Ezra 4-6 CLASSIFICATION: TEXT--------------------- --EXPOSITORY "OPPOSITION TO THE WORKOF --BIOGRAPHICAL --TEXTUAL --TOPICAL SCRIPTURE READING•---------------- --DEVOTIONAL DELIVERIES: Hour and F.B.C. 08-28-96 WEDS. San Angelo, TX (XXX+++ +); BIBLIOGRAPHY________________________________ _ Ezra 4-6 ert Kriegel has written a book Ezra 4:1-5 and Ezra 4:24 describe entitled Sacred Cows Make the Best the delay of the rebuilding of the Temple Burgers in which he describes the which occurred during the reign of Cyrus. jneyitable ta change in the The reconstruction was not completed business world and how it can be until the second year of Darius' rule which overcome. His term for this blanket was 520 BC. opposition to change is "firehosing." problem arises in Ezra 4:6-23 Firehosing is demonstrated in those where the biblical writer referred to people who react to any new idea with (sometimes known as Xerxes) five good reasons why it won' ork. He who ruled from 486-465 BC and in Ezra calls it firehosing " he referred to Artaxerxes who people's enthusi ruled from 465-425 BC. the creativity, and j biblical writer interposed some material at excitem the spot. this point describing opposition to the Resistance to change is not just rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem which found in the business world. It is also the happened at a later period. We've heard perpetual enemy of progress in God's of writers who do a "flash-back" to an work. Zerubbabel discovered that shortly earlier period as they tell their story. This after he and the other exiles returned to biblical writer did a indicate that the o osition to th e arrival in Jerusalem of the o was continuous. It was apparent exiles from Babylon with their the reigns of Cyrus and Darius announcement that the Temple would be when th m as being rebuilt. It was rebuilt was met with immediate opposition apparent during the reigns of from the local inhabitants. Their response Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes when I to this opposition is described in our text. of Jerusalem were being Before looking at their response, Opposition to the work of God is me say a word about a chronological also apparent today. How should we i n Ezra 4 that can lead to respond to this opposition? We can learn confusion. some lessons from our text. Brian's Lines >July/August, 1996 Page7 Cautious advice and interest. Then, when they 4:1-4 gained the ear of the exiles, they would try to seduce them from following the plan When opposition comes to the of God. work of God, we first of all need to be Sometimes the opposition to the cautious. We need to use our work of God today is subtle and difficult to When the work on the Temple discern, just like it was in the day of began, some of the local citizens Zerubbabel. Offers for help can be veiled approached Zerubbabel and offered to attempts to undermine and discourage help. They identified themselves as the our efforts, and enemies can come under descendants of the immigrants who had the guise of friendship. Compromise can been brought into the land during the lead eventually to failure . These immigrants To resist such subtle attacks on had married the native Israelites and the work of God requires that we use our came to be known as Samaritans. hea . Zerubbabel summarily rejected their offer of help. Their offer of help Courageous seemed to be given in good faith. They 5:1-5 did not at that point seem to be opposed to what the exiles were trying to do. When opposition comes to the did Zeruboabel reject their offer of help? work of God, we need to be courageous. Zerubbabel was apparently afraid that We need to use our he s. the Jews would be assimilated into the Years had passed since the local population and that their religion incident recounted in Ezra 4. Cyrus was would consequently be contaminated by no longer the ruler of Persia. Darius was these outside influences. If this now the king. Two prophets appeared on happened, it would recreate the very the scene to encourage the people to conditions which had led to the begin once more the reconstruction of the destruction of the nation in the first place. Temple. Zerubbabel was not willing to accept the What did these two prophets say? short-term off of help because of what We don't find an answer here. We must it would do to the I of instead turn to the two Old Testament God's people. books which contain the prophecies of Samaritans, in retaliation, these two men. A close study of their sought revenge by undermining the books reveals that the prophecies of morale of the workers. In verses 4-5, the Hagg · and Zechariah contained two biblical writer described an aggressive elements: rebuke and promise. The and continuous attempt to discourage the prophets rebuked the people for their lack Jewish workers. They did this by hiring of courage. They acknowledged the "counselors." These counselors presence of external opposition. mentioned in verse 5 were perhaps However, they explained that the primary offered to the exiles under the guise of problem was not external opposition but Brian's Lines >July/August, 199 Page 8 a loss of internal with the is not the reason for the completion of the rebuke came a promise from the prophets of Temple. The construction of the Temple was God. They promised completed because of the consistent work those who were willing to done by the exiles. What their heads obey Him and complete the work on the understood and their hearts felt, their hands Temple. did. They translated theology and doxology We see a sequence often repeated in into biography! the Old Testament. The word of God's _ Sometimes the greatest opposition to prophets stimulated action in God's people. the work of God today does not come fro Haggai and Zechariah prophesied in verse 1. without but from within. ometimes it is no Zerubbabel and Jeshua set themselves to what others do as much as it is what we fail task of rebuilding the Temple in verse 2. to do. Exhortation was met with obedience. To resist this tendency to become That's not the end of the story. An complacent about the work of God requires inspector named Tatenai discovered that the that we use our h d . reconstruction of the Temple had resumed. He tried to intimidate the Jews and force onclusion them to stop. The people of God took their stand on the declaration of God and the What lessons can we learn from the decree of Cyrus. experience recounted in our text? Were they afraid? Probably Yet, Lesson Number One: Work in the they did not allow their fear to stop them. kingdom of God always faces opposition. Fear can be or it can be When we face opposition and criticism today, catalytic. we .shouldn't be surprised. From Moses to In the absence of courage, fear will Jesus, God's people have always faced stop us from doing God's work. opposition. In the presence of courage, fear will Lesson Number Two: The proper stimulate us to God's work. response to opposition is not fear but faith. Opposition to the work of God today is We cannot determine when or how the confrontational and consistent, just like it was will come. We can , however, in the time reflected in our text. determine how we will respond to it. We can To resist such consistent attacks on allow the opposition to destroy us or develop the work of God requires that we use our us. hearts. - t esson Number Three: God always provides for His work. Sometimes this Consistent provision of God 6:13-15 comes from an unexpected When opposition source. For the comes to the work of God , Hebrews in our we need to be consistent. text, God provided We need to use encouragement Darius responded to and support from a the- inquiry of Tatenai by pagan king . In confirming the position of the whatever form , xiles and supporting their effort. This made God will always provide so that His work can possible the completion Temple but it be continued. I/ a111 IBIBLE Emphasizes State Missions Opposition to the WOMEN ON MISSION will meet Tuesday, Sep­ tember 10 (instead of September 3) for the Week of Work of God Prayer for State Missions program. The meeting will be at 9:30 AM on the second floor of Baptist Memo­ Opposition to the work of God was experienced when rials High Rise. Please note that this will take the the Israelites were rebuilding the Temple. When we place of the usual first Tuesday meeting. experience opposition how should we respond? Our Response Should Be: outreach Nights I. Cautious Ezra 4;1-4 Scheduled This Fall 1 Now when the enemies ofJudah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to September 9 the Lord God ofIsrael, October 14 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads offa­ November 4 thers' households, and said to them, "Let build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have A light sandwich supper will be served at 6:00 PM in been sacrificing to Him since the days ofEsarhaddon Wilson Hall. Everyone then will go out and make king ofAssyria, who brought us up here." visits. This is a good time for Sunday School workers J But Zentbbabel and Jeshua and the rest ofthe heads to visit prospects and members offathers' households ofIsrael said to them, "You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord New Discipleship Training God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.