Ezra chapters 4-6 come on the heels of a time of praising the LORD. After God stirs the heart of King Cyrus of Persia, the Israelites have begun to rebuild the Temple of God and the construction project has them celebrating, clashing cymbals, singing songs and shouting about the goodness of the Lord and the faithfulness of His love. It's a time of great joy and happiness. Scripture tells us their partying could be heard far in the distance, that is, until the wind is knocked out of them by some naysayers.
Times of great praise often seem to precede new problems. I have some friends who are hesitant to really delight over anything good that occurs because they are certain disaster is soon to follow. Admittedly, it does sometimes seem that way. Something of great worth has happened and almost immediately some worry arises to steal the joy away.
The returning exiles of Judah are suddenly faced with their enemies. The Bible records that these foes "tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work." Discouragement is a deadly weapon in the hand of an enemy. Rebuilding the Temple is laborious work. Although excited to see this task beginning, no doubt the workers were physically depleted. Add in verbal attacks that hinder, deter and dampen spirits and even the most enthusiastic worker can start to find it challenging to remain positive and productive.
Ezra tells us that these adversaries also "bribed agents to work against them to frustrate their plans." Do you ever feel that someone has "bribed agents to work against" you and frustrate your plans? It is now not just words to dishearten, but contrary activity that is working overtime to prevent you from moving forward. Although there is no denying that discouragement and efforts to frustrate can have impact, regardless of how vigorous our opponents are, all will be vain efforts if they are trying to thwart the Lord's plans!
Following these attempts, "the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem" (Ezra 4:6) and sent it to the current king. They were unrelenting. They didn't want to see the godly making any progress at all. A series of letters continue between all involved that include inquiries pertaining to the rebuilding of the Temple. It is discovered that the Israelites have done nothing wrong. They had been instructed in the first year of King Cyrus's reign to rebuild the Temple. Not only are their foes momentarily silenced, but ordered to help the Jews as they rebuild the Temple of God (Ezra 6:8). This dramatic turn of events makes me smile. God uses the hands of the antagonists to aid in the construction, and any "who violate the decree in any way will have a beam pulled from their house. Then they will be lifted up and impaled on it, and their house will be reduced to a pile of rubble." How's that for comeuppance!
When those whose mission in life appears to be to discourage, work against and frustrate us as we pursue our walk with Christ, trying to frighten us and keep us from the work God has called us to do, stand firm! Arm yourself with prayer warriors and encouragers who will uphold you and give support, believing alongside you with a confident hope that despite opposition, God's plans will be fulfilled. Not only will you still be standing at the end, but you will be stronger because of the victories made along the journey!
For encouragement to keep trusting in the Lord in a broken world filled with disappointments, "Still Standing: Following Jesus Even When It Hurts" by Lina Abujamra will inspire "hope in the hearts of followers of Jesus who have encountered suffering as they have pursued obedience to Christ." Moody Publishers; Copyright 2024
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