A Hand Up or Not!

Ezra 4:1–5

Good evening. There is a story that goes like this. A Bird was late in flying south. It got caught in an ice storm, frozen it dropped in the snow on a farm in N.C. A cow dropped a warm patty on it. The bird, warm and thawed out chirped happily. The farm cat heard it, dug it out, cleaned it up and then ate it. 

 

The moral: Not everyone who dropped a patty on you is your enemy, and not everyone who offers you a hand up is your friend. And sometimes it pays to just keep your mouth shut. This how it was for the Israelites in Jerusalem and Judea in Chapter 4 of the Book of Ezra.

In 1977, millions of Americans enjoyed George Lucas’ film, Star Wars. In the movie a small, ragged band of rebels opposes the Empire: an evil regime personified by the devilish Darth Vader. After a series of exploits, the good guys seem to be in desperate straits. But in the closing moments of the film, the hero, Luke Skywalker, trusts the Force, blows up the Death Star, and escapes sure destruction. Good has triumphed over evil, and Hollywood has made a bundle of money!

Then just three years later, millions flocked again to the theaters to see The Empire Strikes Back, the sequel to Star Wars. In that film, Darth Vader and his evil Empire sought revenge against the rebels. By the end of the film, the future once more seemed bleak for the good guys. But a glimmer of hope remained, at least enough to entice filmgoers back to the movies for the final installment of the Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi.

Anyone who is familiar with drama (or with Hollywood’s ability to capitalize on a good thing) is not surprised by these sequels to Star Wars. Like all good stories, each film depended upon conflict. Just when things seemed to be going well, then everything began to unravel. The apparent triumph of good over evil did not last for long, because the conflict, and thus the emotional momentum, had to continue. This makes for good drama—but complicated living.

In Ezra 3, the people of Judah began to rebuild the temple. Working industriously, they laid the foundations; then they paused for a time in order to praise and to thank God for His faithfulness. Everything was progressing according to plan. But that would soon change.

When the Israelites began reconstructing the temple, they were presented with an offer of help from some neighbors who, by their own testimony, had been sacrificing to the Lord for a number of years. Zerubbabel and the other leaders faced a choice. They could lighten their workload by accepting assistance and at the same time, assure peaceable relations with their neighbors. Or they could stick to the original mandate given by Cyrus and, they believed, by God.

Zerubbabel went with the second choice and decided to refuse all help, this caused years of hostility between Judah and the surrounding people. Conflict reared its ugly head, stalling a project that seemed to be going so well. Chapter 4 of Ezra shows us when we do God's will opposition that will inevitably come into our lives.

As I said things were going well and then came –

1. The Offer of Help (vs. 1-2)

For almost 20 years the temple project lay silent, its rubble a sad reminder of abandoned dreams. Then prompted by the prophetic voices of Haggai and Zechariah, a new sense of divine purpose energized Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and all the people of Judah to reclaim the national mission. This led to the shouts of excitement and joy we saw in chapter 3, shouts that reverberated throughout the Judean hills. Something was happening in Jerusalem. 

 

Those who came to the leaders in Jerusalem made a simple offer: “Let us build with you” (v. 2). They explained their apparent friendliness on the basis of a common religious faith: “for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here” (v. 2). Although the Bible identifies 'Ecar-Chaddown (ay-sar' Chad-dohn'); as an Assyrian king (2 Kin. 19:37; Is. 37:38), only here does it mention his resettling of people. His predecessors, however, had resettled foreign people in the province of Samaria while it was under Assyrian rule (2 Kin. 17:24–41). Information in 2 Kings 17 indicates that while these transplanted pagans worshiped the God of Israel, they did not do so exclusively.

The claim in verse 2, “we seek your God as you do,” misrepresents the truth. Their offer to help build the temple was not because of their devotion to the One True God. Those who offered to help may have sought the God of Israel, but they did so, along with a pantheon of other gods. These people had a cosmopolitan view of religion, they would just add God to their pantheon of gods. Their offer may have contained political overtones as well. They were possibly worried about a power struggle between the old order of amalgamation and the new effort to observe the law of exclusive claims. 

 

When it comes to your salvation, exclusive is the operative word. True forgiveness of your sins comes from only one source, and that is Christ Jesus. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6

Life is full of obstacles. The question is not: “Will we face obstacles?” Rather, “How will we overcome the obstacles we face?” Look at Zerubbabel and Jeshua's response.

