Christ Baptist Church

Spring 2015 Chapter 4

Ezra – Overview

13 …..for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Chapter 1 – God stirs King Cyrus to act Chapter 2 – God stirs the Israelites to return Chapter 3 – God is worshiped, the Altar is built,

foundation laid Chapter 3 – Old men remember the old temple and

weep ….

Chronology of the Persian Period

PERSIAN KING DATES BIBLICAL CORRELATIONCYRUS 539-530 Return of Zerubbabel and

Jeshua (Ezra 1-3)

CAMBYSES 530-522 Rebuilding at Jerusalem stopped (Ezra 4)

DARIUS I 522-486 Haggai and Zechariah prophesy (520)

Temple Completed (516) (Ezra 5-6)

XERXES 486-464 Story of Esther (Esther 1-9)ARTAXERXES I 464-423 Return of Ezra (458)

(Ezra 7-10)Return of Nehemiah (445)

(Nehemiah (1-2)Prophecy of Malachi (433)

Ezra Chapter 4 - The Opposition Stirs

Ezra 4:1-2 – Offer to help rebuild1. Who heard about the temple work?

2. Who were these people? Link the adversaries of Ezra 4:2 with 2 Kings 17:24-34. Describe their worship. 

3. How does this link account for the Jews’ hatred of the Samaritans (implied in John 4:9) and the mixed religion of the Samarians implied in John 4:22? 

Micah 1 predicts

Israel & Judah’s destruction

Ezra Chapter 4 - The Opposition Stirs

Ezra 4:1-3 The Jewish leaders response3. How did Zerubbabel and Jeshua respond to

their request? Explain why they responded this way.

4. What lesson do we learn from this? Whom should we likewise refuse to allow to become part of God’s work with us? (2 John 9-11, Gal 1:6-9,)

Ezra Chapter 4 - The Opposition Stirs

Ezra 4:4-5 Opposition begins6. How did the people respond to this rejection of their

request? • How do people today similarly respond, when we tell them

their service to God is not acceptable?

7. What 4 ways did the adversaries of God and his people try to stop the work?

  8. Which was the most cunning? How does Satan try to

stop us from working for God in the same way?

CYRUS539-530

CAMBYSES530-522

DARIUS I522-486

Ezra Chapter 4 - The Opposition Stirs

Ezra 4:6-16 Opposition under Xerxes & Artaxerxes9. What did the enemy do next? Who wrote the letter?

10.What accusations did they make (v 11-16). Was it based on facts (2 Kings 24:1 and Jeremiah 38:17-23)?• What evidence was overlooked?

11.What accusations do people today make against the people of God to discourage us and discredit us?

12.

Can you list other Bible examples in which God’s people were falsely accused or harassed to hinder their work for God?

Xeres486-464

Artaxerxes I464-423

Ezra Chapter 4 - The Opposition Stirs

Ezra 4:17 - 23 Artaxerxes response13. What did Artaxerxes command in response to the

letter?  14. How did the Jewish enemies respond to the letter?

• What was the result?

 15. Did the Jewish people do the right thing? How

should they have responded? What can we learn from this?

Weekly Challenges - Applying God’s Word

• Watch for the opposition God’s work will encounter in your life

• 1 Cor. 16:9… because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

• What forms are is the opposition taking?

• Pray that you recognize the source of the opposition and see the opposition in a larger context.

CYRUS539-530

Ezra1-4:5,24

CAMBYSES

530-522ARTAXERXES

464-424

Ezra 4:7-23Ezra 7-10

DARIUS522-486

Ezra 5-6

XERXES486-464

Ezra 4:6False accusations files

530 520 510 500 490 480 470 460600 500

538Templeprojectbegun

536 Workon

Templestopped

605 NebuchadnezzarRansacksJeruselum

597 Nebuchad.attacks Jeruselum;

clears Temple,takes everything;1st Deportation

586 2ndDeportation,

Nebuchadnezzarrburns Temple

to ground

5823rd

Deportation516

TempleCompleted

458Returnof Ezra

433Prophecyof Malachi

445Return ofNehemiah

486-464Story ofEsther

520 Work on Temple resumed byZerubbabel & Joshua, encouraged by

Haggai & Zechariah; Haggai & ZechariahProphesy

539Return of

Zerubbabel& Jeshua

Chronology of the ProphetsTO ISRAEL TO JUDAH TO FOREIGN NATION

ASSYRIAN AGE Amos ca. 760Hosea ca. 760-730

Isaiah ca. 740-700Micah ca. 737-690

Jonah ca. 770

BABYLONIAN AGE Habakkuk ca. 630Zephaniah ca. 627

Jeremiah ca. 627-580Daniel ca. 605-530Ezekiel ca. 593-570

Nahum ca. 650

PERSIAN AGE Haggai ca. 520Zechariah ca. 520-

518Joel ca. 500

Malachi ca. 433

Obadiah ca. 500

Timeline

http://www.blueletterbible.org/images/rosepub/imageDisplay/#s=OT_timeline2_b