Frustration! Discouragement! Delays! Fear! Yep, all the usual suspects have come alongside God’s people who are simply obeying God and rebuilding the Temple. The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the Lord … and … the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne. (Ezra 4:1, 4–5, NLT)
It seems that when God’s people obey God, the enemies of God come out of the woodwork. Interestingly, the people who are causing such trouble initially offered to help. Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. (Ezra 4:2, KJV) However, something about these people did not add up, and the leaders of the exiles said no. Desiring to keep their obedience pure unto God infuriated these locals and revealed their true colors.
Obedience to God’s will be contested. Our enemy is not a laid-back, “Oops, I am sorry to have bothered you” enemy who drops his demands at the first sign of resistance. In His wisdom and sovereignty, God allows His servants to face resistance, just as He allowed His Son Jesus to face resistance. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8, NLT)
Have you set out to obey God and found resistance at almost every turn? Have you ever thought you could do so much more if you could get a reprieve? Have you ever wondered if you are on the right track because of such resistance? At times, we can forget that victory over the enemy through continued obedience is as much the point of God’s will as the thing we are trying to accomplish. Believer, don’t be discouraged by what it looks like you are not accomplishing because of the enemy’s resistance; be encouraged in God through your continued, faithful, and learned obedience—for that’s what God is accomplishing in you!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Ezra 4-6.