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JULY 22
to examine him withdrew from him; and the for certain why he was accused by the Jews,
commander was also afraid after he found out he released him from his bonds, and com-
that he was a Roman, and because he had manded the chief priests and all their council
bound him. to appear, and brought Paul down and set him
30 The next day, because he wanted to know before them.

DAY 21:Who were the people who made so much trouble
for those Jews who returned from captivity?

In Ezra 3:3, it mentions “the people of those countries.”These were the settlers who had come
to occupy the land during the 70 years of Israel’s absence. They were deportees brought in from
other countries by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. These inhabitants saw the Jews as a threat
and quickly wanted to undermine their allegiance to God (4:1,2). These are called “the adver-
saries”—Israel’s enemies in the region, who resisted their reestablishment of the temple.
These enemies came to the Jews offering their assistance, saying,“We have sacrificed to Him”
(v. 2).This false claim represented the syncretistic worship of the Samaritans, whose ancestry came
from intermarriage with foreign immigrants in Samaria after 722 B.C. (4:10).In the British Museum is
a large cylinder;and inscribed on it are the annals of Esarhaddon,an Assyrian king (ca.681–669 B.C.),
who deported a large population of Israelites from Palestine. A consequent settlement of
Babylonian colonists took their place and intermarried with remaining Jewish women and their
descendants. The result was the mongrel race called Samaritans. They had developed a supersti-
tious form of worshiping God (2 Kin. 17:26–34).
Idolatry had been the chief cause for Judah’s deportation to Babylon, and they wanted to
avoid it altogether.While they still had their spiritual problems (Ezra 9; 10), they rejected any form
of mixed religion,particularly this offer of cooperation which had sabotage as its goal (vv.4,5).“King
Cyrus…commanded us.”This note gave authority to their refusal.
Nevertheless, the enemies hired counselors who managed to “frustrate”the work on the tem-
ple.This caused a 16-year delay (ca. 536–520 B.C.). As a result, the people took more interest in their
personal affairs than in spiritual matters (Hag. 1:2–6).

Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the
July 22 name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua
2
the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build
the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the
Ezra 5:1–6:22
prophets of God were with them, helping them.
Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the 3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of
5 son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the the region beyond the River and Shethar-
Boznai and their companions came to them
and spoke thus to them: “Who has command-
ed you to build this temple and finish this
wall?” Then, accordingly, we told them the
4
5:1 Haggai and Zechariah. The Book of names of the men who were constructing this
Haggai is styled as a “royal administrative cor- building. But the eye of their God was upon
5
respondence” (Hag. 1:13) sent from the
Sovereign King of the Universe through the the elders of the Jews, so that they could not
“LORD’s messenger,” Haggai (Hag. 1:13). Part of make them cease till a report could go to
its message is addressed specifically to Darius. Then a written answer was returned
Zerubbabel, the political leader, and Joshua,
the religious leader, telling them to take
courage and work on the temple because God
was with them (Hag. 2:4). These two prophets 5:5 But the eye of their God was upon the
gave severe reproaches and threats if the peo- elders. God’s hand of protection which led
ple did not return to the building and promised this endeavor allowed the work to continue
national prosperity if they did. Not long after while official communication was going on
the exiles heard this message,the temple work with Darius, the Persian king.
began afresh after a 16-year hiatus.

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