2. The Response (vs. 3)

What was the Jewish reaction to the offer of help (v. 3)? Zerubbabel and Jeshua rejected the offer. It is easy to overlook or downplay the description of this encounter and to form an impression that Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the leaders were making a rude rebuff to a sincere and friendly gesture. 

 

The harsh rejection in verse 3 seems to be an overreaction. To understand why the Jews reacted so strongly, look back at verse 1, which identifies those coming to help as “the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin”. On the surface, the gesture in verse 2 seems innocent, but in reality it reflects the attempts of opponents of God to derail the rebuilding of the temple. Had Zerubbabel allowed these people to join in, the rebuilding project would have compromised the identity and spiritual integrity of God’s people on this important mission.

Adherence to the exclusive claims of God and the specific commands of King Cyrus allowed no compromise. So Zerubbabel gave them a clear and uncomfortable, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Plan A of the opposition involved infiltrating the ranks of those rebuilding the temple, thus causing Judah to compromise its integrity. But the plan failed because the astute Judean leaders rejected this counterfeit offer of “help.”

Satan will tell you that all religions are the same. Or he may tell you you don't need to be a Christ follower with all its rules to go to heaven. He will tell you anything to keep you from becoming a follower of Christ Jesus. But everything Satan has to offer is counterfeit, after all he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Notice that once “the people of the land” realized they could not infiltrate the work, they moved on to Plan B: a strategy that involved various attempts “to discourage the people of Judah” (v. 4), or literally, “to weaken their hands”.

3. The Reaction (vs. 4-5)

The test of a friend’s intention is not during smooth sailing and perfect agreement. The test of a friend’s loyalty is what happens when things are hard, when you disagree. Rejection begets antagonism. The offer to help was withdrawn and battle lines were drawn. These enemies who offered to help now “troubled them in building” and even “hired counselors” to frustrate the people of Judah. The resulting campaign of harassment by the local people had the double force of persistence and variety. 

 

Their efforts toward discouragement relied on the subtle weapons of suggestion and sneers; intimidation and threats. In addition, they worked to get their victims discredited and on the wrong side of the authorities, and they did so by hiring professional lobbyists to help achieve this. In this context, hiring counselors meant bribing Persian officials to harass the Jews. The consultants they hired appeared in the Persian court to misrepresent the Jewish community of Judah and Jerusalem. 

 

Unfortunately, verse 5 concludes with an unhappy note: the people of the land succeeded in their efforts to obstruct the building project. They impeded the progress on the temple from the time of Cyrus, when the foundation had been laid, “even until the reign of Darius king of Persia,” a period of some 14 years. 

 

We who labor in the Lord’s work also face discouragement and opposition. Some times this comes from people outside the church.

For example, throughout Southern California many churches have been straightjacketed in their development by neighbors who do not want a church nearby. “We don’t want the noise or the traffic,” they say. So civic officials, looking ahead to the next election, deny building permits to churches or place impossible demands upon them. Church leaders face endless meetings that prove to be fruitless, and the result, of course, is discouragement.

But what is particularly tragic is that the most common source of discouragement for Christian leaders and churches today seems comes from within the body of Christ. Take for example the church whose key members said publicly that they would rather see their church close down than experience renewal. Now that is discouraging!

“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” - C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters.

The reality is that you are engaged in spiritual warfare, and you cannot fight alone. You need divine power, you need God. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.—Ephesians 6:11–12. When you know the actual identity of your opposition – Satan, you can have confidence in your ultimate victory. 

 

How can you have this confidence? Because Christ Jesus broke the power of sin through His death at Calvary and vanquished Satan and his hold on you when He was resurrected three days later. As 1 John 3:8 teaches, the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Christ Jesus, was victorious over sin and death. And if you know Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour you are a child of God. This means in times of discouragement and opposition you can be encouraged by the fact that as a child of God you too will be victorious.

Conclusion: Every attempt to revive true worship of God will stir up the opposition of Satan, and of those in whom he works. In Ezra 4 it was those who lived in the land around Judah and Jerusalem. For you it could be a husband, a wife, your children or another family member, it could be a friend, a co-worker and the list goes on. But do not be discouraged or loose heart, remember what Christ Jesus told His disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33