How does Ezra 4:13 connect with Romans 13:1-2 on authority? Scene in Ezra 4:13 • Adversaries of Judah write to Artaxerxes: “Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute or taxes or duty, and the royal revenue will suffer.” (Ezra 4:13) • Their tactic: paint the Jews as future rebels who will dodge taxes—undermining the king’s rightful income. • Key issue: submission to imperial authority expressed through paying tribute. Paul’s principle in Romans 13:1-2 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2) • God stands behind earthly rulers. • Resistance to legitimate authority equals resistance to God. • Judgment awaits rebellion. The connective thread: authority is real and God-ordained • Ezra 4:13 shows pagan officials appealing to the king’s authority—yet Scripture records the scene to highlight that earthly rule, even in Persian hands, must be honored. • Romans 13:1-2 voices the theological foundation Ezra hints at: the same God who restored Israel also establishes Gentile kings (cf. Isaiah 45:1). • Rebellion against lawful taxation in Ezra would be rebellion against God-appointed authority—exactly Paul’s later warning. What we learn about paying taxes • Ezra’s opponents exaggerate, but they correctly assume taxes belong to the king; Paul confirms: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants...” (Romans 13:6). • Jesus reinforces the principle: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21). • Obedience in financial matters is a tangible acknowledgment of God’s sovereign placement of rulers. Walking it out today • Respect civil structures—even those outside the covenant community—because God is behind them (Proverbs 8:15-16). • Avoid knee-jerk suspicion that taxes automatically equal tyranny; legitimate levies support God-ordained order. • When earthly commands clash with explicit divine commands (Acts 5:29), we obey God; otherwise, routine submission, including tax payment, honors Him. |
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