Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, 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.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Ezra 4: 1-3, NKJV.
Holy Father, as we enter Your presence today, we come asking You to guide us into all righteousness. May the study of Your Word, bring us wisdom, comfort, and hope. These mercies we ask in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is a good thing to have a plan when you are working on a project. Having a plan keeps us focused, thereby allowing us to get the job done in a timely manner. There is a saying, that we are to, “strike while the iron is hot.” For the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to re-build the temple, the iron was never so hot! The Word of the Lord informs us: “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1: 1b-4). Emphasis provided.
The plan had been foretold. The way to finance the plan was also foretold. The people of God were simply to, “go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel . . . which is in Jerusalem.” All of the doors of opportunity had been thrown wide open. “Time [was] of the essence.” Therefore, it was of prime importance that they remain “focused.” This was no time to be “politically correct.” So when their adversaries offered to give them a handin the re-construction of the temple, Zerubbabel, and the other members of the building committee, got straight to the point: “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” As my grandmother used to say, that was, “plain English and bad manners.”
For some reason, the church of today, seems to feel obligated to be on good terms with the world. I am one who believe that we must do everything in our power, by God’s grace, to reach the world for Jesus Christ, but just as strongly I believe, that it should be, on the church’s terms! It was obvious that the intentions of Israel’s enemies was to get close enough to them, to obstruct the work. This was proven when they sent their accusation against them, to king Ahasuerus. Who knows what greater problems they avoided by, sticking to the plan.
Because we cannot read the intentions of our fellow-human beings, it is very important, whenever we are engaged in the work of God, or any work, to have a plan – founded on the leading of the Lord – over which the Adversary can have no control. We must never forget, that God has great plans for His people, that are based on His “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you [and me] a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29: 11b)!
It is not important to be politically correct, if we are following the Lord, correctly – according to His perfect plan!