Ezra was a scribe and learned teacher of God's Law in Babylon who prepared his heart to seek the LORD (Ezra 7:6-10) Cyrus the king of Persia was directed by God to rebuilt His temple in Jerusalem. He exhorted all men of Judah to rise up and help with the building project. Those who chose not to go back to Jerusalem or were unable the king commanded for them to supply the necessary materials and animals for sacrifice. This was a fulfillment of the word spoken by the prophet Jeremiah that at the end of 70 years of captivity God would cause the children of Israel to return to the land of Judah (Jer. 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:22-23). These were joyous times for the faithful among God's people who longed to return to their inheritance.
Though God and the king of Persia commanded the rebuilding of the temple, not everyone was pleased with this development. People returned to the land, built the altar, offered sacrifices, and kept the feasts as prescribed in the Law seemingly without opposition. There is no mention of any enemies or adversaries until the foundation of the temple of God was laid. This is very significant. The enemy of our souls is not opposed to gatherings, sacrifice, or ceremonial feasts. But he despises God and fears His holy presence. The laying of the foundation of the temple caused the enemies of God's people to mobilise. Since Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit not made with hands, it is no surprise when spiritual attacks gain strength and frequency. Praise the LORD He gives us wisdom, strength, and discernment to endure and walk in victory.
The first tactic of the enemy was to covertly hinder the work through infiltration. They feigned friendship and allegiance to God to cover their insincerity. Ezra 4:1-2 says, "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." These adversaries were judged by their own mouths and proven frauds. They came with the promise of help, but their intention was only to hinder. They claimed to have sacrificed to God since the days of the king of Assyria, but this was impossible after the destruction of the temple. Zerubbabel and other devout men saw through their deception. Ezra 4:3 reads, "But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
I admire the courage of these men as they looked to God to accomplish through them the work He called them to do: "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God." When it comes to God's work, it is not "the more the merrier." Though "many hands make light work," we must not defer to others when God has given us a clear command. These men of Judah took their task personally and seriously. Their adversaries came to them with smiles and offers of aid, but Zerubbabel rejected their offer without apology. This passage teaches us the importance of uniting with people to labour for the LORD who are truly on God's side in word and deed. Gladys Aylward wisely learned early in her ministry unto the LORD she should never ask anyone to do anything she believed God asked her to do. Zerubbabel knew this as well and would not be denied the opportunity to work for God and complete the task set before him.
When the attempt to infiltrate failed, their adversaries tried other means to stop progress, and their methods were successful for a time. They weakened the hands of the people and troubled them in building, hired cousellors to frustrate them, and ultimately wrote a slanderous letter to cease the work through political means. This temporarily halted the work, yet the story has a encouraging ending. Zerubbabel and other faithful men and prophets continued to build. They knew they worked according to the command of king Cyrus and most importantly in the authority of the Almighty God. When their labours were challenged, they wrote a letter to king Darius to confirm what king Cyrus had decreed years before. A search of the archives confirmed the right of the Jews to build and exponentially strengthened them in building. The king commanded those who questioned and opposed the building to supply all the materials needed for building and sacrifice daily upon pain of death (Ezra 6:7-12)!
Let us read the triumph of our God who turns the devices of His enemies against them in Ezra 6:14-15: "So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius." Unless the LORD builds the house they labour in vain who build it, but if God builds the house none can withstand Him. Our role as followers of Jesus Christ is to trust and seek Him, walking in obedience to what He has called us to do, and to do it with all our might. No matter the tactics of our adversaries, we have an Advocate in Christ and a Comforter in the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth. What God begins He is faithful to complete. Praise the LORD!
Though God and the king of Persia commanded the rebuilding of the temple, not everyone was pleased with this development. People returned to the land, built the altar, offered sacrifices, and kept the feasts as prescribed in the Law seemingly without opposition. There is no mention of any enemies or adversaries until the foundation of the temple of God was laid. This is very significant. The enemy of our souls is not opposed to gatherings, sacrifice, or ceremonial feasts. But he despises God and fears His holy presence. The laying of the foundation of the temple caused the enemies of God's people to mobilise. Since Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit not made with hands, it is no surprise when spiritual attacks gain strength and frequency. Praise the LORD He gives us wisdom, strength, and discernment to endure and walk in victory.
The first tactic of the enemy was to covertly hinder the work through infiltration. They feigned friendship and allegiance to God to cover their insincerity. Ezra 4:1-2 says, "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." These adversaries were judged by their own mouths and proven frauds. They came with the promise of help, but their intention was only to hinder. They claimed to have sacrificed to God since the days of the king of Assyria, but this was impossible after the destruction of the temple. Zerubbabel and other devout men saw through their deception. Ezra 4:3 reads, "But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
I admire the courage of these men as they looked to God to accomplish through them the work He called them to do: "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God." When it comes to God's work, it is not "the more the merrier." Though "many hands make light work," we must not defer to others when God has given us a clear command. These men of Judah took their task personally and seriously. Their adversaries came to them with smiles and offers of aid, but Zerubbabel rejected their offer without apology. This passage teaches us the importance of uniting with people to labour for the LORD who are truly on God's side in word and deed. Gladys Aylward wisely learned early in her ministry unto the LORD she should never ask anyone to do anything she believed God asked her to do. Zerubbabel knew this as well and would not be denied the opportunity to work for God and complete the task set before him.
When the attempt to infiltrate failed, their adversaries tried other means to stop progress, and their methods were successful for a time. They weakened the hands of the people and troubled them in building, hired cousellors to frustrate them, and ultimately wrote a slanderous letter to cease the work through political means. This temporarily halted the work, yet the story has a encouraging ending. Zerubbabel and other faithful men and prophets continued to build. They knew they worked according to the command of king Cyrus and most importantly in the authority of the Almighty God. When their labours were challenged, they wrote a letter to king Darius to confirm what king Cyrus had decreed years before. A search of the archives confirmed the right of the Jews to build and exponentially strengthened them in building. The king commanded those who questioned and opposed the building to supply all the materials needed for building and sacrifice daily upon pain of death (Ezra 6:7-12)!
Let us read the triumph of our God who turns the devices of His enemies against them in Ezra 6:14-15: "So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius." Unless the LORD builds the house they labour in vain who build it, but if God builds the house none can withstand Him. Our role as followers of Jesus Christ is to trust and seek Him, walking in obedience to what He has called us to do, and to do it with all our might. No matter the tactics of our adversaries, we have an Advocate in Christ and a Comforter in the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth. What God begins He is faithful to complete. Praise the LORD!
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