Ezra 4:7-16--The Letter to King Artaxerxes

Ezra 4:7-16
English Standard Version
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The Letter to King Artaxerxes
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

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I think we mentioned last time that it's a little challenging to know exactly which Persian king this passage is referring to because Xerxes and Artaxerxes are more titles like "King" and "Great King" that are applied to many different Persian kings with real names like Cyrus and Darius, etc.  However, for the people of that time and region, it was easy enough for them to know who the authors of the letter were--Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel--as well as the names of other officials and the events mentioned in this passage give us a rough framework for when these events were taking place.

We see a list of the people and nations opposed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.  They tell the king they think the Jews are doing this so that will be able to rebel and no longer pay tribute, custom or toll to the government of Persia.  If the royal revenues are harmed, these men are harmed because they are provided for out of the royal treasuries themselves--so they admit that their letter is self-serving, as they see a lot of money going towards this construction project that they wish was going to them instead.

They encourage the king to search the official records to find references to Jerusalem and to see that it has had a history of rising up against kings from all kinds of nations and overthrowing them and even having other nations being subjugated to them and paying them tribute.  They didn't quite use these words, but that is what they wanted to king to find--the LORD was on the side of His people and gave them military victory and peace and prosperity when they abided by His covenant.  That included the blessing of letting them be the head and not the tail.  However, I'm sure the king also found some of the records recalling the great wickedness that led to their judgment--the times they engaged in child sacrifices and all kinds of sexual immorality.  Certainly, Persia knew that the LORD had sent them prophets and they had not listened to them.  The people living in the Land especially feared that if the Jews were allowed to rebuild--especially if the Temple was rebuilt--that it would be a sign that the LORD would restore His covenant with His people, which included the eternal covenant of the Land that he made with them that stretched all the way from Nile River and Red Sea to the South and the Mediterranean Sea to the West to the Euphrates River to the North and East (I've shown maps this before).  The Euphrates River is the "River" that is being referred to here, and they are saying that they are sure that the LORD will give them all the Land He promised to them if the Persian king does not fight to keep the Jewish people subjugated (as if the king is going to be able to keep the LORD from delivering His promise to His people).  These people know the history of how the LORD disinherited the nations of the Canaanites and other people groups to give an eternal inheritance to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This is something that either the world leaders of this day don't understand or like the authors of this letter, they foolishly think they can gather together and keep the LORD from delivering on His promises, and they somehow believe that the Jews only have the rights to the land that is currently called Israel.  Even if we draw maps with other political boundaries that boundaries the LORD drew are the ones that really matter and we better be careful before we step foot one picometer on the other side of the line He has drawn, especially if we are crossing that line to attempt to do harm to His Annointed and His covenant people.  Things end very poorly for the people in the book of Revelation that do this--don't let yourselves be one of them.  Choose today that you will be on the LORD's side and be one of His covenant people that He will fight for and defend instead of choosing to be His enemy, because you cannot fight or even stand against Him.