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Ezra 4:17-23 – The Answer of Artaxerxes

Yesterday, we learned of the letter the adversaries to the building of Jerusalem wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia in the days of Nehemiah. Today we see the initial answer Artaxerxes gave to these people who were “Beyond the River” (that is, in the province of the Persian Empire west of the Euphrates River). Artaxerxes had decreed that historical research be done to find out if, as the accusers claimed, Jerusalem had a history of being a rebellious city. Indeed, it was found that it had given much trouble to those who claimed lordship over it, like the Assyrians and Babylonians. This small amount of truth mixed in with the lies the adversaries were telling about the Jews of their day was enough to convince Artaxerxes to order the construction on the walls of Jerusalem to halt until he might say otherwise. (In fact, Artaxerxes will later decree that the walls of Jerusalem be built. That decree, which came in 457 B.C., started the count of the seventy weeks of years predicted in Daniel 9, which culminated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the going forth of the Gospel to the nations beyond Israel).

We must be on guard against lies mixed in with the Truth. Much as the adversaries in today’s passage supported a lie with the truth that Jerusalem had been a troublesome city to the Assyrians and Babylonians, the adversaries of the Gospel will support falsehood by mixing it with truth. Purveyors of false gospels will say many things that are true, or at least that seem like reasonable interpretations of Scripture, all the while undermining basic Biblical truth concerning the character of God, the definition of the Gospel, the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and so on. We must take care not to accept anything that undermines the Truth God has revealed in Scripture.

Questions

  1. How do the adversaries convince Artaxerxes to order the work at Jerusalem to cease? What lesson might we learn from this?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we might be careful to discern Truth from lies.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.