Prompted by the decree of king Cyrus of
Persia (Ezra 1; 1-4), many Jewish exiles were encouraged to return to Jerusalem
and rebuild the temple.
Over 42,000 volunteers took the first
initiative to journey back to Jerusalem to build under the leadership of
Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Within two years this initial resettlement had been
completed and the foundation of the temple laid.
Chapter 4: 1-2: When the enemies of Judah
and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD the God
of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said,
“Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been
sacrificing to Him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us
here.”
- Jerusalem had become an occupied territory since the time of the exile some 60 years earlier.
- This was a mixed multitude of the northern Israel which had become apostate (Samaria) and other foreign tribes, especially Assyrians, full of pagan practices.
- They came under false pretences – ‘we also seek “your God” and have been sacrificing to Him….’
Vs 3: But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest
of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in
building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, The God of
Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”
- Zerubbabel and Jeshua worked in close partnership with the heads of the returning families. They did not take decisions on their own.
- There is oneness as these exemplary leaders carried their people along. There is power in unity.
- They have a unified resolve to be separate, and spoke boldly, ‘You have no part with us’
- ‘We ALONE will build for the LORD.’ The church is in a big mess today because we have allowed all kinds ‘to build with us’. Ministries being sponsored and funded by forces of the kingdom of darkness.
- The spirit of mammon has blinded church leaders into accepting assistance to ‘build’ from Satan himself, thus the powerlessness in the church.
Vs 4 – It was not long before these
‘helpers’ showed their true colours. Their effort to frustrate the people and
destroy God’s work halted the building for the next 15 years, spanning the
reigns of three kings. However, these people did not allow this intense opposition
and frustration to deter them or make them yield to the enemies’ tactics in any
way.
Thank God for the resolve of the Jews,
encouraged by their visionary leaders not to give up in the face of this
intense opposition!
PRAYERS:
- Dear LORD, we stand in the gap for Your church again today for our sin of loving mammon so much that we have opened the door for the enemy to take front seat in our worship. We have accepted and received ‘help’ from the enemy and have loved mammon instead of YOU.
- Please Father, visit Your Church again, the Church that You purchased with the precious blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Come again with the zeal with which You drove out the merchandisers from the temple in John 2: 13-17.
- Please give us and make us leaders who are Visionaries, selfless, accountable and contented, who like Zerubbabel will not use the people as spoils.
