Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing – Ezra chapter 4
Hanging on to Hope through setbacks.
‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’
Acts 14:22 New International Version – UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Deceitful “Helpers”
4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 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.’
Ezra 4:1-2
A 15 year setback.
23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. 24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 4:23-24
Poor Responses:-
- Despairing and stopping worship.
- Settling for mediocrity.
- Blaming God or the church.
A Good Response:-
- Take it to God in prayer.
- Remembering “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” – Acts 14:22
