Ezr 4:12 | MHM | STEP | v. 12, 14–16 : In their letter, the enemies acted as if they were loyal to the king and concerned for his honor (Ezra 4:14 ). They claimed that because they received benefits from the king, they had to warn him of danger. They pretended to care about the king’s interests, but their real motive was to hurt the Jews. People sometimes hide their hatred of God’s people under a cover of loyalty to human rulers. The enemies accused the Jews of being rebellious and dangerous, calling Jerusalem the rebellious and bad city . This was unfair, since the Jews had shown loyalty to foreign rulers during their exile (Jeremiah 29:7; Daniel 6:4 ). But throughout history, God’s people have often been falsely blamed, just as Elijah was called the cause of Israel’s troubles, and the apostles were said to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6 ). The letter twisted history, saying that Jerusalem was always rebellious and that is why it was destroyed (Ezra 4:15 ). While it is true that some kings of Judah rebelled against Babylon, it was unfair to blame the current Jews for this. During the exile, God had told his people to seek the peace of their new cities (Jeremiah 29:7 ). It is not right to judge people today for the sins of their ancestors. The accusers also lied about what the Jews were doing. They said the Jews had already finished building the city walls and joined the foundations (Ezra 4:12 ), but in truth, only the temple was being rebuilt, not the walls (Nehemiah 1:3 ). This was a clear lie. The Bible warns about the harm done by false tongues and pens (Psalm 120:3–4 ). False information is dangerous, especially when leaders believe it without checking the facts (Proverbs 29:12 ).

‏ Ezra 4:12

v. 12, 14–16: In their letter, the enemies acted as if they were loyal to the king and concerned for his honor (Ezra 4:14 ^a). They claimed that because they received benefits from the king, they had to warn him of danger. They pretended to care about the king’s interests, but their real motive was to hurt the Jews. People sometimes hide their hatred of God’s people under a cover of loyalty to human rulers. The enemies accused the Jews of being rebellious and dangerous, calling Jerusalem the rebellious and bad city . This was unfair, since the Jews had shown loyalty to foreign rulers during their exile (Jeremiah 29:7; Daniel 6:4 ^b). But throughout history, God’s people have often been falsely blamed, just as Elijah was called the cause of Israel’s troubles, and the apostles were said to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6 ^c).

The letter twisted history, saying that Jerusalem was always rebellious and that is why it was destroyed (Ezra 4:15 ^d). While it is true that some kings of Judah rebelled against Babylon, it was unfair to blame the current Jews for this. During the exile, God had told his people to seek the peace of their new cities (Jeremiah 29:7 ^e). It is not right to judge people today for the sins of their ancestors.

The accusers also lied about what the Jews were doing. They said the Jews had already finished building the city walls and joined the foundations (Ezra 4:12 ^f), but in truth, only the temple was being rebuilt, not the walls (Nehemiah 1:3 ^g). This was a clear lie. The Bible warns about the harm done by false tongues and pens (Psalm 120:3–4 ^h). False information is dangerous, especially when leaders believe it without checking the facts (Proverbs 29:12 ⁱ).