 |
| Source: Q8 Oils |
Ezra 4:1-5
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here." 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Last time in God is Merciful, we read how the older Jews who had known the former glory of the Temple of God wailed when the foundation stone had been laid, whilst the younger ones praised God. This had been a sign the older ones were not grateful for the small things but wanted the larger things.
In Ezra 4, there is opposition from non-Jews, the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin (v1). The very fact they still called the Israelites as returned exiles (v1) suggests there was still some animosity between the adversaries and the families of Judah and Benjamin (v1). But verse 2 opens with a shocking tactic, they actually ask to help to build the temple. At this stage, we're not told how the adversaries felt about the temple but this becomes clear as we move through the verses.
This is their first of three attacks they mount upon the people of Israel before finally resorting to bringing in the king. Here, in verse 2, the adversaries are testing the Israelites' integrity. They are seeing if they would go back on their Lord and allow others to help with the building of the temple. They even say they have been worshipping God since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.
After being rebuked by the Israelites, the adversaries do not give up. Their second assault comes in v4 when they discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.
Failing to break their integrity in worshipping God, the adversaries try another tactic, a less subtle attack, one that directly influences the people. This would be every kind of tactic within their power, disarming, menacing, defamatory and obstructive. Whatever tactic they adopted, they all were for this one purpose - to prevent the rebuilding of the temple.
The third attack comes in v5, brided counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose. Not content with these first two attacks, the adversaries must get their enemies discredited and on the wrong side of the law. V2, they were subtle, v4 they made sneered remarks and v5 they bring in the professional counsellors to frustrate their purpose.
These three tactics are still in use today. When we are on our own away from other believers, we are more vulnerable to Satan's attacks. He will subtly tempt us away from God. He will try every trick in the book to persuade us to go against our integrity. Not content with just the subtle approach, he will send others to make the act of persuasion even more prominent, even more forceful.
They will call us names, ridicule us for doing what we do, give us things to do that means we miss our morning prayer time with God, they will put obstacles in our way making us focus on other things. This constant barrage of tempting us away from God can be powerful to resist. We all have things we enjoy doing regularly, we all have things we would rather be doing, but we must remain faithful. We must continue with our integrity. We must fully rely on Christ to carry us through.
But notice in this passage, it is not the people they challenge, but they challenge God. Sure it is the people, Judah and Benjamin who are on the receiving end of these attacks, but the adversaries are trying to prevent the temple of God from being built. They do not want Jerusalem to be the place where God resides. This is clear in v2 when they are speaking to the heads of the Israelite families, for we worship your God as you do. The Israelites call God ours but the adversaries cannot even bring themselves to identify him as their God!
Let us remember, that when God on our side nothing or no one can go up against us. If we remember that, we will be ready when the hired hands come to frustrate our purpose.
