“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, ““You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”
– Ezra 4:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever been brusquely told that your help is not wanted after you asked if you could assist helping to do whatever? If you have ever been abruptly told that your assistance is not wanted after you asked if you could help to do whatever, how did you feel? Did you feel displeased? Did you feel denigrated? Did you feel discouraged? If you have ever been unexpectedly told that your help is not wanted after you asked if you could contribute to do whatever, what did you do? Did you internalize your feelings? Did you vent your feelings to another kid – or to a guy or gal? Did you do whatever you could do to get back at the kid – or the guy or gal, for telling you that your help is not wanted? Ezra – in Ezra 4 in his Ezra Book, references the various attempts by enemies of God’s specially chosen guys and gals to thwart the rebuilding of the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem. After a large contingent of exiled Israelite people group guys and gals was given the okay by Cyrus – who was the Persian King who ‘liberated’ the country of Babylonia in 539 B.C., to return to their hometown – which was the city of Jerusalem, from where they were living in the city of Babylon, work had been begun to rebuild the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem. Cyrus appointed Zerubbabel to be the governor of the Israelite guys and gals who returned to the city of Jerusalem. It may have been the same year – 539 B.C. that Cyrus ‘liberated’ the country of Babylonia. When the Assyrian army in 722 B.C. overran the Israelite people group tribal clans who were living in Israel’s northern kingdom, the king of the country of Assyria saw to it the transporting of guys and gals who were living in the land area of Mesopotamia and in the country of Aram to what had been Israel’s northern kingdom live in. This region that had once been Israel’s northern kingdom became known as Samaria. After Babylonia’s army – after they finally were able to breach the walls of the city of Jerusalem – which was in 586 B.C. and after then hauled off to their country a good number of the guys and gals who were still alive in the city of Jerusalem, some of the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Samaria moved into the city of Jerusalem. When these guys – who were really enemies of Israelite guys and gals, saw that Israelite guys and gals who had been given Cyrus’ permission to leave the city of Babylon to return to their homes in the city of Jerusalem were starting to rebuild the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem, they decided to ask Zerubbabel and the heads of Israelite people group families who were living in the city of Jerusalem if they – seeing that they were seeking and had been making sacrifices to this same God that Israelite guys and gals served, could help them in rebuilding the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem. Verse 3 is the very curt response that these nefarious guys got, “But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, ““You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.””
Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the other Israelite people group family heads did not want anything to do with guys who also worshipped inanimate idol gods. Their exile in the country of Babylonia taught them that their God was not a God to . . . in the meantime, the ticked off city of Jerusalem transplanted migrants decided that if they were not going to be allowed to help rebuild the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem, that they would do all that they could do bring to a stop Zerubbabel and Israelite people group guys from rebuilding the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem. At one point, the city of Jerusalem’s commanding officer – whose name was Rehum, and secretary – whose name was Shimshai, scribed a letter in Aramaic script and sent it to Artaxerxes I – whose name was Mithredath, who was Persia’s King – accusing Zerubbabel and Israelite people group guys who had returned to the city of Jerusalem of making sedition plans against the country of Persia – as this was something that Israelite people group guys had done in the past. The rebuilding of the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem came to a standstill after Artaxerxes I read the letter and after he – using force, compelled Zerubbabel and Israelite people group guys to stop the work that they were doing on the temple of God that was in the city of Jerusalem.
Over the 35 years that your grandpaa has been a missionary, your grandpaa has at times had to relate with a guy or gal who conveyed through his or her words and/or actions that he or she did not have the self-motivation to generate what it takes to answer a perceived felt need. Your grandpaa’s experience with these guys and gals is that they will attempt to undermine what has already been decided to do by finding a way to present what they think is a better option. Your grandmaa and grandpaa while missionaries on South America Mission’s field missionary team in Bolivia and then while missionaries on OC International/Equipo SEPAL’s field missionary team in Guatemala initiated contextualized non-formal, intensive Bible education programs. If your grandpaa had listened to every critical suggestion that fellow field team missionaries in Bolivia and host country guys and gals in Guatemala made as to how he should change what he and your grandmaa were able to implement, there is no way at all that your grandpaa could have gotten these rural Bible education programs off the ground let alone be able to continue them.
Ezra 4 (1164)