Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
Ezra 4:8 names two officials — a commander and a scribe — who put their opposition to Jerusalem in writing and sent it to the Persian king. At this verse the book also changes language, so we now read the enemy's own words.
A New Language Begins Here
The Old Testament is a Hebrew book, with a few exceptions. This verse marks the start of one of them:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe Old Testament was written in Hebrew, except for Ezra 4:8 to Ezra 6:18; Ezra 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; and Daniel 2:4 to Daniel 7:28. Those parts are in Chaldee, that is, Aramaic.
The Character Of The Letter
The document that follows is not a neutral report. One writer weighs its contents against the facts on the ground and names the mind behind it:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe letter is a carefully crafted document, full of misrepresentation and falsehood, inspired by the one who is "a liar and the father of lies." They accused the Jews of building Jerusalem and setting up the wall. This was false, because they were only building the house, not the wall or the city. What they said about the city — its old record of rebellion — was true, and the accuser made use of the past sins of the nation.
Loyalty As A Cover Story
The letter sounds like concern for Persia. One writer tests that concern and finds a familiar pattern:
Leslie M. GrantWere they really concerned about Persia? Only insofar as they could benefit through Persia. This 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. These adversaries of Judah only wanted Artaxerxes to assume that the Jews would not pay tribute to Persia.
What The Letter Aims At
The accusation says nothing about the temple. One writer asks what that silence was for, and carries the answer into the present:
H. L. RossierNotice that they do not accuse the people of rebuilding the temple. They do not say one word about it. Instead they speak of the city. Their aim is easy to discover. They wanted to stop the remnant from gathering together, because such a gathering would take away the enemy's power over the people of God... while 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 does not succeed in corrupting the sheep, he makes them quarrel, seizes them, and scatters them.
Four Weapons Against The Work
This letter was one weapon among several. One writer names them all, and counts the cost:
H. L. RossierAnd so these four hostile forces come together again here to ruin the work of God: trickery, intimidation, accusation, and violence. Only faith could have resisted them. But the people had no faith at all, and so the building of the house stopped for fifteen years.
The Real Reason The Work Stopped
The letter of Rehum and Shimshai came years after the building had already slowed. That gap matters when we ask what stopped the work:
J. N. DarbyBut many years passed before this ban came. The prophecies throw much light on the history of that time. From studying them and comparing their dates, it seems clear to me that the true hindrance was a lack of faith in the remnant... God was no more to be feared in the reign of Darius than in the reign of Cyrus or of Artaxerxes. The source of their weakness was that they had forgotten God. This shows the great grace of God in waking them up through the mouth of Haggai.
The Limit Set On The Opposition
The letter succeeded. Even so, its success had a boundary it could not cross:
The Bible TreasuryYet the enemy could only delay, not frustrate, their purpose, which was of God.
Summary
- Accusation. After trickery and threats failed, the enemies wrote a formal charge. It was the third of four weapons: trickery, intimidation, accusation, violence.
- Mixture. The letter mixed lies with truth. The claim that the walls were going up was false. The city's old record of rebellion was real, and the accuser used it.
- Motive. The stated care for the king's revenue was a cover. The real aim was to keep God's people from gathering, since scattered they are easy prey.
- Cause. Commentators point past the letter to a deeper failure. The work had already stalled through lack of faith. Forgetting God, not the king's order, was the real weakness.
- Limit. The enemy could delay the work but never defeat it. After fifteen years God stirred His people again through the prophet Haggai.