be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
This verse opens a letter from the neighbours of the returned exiles to the Persian king. It reports building work in Jerusalem that was not happening, and it says nothing about the temple the exiles had come back to build.
A Charge That Was Simply Untrue
The report of finished walls describes work the exiles had never done. One writer traces the lie back to its source:
Edward DennettThis statement betrays the speech of the "accuser of the brethren." It was false, and so it came from Satan, for "when he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." They had not set up the walls of the city or joined its foundations at all. They had barely laid the foundation of the temple.
The letter is not pure invention. Another writer says the copy was recorded so we could see how it was done:
F. B. HoleVerses 11-16 give us a copy of this letter. In it we see how skilfully the adversary can mix lies with facts, and so twist and misrepresent the case in question.
The Temple Goes Unmentioned
What the verse leaves out matters as much as what it says. These men had once offered to help build the house of God. Now they write about the city and never mention the temple:
The Christian's FriendThese "adversaries of Judah and Benjamin" had claimed they wanted to help build the temple, since they also sacrificed to the God of Israel. Yet their accusation leaves out the temple and speaks only of the city. Their reason was obvious. The proclamation of Cyrus was about the temple. So by accusing the Jews of building the city, they made the charges of rebellion and treason they were hinting at look plausible.
Walls Mean a People Gathered
There was a deeper motive. A finished city would gather a scattered people into one place:
H. L. RossierThey wished to stop the remnant from gathering together. Such a gathering would take away the enemy's power over the people of God: "If this city is built and its walls are completed, by this means you will have no portion on this side of the river." Scattered, they would easily become the prey of their adversaries. In the same way Satan opposes the gathering of the children of God today. If he doesn't succeed in corrupting the sheep, he makes them fall out, seizes them, and scatters them.
The Part of the Accusation That Stuck
The words "rebellious and wicked city" had history behind them. That is what gave the letter its force, and writers point to Jerusalem's last kings:
F. B. HoleIt was true that the last few kings, and Zedekiah above all, had been bad men who could not be trusted. They broke their word in a rebellious spirit, and this gave some support to their accusation. But God had chosen this city from the first, and for a brief time it held dominion from Him. The bad behaviour of the last kings who reigned there gave them their chance to blacken the whole history of Jerusalem. It is a striking example of how unfaithful servants can dishonour the whole of God's work, and give the adversary the opportunity he wants.
Another writer names the broken oath behind the charge:
Edward DennettTheir last king, Zedekiah, had "sworn by God" to be faithful to Nebuchadnezzar, but he broke his oath and rebelled against the king of Babylon. So he brought about the destruction of Jerusalem and God's judgment on himself. There was truth, then, in the accusation that Jerusalem had been a rebellious city. The remnant were under the favour and protection of God, yet they now suffered, under His government in this world, the consequence of the sins of their fathers.
Using the King's Interests as Leverage
The letter also plays on the king's own interests. One writer finds the same tactic used later against Jesus:
Leslie M. GrantThis was like the Pharisees telling Pilate about the Lord Jesus, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend" (John 19:12). They had no love for Caesar, but used his name to frighten Pilate. But these adversaries of Judah only wanted Artaxerxes to suppose that the Jews would not pay tribute to Persia.
What the Lie Could and Could Not Do
The letter worked and the work stopped. But one writer puts the real weakness somewhere else:
Edward DennettWe must still stress one thing. These adversaries could have had no power against the people of God, if the people themselves had not lost faith in God and heart for their work.
Yet the enemy's success was not the end of the story:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinNo one discovered the falsehood that they were building the city and the wall. The enemy was successful. Yet a faithful God watched over it all.
Summary
- Lie — The report of finished walls and repaired foundations was false. The exiles had barely laid the temple's foundation.
- Mix — The letter blended lies with real history, so the true parts carried the false ones.
- Silence — The letter never names the temple. That way it stepped around Cyrus's decree and turned a building project into a case of treason.
- Scatter — Walls meant a people gathered, which is what the enemy most wanted to prevent, then and now.
- Watched — Past sin made part of the charge true, and the work stopped. Yet the real hindrance was the people's loss of heart, not the enemy's skill. God watched over it all.