PROBLEMS IN THE PATH OF PROGRESS

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.’

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel's families answered them, ‘You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build [it] for Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.’ Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.

They also bribed officials [to act] against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.” (Ezra 4:1-5 HCSB)

When the people of God decide to go, you can depend on the enemy saying, “Whoa!”

There is no spiritual progress without problems in the pathway—the Devil will see to it. The path we must take is rocky and steep, and winds straight through enemy territory. Our flesh will want to retreat because of the difficulty as we naturally tend to seek the path of least resistance. The world is headed in the opposite direction, so we are going against the crowd. It is far easier to just march in step with the multitude, or at the very least just sit down on the side of the road so as not to be run over. Then, there is the matter of the Dragon. He watches over this path from his lair and will threaten us and seek to terrorize us into abandoning our quest.

This we observe in Ezra when the people of God return to the city of God and seek to rebuild the house of God. We are given this ancient report of the antagonism toward those who seek to follow the Lord. The Holy Spirit has lessons for us today, as we will find that moving ahead in Kingdom work will meet with no less difficulty now as then.

These chapters describe the enemy OPPOSING: THE STRATEGY OF THE FOE.

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.’” (Ezra 4:1-2)

Right away we are told there is an enemy. We are introduced to the opposition and need to learn his strategy. The Devil and his crowd have several weapons in their arsenal.

The Devil uses DEFILEMENT. (Ezra 4:1-3)

His tactics are not always to overtly battle us, but may instead appear to befriend us. That was his strategic ploy:

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.’” (Ezra 4:1-2)

The enemy may seek to infiltrate our ranks. That is the conquest by compromise. It had gotten Israel in trouble before and would most certainly have done so again, had the people of God not resisted.

Israel had entered Canaan with the command to make no treaty with the pagans. Instead, they had settled down with them when the struggle became difficult. This led the Jews to adopt their idolatrous worship and immoral ways, resulting in God expelling His people from the Promised Land. This is why they had to return from exile to a city in rubble and a temple that was obliterated. It was an error the Jews were determined not to repeat.

“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel's families answered them, ‘You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build [it] for Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.’" (Ezra 4:3)

Remember the story of the Trojan horse?

The Greek armies of Agamemnon were unable to breech the walls of Troy from the outside. Even the seemingly invincible Achilles has fallen in battle. You recall it was through subtlety that a massive wooden horse was given as an offering to the Trojans, while the Greek armies gave the appearance of withdrawing, having given up. What the Trojans did not know is that there were elite soldiers stationed inside their trophy which was displayed in pride inside the city walls. After nightfall they slipped out, opened the gates and the Greeks poured in and conquered.

If the enemy can defile us, he will defeat us. You can’t go along with the crowd and go forward with Christ—they are travelling in the opposite direction.

The Devil uses DISCOURAGEMENT.

“Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.” (Ezra 4:4)

Discouragement is one of the Devil’s most diabolical weapons. Fear supplants faith as courage yields to discouragement. You can be utterly paralyzed by fear.

When I was young, my friend Rick and I were camping out in his field. In the middle of the night, we heard the most blood-curdling sound we have ever known! Rick said, “Someone is getting their throat cut!” Murder! Oh my! I pulled my sleeping bag over my head, and did not move a muscle. I was almost afraid to breathe, but I know anyone slipping up on us with a knife would have located me from the drumbeat of my pounding heart! It was then that it got worse. Rick stirred and turned over a large battery powered lantern on me, and I knew the killer had kicked me! It was then that I stopped breathing entirely! After what seemed an eternity, I slowly pulled the sleeping bag from my face and looked into the eyes of…my friend “Run!” he yelled and off we sprinted to his house, pounding on the door in the middle of the night, waking his parents to let us escape the horror of dying so brutally.

It was a screech owl! We were petrified by a little bird in a tree.

Don’t give in to fear in the fight against the foe. He will try to discourage you and stop you in your tracks.

The Devil uses DEFAMATION.

“They also bribed officials [to act] against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.

At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, the people who were already in the land wrote an accusation against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem.

During the time of [King] Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.

Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:

[From] Rehum the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues-the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa (that is, the people of Elam), and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.

