The Enemies Out Lash-Part B
Frightening Them
(EZRA 4:1-6)
1Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, 2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here." 3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' households of Israel 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 God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us." 4Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, 5and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6Now in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
In Hollywood there is an old effect which directors still use called the jump effect. It doesn’t take a lot of special effects to do it, even though it can be done with them. No! It is a simple technique where the director just simply wants to get a jump out of you. There maybe a hand which suddenly comes through a window or the main character may turn around with a light in their hand in a dark room and suddenly someone is there. But whatever it is it startles you making you jump.
Today we want to look at how the enemy attempts to frighten us. In this passage we see the returning exiles doing as they have been instructed too…rebuild the temple. But the enemies of Judah rises up and want to help. After their masquerade is foiled they become angry. In the first part we saw how the enemy attempts to discourage, but now we see their attempts to frighten.
Do not dismiss this word being used here. It brings about more than just an illusion of a jump scene or a sarcastic jest. It could include those things, but it is more. It is the idea of life threatening accusations being made. When it says, “…the people of the land…frightened them from building…” (v.4) it is not just an , “Oh! He scared me!” moment. No! The enemy is hard at work, threatening their very lives.
At times it is the same for us. If Jesus tares long enough then eventually even here in America we as Christians will face persecution. The enemy of our souls wishes to destroy us.
Peter writes in 1st Peter 4:8-9, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” As Peter penned this passage I often wonder if he thought about 30 years before when he stood in front of the Lord Jesus Christ claiming he would never deny Him. At that point our Lord turned to Peter and said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen you brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)
Satan was roaring, but our Lord was praying. They tell me that in Africa the older Lion, who cannot run as fast, will be the one who roars the loudest. He does this in order to scare the prey into the claws of the younger faster lions. When the younger lions kill the prey the older lion eats first.
What is Satan roaring to you? Is he telling you that if you give you life to Christ that you will suffer? That God takes all the fun out of everything? That you might have to become a missionary to some dark foreign land? My question is, “What if he’s right?”
God’s answer is this, “The cross!” Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Any suffering we do is nothing compared to what happened at the cross. Jesus took all our sins on Him and did it with joy (Hebrews 12:2). Then three days later he physically rose from the dead. That is God’s answer! The old hymn says it best, “Jesus gave it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.” (“Jesus Paid It All”-Elvina M. Hall)
Don’t listen to the frightening threats of Satan or this world or even yourself. Listen to Jesus who will never lead you wrong. Even if you do suffer, it will always have a reason. God is not purposeless, what He allows is for the sake of His glory and the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me know what you think.
God Bless
Steven Swaim
(All passages are quoted from the New American Standard Version-THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION)
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