it will be your home
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  once again. So until that day, Lord, help us
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  just stand firm in the knowledge that you rule supreme over
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  everything and that you bend the arc of time to our good.
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  And we are so grateful that you would do that.
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  And we thank you most of all for Jesus for showing us your love,
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  your compassion, and your presence here with us through
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  Him. So we pray all of this in His
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  saving name, Amen.