This is the text of the letter they sent to him:

To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men from the region west of the Euphrates River:

Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations. Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, duty, or land tax, and the royal revenue will suffer. Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king, and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king that a search should be made in your fathers' record books. In these record books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces. There have been revolts in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates.” (Ezra 4:5-16)

Through half-truths and innuendo, these sinister spiders spin a web of deception to stop the progress of God’s people in rebuilding the temple. They accuse the Jews of sedition, and know that will get the king’s attention.

“The king sent a reply to his chief deputy Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates River:

Greetings.

The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence. I issued a decree and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts in it. Powerful kings have also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region, and tribute, duty, and land tax were paid to them. Therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a [further] decree has been pronounced by me.

See that you not neglect this matter. Otherwise, the damage will increase and the royal interests will suffer.

As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes' letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

Now the construction of God's house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.” (Ezra 4:17-24)

It is what the Pharisees did in accusing Jesus to Pilate. It was the “crime” for which Christ was crucified—making Himself out to be the king of the Jews and thus a rival to Caesar’s power.

The Devil is a deceiver and has perfected his craft through millennia of practice. The Serpent’s forked tongue is so crafty and venomous. You can count on being criticized and slandered if you purpose to do the will of God. If it was done our Master, and the servants can expect no better treatment.

So, what do we do? Give up?

No!

Here is what the sacred story shows:

OVERCOMING: THE SUCCESS OF THE FAITHFUL.

“But when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began to rebuild God's house in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, helping them.” (Ezra 5:1-2)

The prophets prodded them to go forward!

The people of God responded with DETERMINATION.

“At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues came to the Jews and asked, ‘Who gave you the order to rebuild this temple and finish this structure?’ They also asked them, ‘What are the names of the workers who are constructing this building?’

But God was watching over the Jewish elders. These men wouldn't stop them until a report was sent to Darius, so that they could receive written instructions about this [matter].” (Ezra 5:3-5)

Don’t think that the enemy will quit so quickly. But, what we must know is that the Lord is looking out for us! He was watching over the Jews and blessed their determined effort.

Early on in my ministry I discovered that if I was to lead the church forward I would have to go into the teeth of the enemy’s forces, and would have to press on in the heat of the fight. I wrote these words of an unknown poet inside my Bible and the current copy I use carries them still:

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”

We must have determination.

The people of God also offered a DEFENSE.

“This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.

They sent him a report, written as follows:

To King Darius:

All greetings.

Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people's efforts. So we questioned the elders and asked, ‘Who gave you the order to rebuild this temple and finish this structure?’

We also asked them for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

This is the reply they gave us:

We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He handed them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, he issued a decree to rebuild the house of God. He also took from the temple in Babylon the gold and silver articles of God's house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and carried [them] to the temple in Babylon. He released them from the temple in Babylon to a man named Sheshbazzar, the governor by the appointment of King Cyrus. Cyrus told him, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its [original] site.’

Then this same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's house in Jerusalem. It has been under construction from that time until now, yet it has not been completed.

So if it pleases the king, let a search of the royal archives in Babylon be conducted [to see] if it is true that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king's decision regarding [this matter] be sent to us.” (Ezra 5:6-17)

Sometimes we must assert our rights. Government has been given to that end. Remember when Paul was about to be torn to pieces by an angry mob, he relied on his Roman citizenship to be spared by the Roman soldiers who were stationed in Palestine to preserve the “Pax Romana”—the peace of Rome. Later, when the Apostle’s enemies conspired to kill him, the plot is uncovered and the missionary used his rights to appeal for a trial before Caesar. He was able to maintain his mission work for a while longer because of this.

We ought to use the freedoms we have, while we have them. They may one day be lost—and we must remain obedient to God, nevertheless—but, the cost will be much greater to do so.

The Jews completed the work due to a DECREE.

“King Darius gave the order, and they searched in the library of Babylon in the archives.

But it was in the fortress of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found with this record written on it:

In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem:

Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its [original] foundations be retained. Its height is to be 90 feet and its width 90 feet, with three layers of cut stones and one of timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal treasury. The gold and silver articles of God's house that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon must also be returned. They are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem where they belong and put into the house of God.” (Ezra 6:1-5)

And build it, they did!

“So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.

This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.” (Ezra 6:14-15)

The decree of these kings was inspired by the decree of the King of kings! Always remember that there is a throne in heaven, and God makes the ultimate decision about what happens on earth. The outcome is up to Him, but the obedience is up to us! Our part is faithfulness and the Lord’s part is to bring the fruitfulness.

“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up.” (Gal.6:9)