Old Testament: Ezra 4.14–15

To read the Bible in a year, read Ezra 3–5 on June 13, In the year of our Lord Christ 2024

By Don Ruhl 

If you seek to do righteousness, expect some people to oppose you. Furthermore, expect them to appear to have authority on their side for saying that you are wrong and that they are right. 

They will even do research that appears to support their point, as happened in the days of Ezra when he had gone to the Land of Israel to build the temple, and his opponents appealed to the king of Persia to search their historical documents to find out what kind of trouble Israel had been in the past. 

Ezra’s enemies claimed to be looking out for the welfare of the king, “Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king…” 

Therefore, they asked the king to make the aforementioned search, and the enemies of the Jews claimed, “you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed” (Ezra 4.14–15). 

However, later Ezra and the Jews did the same thing, asking the king to make a search and he would find that Persia gave the Jews authority to rebuild their temple. 

Never assume that your enemies have searched for the whole truth and have presented the whole truth. 

Questions: 

• Why was Jerusalem destroyed? 
• Do you know how to research? 

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Don preaches with the Savage Street Church of Christ in Grants Pass, Oregon. 

Listen to his sermons here: GrantsPassChurchOfChrist.com