Ezra 4:1-5 – Don’t be sabotaged by a lack of discernment.

The enemies of Judah and Benjamin that were said to come and trouble the Jews  in their temple rebuilding campaign were the Samaritans.  Who were the Samaritans, and where did they come about? From 2 Kings 17:24-33, we learn that when Israel fell to Assyria, many Assyrians were brought to resettle in Samaria.  Soon a new race of people known as the Samaritans ensued because of the mixed marriages. When the Assyrians came to Samaria, they introduced their gods and corrupted the place  spiritually and religiously. Thus syncretism became a way of life. These people embrace both Israel’s God as well as the gods the Assyrians brought along. Hence even in Jesus’ day, the Samaritans were never accepted but treated as pariahs.

When the Samaritans heard that the exile who had returned to Jerusalem was rebuilding the temple, they approached Zerubbabel and Jewish leaders to offer their help. What they said to Zerubbabel and the leaders in Ezra 2:2 was, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” But their offer was turned down for an obvious reason. The leadership wanted to ensure that their devotion to the LORD was kept pure. Accepting their offer to help would leave a loophole for the introduction of corrupt practices. Wisely Zerubbabel and the Jewish leaders refused their offer saying, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us (Ezra 4:3).”

Feeling snub, the enemies then began to interrupt the building program. Their intimidation included hiring counselors to frustrate their counsel. They persisted in disrupting the rebuilding program all the days of King Cyrus until the reign of King Darius. Like Zerubbabel and the Jewish leaders, we must also prevent our service to God from being adulterated and sabotaged. We must guard any offer of help to our walk with Him with discernment. In these days where there is a proliferation of teachings, we need to be more careful.  Biblical terms with unbiblical definitions are often used, twisted, and contorted to mean something very different from the original intention of God.  

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” If we want to be discerning, this is the starting point – The fear of the LORD.  We all need to nurture a discerning spirit. This can be done by seeking to know God through His Word more diligently. Do not be done in by a lack of discernment!