06.13.2016 Old Testament: Ezra 4.7–10

To read the Bible in a year, read Ezra 3–5 on June 13, In the year of our Lord 2016

By Don Ruhl

Ezra led the Jews in rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem, but when Babylon conquered Jerusalem decades earlier, the Babylonians had placed various peoples in the land from other places, so that the land and the cities there would not fall into disarray, and it was those peoples who opposed Ezra and the Jews,

In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion: From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River—and so forth (Ezra 4.7–10).

They actually got the Jews to stop for their work for many years, and the Lord had two prophets stir up the spirit of the people that they might rebuild.

However, here is the thing: You want to do something wonderful for the church, or for your community, or your family. It seems like everyone should get on board and support your project, but that rarely happens. You will almost always have critics.

Questions:

• How do you handle critics?
• Do you follow the teaching of Scripture on how to handle critics?