In His Image Ministries

Friday August 25 Bible Reading:      Ezra 4: 7 - 14, 23 - 24 Topic:                   Stop Work Order William MacDonald's Believers Bible Commentary states that Ezra 4: 24 should follow Ezra 4: 5 in chronological order. The stop work order by the Jewish enemies gave rise to no work at the Temple until two years after Darius became King. We see a letter accusing the Jews of rebellion (vs. 6 - 23). Therefore King Artaxerxes issued a stop work order. The Temple had been finished earlier under King Darius before King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) (v. 6) and King Artaxerxes (v. 7) Hence the letter recorded in vs. 6 - 23 was written after the Temple had been rebuilt and concerned the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and not the Temple. The walls were later completed with the help of God in the time of Nehemiah (Neh. 6: 15 - 16) The enemy is...