Ezra 4

Ezra 4
Adversaries appear at Jerusalem; they come with "good words and fair speeches," but they did not deceive the hearts of the leaders of Israel. Zerubbabel and his associates in the work, had learned that separation from all that is contrary to God and His Word, was alone pleasing to Him, under whose eyes they labored, and they refused to receive the Samaritans as partners in the work. See 2 Kings 17:24-4124And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. 25And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them. 26Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. 27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. 28Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the Lord. 29Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. 30And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. 34Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; 35With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: 36But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. 37And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. 38And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. 39But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 40Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. 41So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. (2 Kings 17:24‑41) regarding these enemies of the work of God who now proceeded to weaken the hands of the people of Judah. For about fourteen years the Samaritans troubled the Jews.
In the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus (not the king so named in the book of Esther, who reigned over forty years later, but Cambyses, son of Cyrus), they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem; this was after the building of the temple had been going on for about six years.
After seven years, the Samaritans wrote to the third king of Persia, called here Artaxerxes who reigned less than a year, in a further effort to stop the restoration of the temple and the city (see Haggai 1:44Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (Haggai 1:4) which shows that houses had been built). This met with success, and the building of the temple ceased for about two years.
We may wonder why God permitted these enemies to interfere with the good work, and to intimidate the workers; why He permitted Artaxerxes to stop the building of the temple.
There are similar cases recorded in the Scriptures, and the children of God in our own day are given to pass through parallel circumstances. It is of God to let His children feel their own weakness, and learn to lean upon Him for strength; to test and strengthen their faith, and to bring them to enter into His own thoughts about the state of things among His people generally.
Every truly useful servant of God has spent years in His training school,—as witness among many who might be named,—Abraham, Joseph, David, Paul, and Peter. The sons of Judah had no need to be discouraged, but rather to look to God for guidance and consolation. In due time His mind would be learned.