King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
Chapters: EZRA 4-6
Study: When Satan Hinders God’s Will
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
Did you ever have such a heavy heart that it did not matter how much you knew God had a purpose and a plan, and would work it all out for good it still brought you no comfort? That is how I feel. And the more you try to talk yourself into accepting that the more discouraged you get because all you feel is deep sorrow. Then all of a sudden this burst of hope comes as God reminds you of all that He has gotten you through before. So, where is our hope when it seems that all hope is all gone? Jesus. Or rather the Gospel of Christ.
[1 Corinthians 9:9-12,22-23 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.]
Think about it, sorrow of the heart is what often brings us to a deeper level of hope with God as we tend to reach out to Him more than normal. Upon our reaching out to Him without shame, it prompts others who see our faith wanting to know where our hope comes from. If we just sat there wallowing in our sorrows all we would do is hinder the Gospel in that we appear to have no trust in God. Remember, what Jesus said, [Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.]
The burdens we carry sometimes are no joke, they weigh so heavily on our spirits that it literally weaken our body. Believe it or not, the best way that we can actually find rest and keep holding on to our own hope and faith is by serving God. As we continue in the reading of Ezra, we learned yesterday that the foundation for the reconstructed temple was laid and now construction of the building had begun. It did not take long before they were faced with opposition from the locals, who were quite happy with the way things were going in Jerusalem. First, they tried to convince them that they wanted to help.
[Ezra 4:1-5 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; 2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. 4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.]
[Let us build with you: for we seek your God,] I tell myself all the time that I can encourage anyone to be converted or turn their lives around though their faith in Christ just as He did me. The harsh reality is the only one that changed was me. The majority of people who say they want Christ in their lives have no intention of actually doing so and actually hinder you from God’s work, [Galatians 5:7-8 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.]
[weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,] Remember, when our spirit becomes weak that is when our body starts to weaken. There is nothing more discouraging than to put your heart into something only to have people getting in the way of your progress. Let me tell you, there are times when I get up discouraged and depressed, wondering why I do all this when it seems I am not getting through to anyone. Then I try to convince myself, or rather the devil does, that I am being too bold, that I need to lighten up and not be so strong in my words. This is what was happening when the Jews were rebuilding the temple, they did everything to try and stop them. I can only imagine how discouraged the people felt, all they wanted to do was give honor to God by rebuilding the temple, but things only got worse. When the intimidation did not work, they resorted to writing a letter to the king, full of lies.
[Ezra 4:9,12-13-15 Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, 12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. 13 Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. 14 Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; 15 That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.]
[for which cause was this city destroyed.] Do not think that the devil does not know our shortcomings because that is the ammunition he uses against us and he will constantly remind us of just how bad we are. Well, those who receive Christ as their Saviour need to stop listening to his garbage as we are not only saved by the blood of Christ, all of our sins are null and void, not one of them can come back to haunt us, that is unless we keep dwelling on them, [Romans 5:1-4 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:]
There is that word again, HOPE, it actually accompanies something we like to call grace, that amazing, wonderful, precious grace that Christ gives us that enables us to hold on the our hope. Well, let me tell you, even that gets tried sometimes. If the devil can lessen our hope he has a good chance at getting us to stop what we are doing. Well, that is exactly what happened, the king did his research and found out the judgment that God placed on Judah and therefore ordered the people to desist from their building the temple.
[Ezra 4:17,19-21,24 Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time. 19 And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. 20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. 21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. 24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.]
[and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.] Incidentally, it was this occurrence that started the war between the Jews and the Samaritans. This sounds a lot like what is going on today, we have people in Congress trying to pass a law to remove the tax exemption from churches with the same reasoning. Jesus, said this to shut up the corrupt politicians back when He was here, [Luke 20:24-25 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s. 25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.]
[So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.] This king Darius was Darius Hystaspes, he reigned in 521 BC, for thirty-six years. They had begun rebuilding the temple in the first year of Cyrus, 536 BC, before being forced to desist from the reconstruction in 522 BC, in which the temple remained untouched until the second year of Darius in 519 BC. This was when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah showed up and encouraged them to get back to it.
[Ezra 5:1-5 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. 3 At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? 4 Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building? 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.]
[What are the names of the men] This time a man name Tatnai, tried to stop them, pretty much saying to the king the same thing as Rehum, but this time including the ridiculous accusation that they would not pay taxes. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and other chief men of the Jews, did not hesitate to tell them who they were and that they were there for God. Neither were they ashamed of the work they were doing, nor afraid of any consequences that may have come by getting back to the work. Now, they knew God was with them and nothing would stop them and sent a letter to the king themselves.
[Ezra 5:7-9,11,13,17 They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands. 9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls? 11 And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up. 13 But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God. 17 Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.]
[king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.] While employed in God’s work, we are always under His special protection, this should keep us going and encourage us when difficulties are so discouraging. No one has the right to stop us from doing what God has called us to do. And no one has the authority to stop us from living the way God wants us to live. You see, while we are to respect authority, we are to draw the line when mans laws go against God’s. We are the ones who will stand before Jesus and give an account, [1 Peter 4:4-5 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.]
It is often fear that hinders us from God’s purpose, we must also not be so quick to give up when faced with opposition, and remember that we belong to Jesus and are His. And that is where Christians, whom have endured what we have come into play, they help encourage us to get back in God’s will. Finally, the truth came out, Darius, ordered a search of the records, in which they found the decree that king Cyrus had written concerning the rebuilding of the temple.
[Ezra 6:2-3,6-8 And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written: 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; 6 Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence: 7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. 8 Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.]
[that they be not hindered.] Finally, the Jews were able to continue the reconstruction without any hindrances or compromise of their faith, and not only that, they were paid by the government to finish it.
[Ezra 6:11-14 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. 12 And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed. 13 Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily. 14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.]
[that whosoever shall alter this word,] God, has a purpose for each and every one of His faithful, and Satan will never stop trying to weaken our faith to the point that it hinders our serving Him, but the one thing he can never do is alter His Word. The devil’s day is coming, [2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.]
We must remember, that this is God’s battle and Satan is our adversary. As long as we trust God, nothing can hinder us from continuing to do His work, as He will see us through. When life hinders us from doing the things that even God wants us to do, we cannot throw in the towel and give up, we must get up and actually run this race with patience. And finally the temple was rebuilt and completed.
[Ezra 6:15-18 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, 17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.]
[as it is written in the book of Moses.] There is no actual book of Moses, but this is not a typo or error in the Scriptures either, it is referring to the first five books of the Old Testament, which are called the Law. Since it was God who had instructed Moses to write them, it was called the Law of Moses. The Law was never about a bunch of rules to follow, in order to keep from ending up in hell, it was about loving the LORD so much that any command given would be obeyed out of respect. It is the same reason why we maintain the works contained within the Law, not for our salvation, but out of respect for what Jesus did for us, [Titus 3:8-9 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that You have work for me to do, I also know that I have hindered that work at times when I let my fear and impatience get the best of me to keep me. I will not let my heart be troubled by the constant opposition that comes my way, I want to serve You according to Your Word, and not let anything hinder me from completing the work You have given me. Lord, Lead me, guide me, give me Your power to learn, discern, and endure all those who oppose me. Keep me safe, protected, and uplifted so that I can finish the work You have called me to do. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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