Title: Rejecting the Samaritans/Ezra 4:1-6
Contents
1, Samaritan
2, the suggestion of the Samaritans
3, rejecting the Samaritan
July of the Jewish calendar (solar = 9-10) is a month of festivals, with the first day of the trumpets and the 10th day
It is the Day of Atonement and one week from the 15th is the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:24, 27, 34).
After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the time for the Israelites to return is in June.
It was the end of the month, so the month of July was soon approaching.
There are many seasons in July.
July 1st is the Feast of Trumpets
July 10th is the Day of Atonement
July 15th is the Feast of Tabernacles.
in verse 3;3
It is written, "The crowd was afraid of the people of the nations and built an altar."
When the Israelites returned to their homeland, they were defenseless, so they could not be invaded by neighboring countries.
I was afraid.
How will you deal with that fear?
Will you build a strong castle?
Will you recruit an army?
Israel did not do that.
Israel built an altar to the LORD.
Now all that remains is to build a temple for the Lord.
But when they tried to build the temple of God, they faced forces that were trying to hinder it.
do.
It was the Samaritans.
1, Samaritans
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So, what kind of people are the Samaritans?
The origins of the Samaritans are traced back to the Assyrian king Esarhaddon.
It can be said that it is a collection of miscellaneous goods.
2 Kings 17:24
“The king of Assyria took men from Babylon, from Kuthah, from Awa, from Hamit, and from Sepharvaim.
They moved and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the children of Israel, where they
He took Samaria and dwelt in its cities."
Samaria was not one or two tribes, but a mixture of several tribes, resulting in a perfect hybrid.
made.
This was the plan of the Assyrian king to completely annihilate Israel.
2, the suggestion of the Samaritans
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When the Israelites tried to rebuild God's house on the ruined temple site
People who heard this news came to us to do the work together.
That was the Samaritans.
4:1-2
“The descendants of the captives of Judah and Benjamin are the God of Israel.
When he heard that a house was being built for the Lord, he came to Cherubabbel and the chieftains.
He said, "Let us build with you, that we, like you,
I pray that from the day Esarhaddon king of Assyria brought us here, we
I offer sacrifices to God."
Even so, I am in a situation where I am afraid because of the nations, but I am building the temple.
I got an offer to work together.
Israel is still in an unstable state.
Uneasy in every way.
Because they came back from captivity, the economic hardship was not enough for all of them.
No.
Therefore, there are one or two disadvantages in terms of human resources and economics.
It was Ini.
when you miss someone
It was time to run out of money.
At that time, the Samaritans came to seek reconciliation.
Not just for reconciliation, but for building a temple together for God.
will be.
What should I do?
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A lot of people make decisions like this:
“We prayed to build a temple for God, and God
He heard prayers and sent reinforcements from places I never thought possible."
Also, "This happened when I was about to start doing the work of God.
This is, at least, the will of God."
However, the Israelites returning from captivity did not accept the Samaritan offer.
flatly refused.
3, rejecting the Samaritans
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in verse 3
"Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other chieftains of Israel said, "The house of our God
You have nothing to do with us in building. Cyrus king of Persia told us
We will build alone to the LORD, the God of Israel, as he commanded us.
I did"
“We are building the house of our God, and you have no part in us.”
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It was a really cool rejection.
It was a very brave refusal.
It was a rejection that only those with faith could do.
So why did the Israelites reject the Samaritan offer?
1), because they were not Israel.
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As I said earlier, the Samaritans were Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath,
It was a hybrid of many peoples, including Svalwaim.
2), they were people who did not worship Jehovah as the true God.
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Just as they themselves are the miscellaneous goods of each tribe, so also their faith.
it was colored
They each had the gods of the past that they worshiped.
In other words, it was not a monotheistic belief in God, but a polytheistic faith.
They were people who lived together with God and served other gods.
3), because they had a different purpose in building the temple.
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The Samaritans worked together to build the house of God.
What was the purpose of the swings to later enhance their status?
I didn't really want to worship God there.
Let's look at verses 4 and 5 and 6 together.
“From this point on, the people of the land weakened the hand of the people of Judah and hindered their building.
From the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the accession of Darius king of Persia to the doctors
He gave a bribe to undermine his management, and when Ahasuerus ascended to the throne
They wrote accusations against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem."
If the Samaritans really wanted to help the temple, they wouldn't do this
wouldn't
Did they seek other ways to help, or did they otherwise seek God's help in their own way?
would have made a house.
Their actions eventually revealed their true intentions.
If the people of Israel accepted their proposal,
It would be a huge disaster.
Now the people of Israel have been in the land of idols for 70 years, only seeing idols.
If you make a mistake because you have lived your life, the whole country will become a country of idols.
Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the religious leaders of the people, had firm faith and
I had rejected their offer.
We must have this kind of faith and determination today.
Faith, courage, that we do the temple of our God in our own strength.
decision execution is required.
As yesterday and today, God's work has its own risks.
will be.
The same is true of the missions we have given to individuals.
Don't depend on others.
Let me do what I have to do, even if it's small.
God doesn't like being big.
Even if it is a small thing, even if it is very small, we will do our best to
He is the one who rejoices when he completes it.
Like the courageous Israelites, the things that are not to be accepted are boldly
You have to be able to refuse.
It may seem beneficial to me for a while, but in the end it will help me and God.
You must know that it is not beneficial for you.
Like Abraham who marched toward Canaan
Like Jacob who went up to Bethel
Like the Lord who took up Golgotha on the cross
Our surroundings are not the problem.
I need my best for God.
Even if it is a small thing, I hope that all of you who are trying to do my best
I bless you in the name of the Lord.