It starts in Ezra1 where God moved the heart of king Cyrus to ask the Israelites that had been in exile to Persia to return and rebuild the the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. God moved Cyrus’s heart to recognize him as God (Ezra 1:3), and to let the remaining Israelites in exile return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. To bring some context to the story, the children of Israel had been in exile for about 70 years. They had been praying and asking God to return them home during this time. Things did not change, and some gave up hope of ever returning home. The story of the Israelites is significant as it symbolizes our walk as Christians. There are times we feel that God has abandoned us. Times when we feel so low and alone that we think that our prayers are falling on deaf ears. However, that is not the truth, even if the enemy of our soul, Satan, would have us believe otherwise. The Bible records that God answered their prayers at the right time or should I say, at the appointed time. Not only that, God made provision for their return.
To lend credence that God was in charge, in Ezra 1:7-11, we read that King Cyrus returned the articles of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem when he took them captive. This event shows that God answers our prayers when he has appointed the events in our lives to occur, provided he has not said no to the situation. The book of Ezra also proves that when God is leading you to do something for him or opening a door of opportunity, he does not leave you to do it yourself. He makes provisions for you; he provides all you will need for the mission. But Sometimes, we do not see all the provisions and question God, but God in his infinite wisdom usually provides them when we need them. So timing is essential with God (This is a whole sermon on its own?).
In Ezra2 and Ezra3, the Israelites return home and Haggai, Zechariah, and Zerubbabel lead the project for rebuilding the temple of the Lord. But they face opposition. First of all, they were scared because when they returned, they found foreigners occupying their land and they were not quite sure how to interact or deal with them (Ezra 3:3). They dealt with this by offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord according to the requirements of the law. The offered up quite a number of sacrifices and there was no record of any disturbance from the inhabitants of the land at this stage.
When we too are faced with situations that we are unsure of or do not know what to do, we should always look to the Lord, and seek Jesus who is our sacrifice. If we seek the Lord Jesus, we will find him and he will proffer a solution to the challenges we face. Even when we feel that the challenge is not being resolved, we should not give up but continue to seek him as he always has an answer for us, even if it is one we do not like ?.
In Ezra4 , Ezra5 and Ezra6, the adversaries of the Israelites including the Samaritans (Ezra 4:1), came and met with Zerubbabel and the others in charge of building the temple and asked to join them in rebuilding the temple (Ezra 4:2). You might think that this was noble of them since they explained to Zerubbabel that they also worshipped God and burnt sacrifices to him. But Zerubbabel said no, why, you may ask? 2 Kings 17:33 explains the attitude of the Samaritans. They were people who feared God but served their own gods, meaning they did not have complete allegiance to God. Which could lead to an ungodly alliance that would either ruin the building of the temple or influence the build to their own benefit.
As believers in Christ, we must be cautious with whom we build our lives. If we choose to build with enemies of God (anyone who opposes the purpose of God in our lives), of which Satan (1 Timothy 5:14) is the chief but also Colossians 1:21 calls anyone alienated from God in their minds, i.e., unsaved sinners Romans 5:10 as enemies of God. If you choose to build with someone who is not yoked together with you or shares the same spiritual basis as yourself, then you risk your build being influenced and sometimes even ruined for the enemy’s benefit and not God’s.
But you say, why can’t I build with them and influence them for God? Because the bible says that most times, it does not work this way as evil company corrupts good morals 1 Corinthians 15:33. Therefore, we have to guard the word of God in our hearts so that we do not become influenced by the people we keep company with. Because it is human nature to reflect the behavior of the people we spend most of our time with. So we need to guard our hearts with all diligence Proverbs 4:23 and consciously build with people we are on the same level, i.e., believers.
As a result of the Israelites’ refusal, the “so-called friends” began to oppose the rebuilding of the temple. First, they tried discouraging and frightening them and hired advisers to frustrate their plans. This attack went on from the reign of King Cyrus up until the reign of Ahasuerus. When King Artaxerxes began his reign, these enemies banded together and wrote a letter against Jerusalem (Ezra 4:4-16) to the new king. This letter finally led to King Artaxerxes commanding the Israelites to stop working on rebuilding the house of the Lord (Ezra 4:21) for about 18 years.
So you see, sometimes, even in our obedience to God, we can face harsh tribulations or, should I say, trials from our enemy, the devil. Satan can use anything, especially our fellow humans, to stop us from obeying the voice of God so that we become discouraged and give up or become lukewarm with the things of God. This situation happened to me as I went through a dry spell where I felt I could not see God. I spent years not genuinely coming into my own; it took God’s mercy to restore me to him.
So I want to encourage anyone reading this today that God will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5). Also, there are times when it seems like God’s hand is upon us. Then suddenly, the blessing is taken away; we are not to relent. We are to persevere and continue to trust God with all our hearts. We shall see more of this in part 2 of Lessons from Ezra.
Are you yet to become a Christian? Have you yet to surrender your life to Jesus Christ? Then permit me to share the good news of redemption with you. God the Father loves us so much that he sent his only son, Jesus, to die for us. If we accept him as our lord and Savior, he will come into our lives, reconcile us to God the Father, and seal us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help us know God and love him until we are reunited with him for all eternity. So, knowing that God desires that all may be saved, I would like to invite anyone who is not a believer to come to him because he loves us and desires for us to know him.
Pray this: “Dear God, I am sorry for turning away from you and doing things my way. Please forgive me for my sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus died for my sins. I ask him to come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord. Thank you, Father, in Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen”.
That’s it. If you say this prayer and believe, you are born again. The Holy Spirit will dwell within you and begin to guide you in your new life, and your life will never be the same again. Getting into a Bible-based church and fellowship where the truth of God is preached to help you grow in your new life is also essential. Try and do so. God bless you and remain blessed.