DEVIL S INTERVENTION

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent 2Cor 11:3; Ezr 4:1

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. V 10 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Who were these Adversaries Ezr 4: 9, 10

Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, V 10 And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.

Samaritans V9 Gentiles married to Jews left behind.

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent (1) The Request: Ezr 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. Let us built with you.

(2) The Reason: Ezr 4:2

We seek your God. We do sacrifice to your God 2Kg 17:24-28

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent

(2) The Reason: Ezr 4:2 We seek your God. We do sacrifice to your God 2Kg 17:24-28

V24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. V25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. V26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, V27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. V28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent (3) The Response: Ezr 4:3

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Ye have nothing to do with us to build. But we ourselves together will build. With whom we are involved in Gods work is very important. Equally important is also who does the work Ezr 2:61, 62

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent

Equally important is also who does the work Ezr 2:61, 62
V61 And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: V62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.

People who claimed were priests but could not prove - put away from priesthood. Why? Ezr 2:61 They chose to be identified with the family of Barzillai. A Great man who stood by David They left Babylon even as the others had the same zeal, commitment etc.

The Adversary A Subtle Serpent

Yet Zerubabbel said Ezr 2:63 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. Urim & Thummim - Revealed mind of God Word.

The response was we ourselves together will build. One man: one mind, one place, one gathering. If one cannot be identified with us in Word & doctrines, how can we be ourselves together? Many practices of the denominations have crept in the assemblies today .
Satan comes as a subtle serpent. He is wise. Though a wolf, he enters in like a lamb. Certainly they will take no help from Samaritans when they had forbidden their own priests.

The DEVIL S INTERVENTION

(4) The reaction - The Adversary A Roaring Lion

If he fails as a subtle serpent - The Devil turns into a roaring lion. 1Pet 5:8; Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Ezr 4:4 7 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. V5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. V6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. V7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Weaken, trouble, frustrate , accusation V6 - They write to the then king Ahasuerus - Esther Vs 7 then to Artaxerxes an usurper

The Adversary A Roaring Lion

The DEVIL S INTERVENTION

(4) The reaction

How do they now describe the people of God? Ezr 4:12: Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. Verdict: City should not be built Ezr 4:21, 23 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me

The Adversary A Roaring Lion

The DEVIL S INTERVENTION

(4) The reaction

Ezr 4: 23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

By force & power. Ac 16:16-18.

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

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(5) The Result: A failed mission - Work ceased Ezr 4:24
Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Immediate effect - commitment slackens; zeal lost; work of the Lord suffers;

Till Ezr 5:1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
For how many years? 15 yrs