There’s a reason they don’t make movies about sports teams that dominate every opponent. That would be boring! By contrast, everyone loves a great comeback story. The team must overcome an initial obstacle, stiff opposition, or even apparent failure before the triumphant conclusion.
The chronology at the end of Ezra 4 is a bit confusing. Verses 17–23 relate to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Verse 21 states, “Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.” This order came from the Persian king Artaxerxes, who ruled from 464 to 424 BC. He is the king who received the letter recorded in verses 11–16.
The final verse in today’s reading (v. 24) jumps back several decades to discuss the status of the temple rebuilding project. It states, “Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” Temple construction had begun in 538 BC when the exiles first returned. That’s what Ezra 1:1–4:5 is all about. Temple reconstruction would stop the next year and not start again until Darius’s second year, that is, 520 BC.
To summarize, these two sections lump together two instances of successful opposition to God’s people. In 4:17–23, opposition to rebuilding the city itself succeeded. That occurred somewhere during 464 to 424 BC. In Ezra 4:24, the author reminds us of successful opposition to rebuilding the temple, which ceased for eighteen years, several decades before King Artaxerxes ordered that city construction stop. Ezra 4:17–23 sets us up for the comeback story recorded in the book of Nehemiah. And verse 24 prepares us for the comeback story starting in chapter 5. The temple will be rebuilt!
Go Deeper
What setbacks can you remember in your spiritual life? How did you respond? How did God come through?
Pray with Us
Serving You comes with certain challenges and oppositions, God. But when people oppose us, You give us grace and courage to carry on. You are worth every difficulty we endure.
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.Genesis 28:15
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