In today’s daily devotional on Ezra 4, we explore two important leadership principles: operating with God’s provision and operating despite opposition. As we dive into this chapter, we are reminded that God’s provision is abundant and He equips us to accomplish His work. However, we must also be prepared for resistance. Whether the enemies we face are external or internal, like Ezra, we are called to persevere. Opposition may halt progress for a season, but it does not determine the final outcome. With faith in God’s plan, we are empowered to press on, trusting in His ultimate victory. Read about the rebuilding of the altar in the daily devotional on Ezra 3.
Ezra 4 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
Today brings us to Ezra 4. We will look at two more leadership principles from the Book of Ezra, operate with God’s provision and operate despite the enemy. From where does your provision come from? Do you take credit or give God the glory? Who are your enemies? Are they inside or outside your camp? Are they winning? Please read or listen to Ezra 4.
Who Opposed the Building of the Temple of Jerusalem?
In 1995, I captured the essence of this chapter in my Bible reading journal when I wrote, “There are always enemies to God’s work. They want to join us to weaken us, but Zerubbabel and Jeshua said no. We also need to say no to compromising with our enemies. Enemies used the political system to stop the work. Work ceased. God told them to go and rebuild the temple. They obeyed. And they were stopped.”
In 2009, I wrote a similar statement in my journal, “There is always opposition to God’s work. Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased. Ten years goes by.”
Why the People of the Land Rejected the Rebuilding of the Temple?
In 2015, the essence of this chapter was repeated in my journal. “Work on the temple begins. Daily sacrifices were resumed. The foundation is laid. All the people praise the Lord. Then opposition comes. Seems to happen when progress is being made, opposition rises against godly work. Cyrus is gone, a new king is in place, and he stops the rebuilding upon request of non-Jewish neighbors. Work stops for fifteen years.”
What Is the Summary of 4 Ezra?
We learn in Ezra 4, just because God calls us to do a work does not mean it is going to be easy. There is always opposition to God’s work. But what are the leadership principles we can learn from the Book of Ezra? We will cover two of them today, one is more general and the second one is more specific to chapter 4.
The first more general one is to operate with God’s provision. Ezra 1:4 demonstrates God’s provision, “And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
Again, in Ezra 3:7 (NKJV), God provides. “So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.” He can even provide from the heathen, the non-believer, as we look forward to Ezra 6:8-9 (NKJV), “Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. And whatever is needed . . let that be given to them day by day without fail”.
If whatever we are doing is God’s will, He will provide. He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so He can provide your personal, family, and business needs. We are going to see in chapter 7, He actually can even provide more than enough, even leftovers. Look at Ezra 7:15-18 (NKJV):
and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem—now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God.
What Is God’s Provision?
Leadership principle number four out of the Book of Ezra is, operate with God’s provision. He can provide, and He can provide more than enough. Where does your provision come from? Do you have enough, or more than enough? If not, maybe you are not in the center of God’s will for your life. Do you give God the glory for meeting your needs or do you take credit for your own provision?
What Does Spite of Opposition Mean?
The fifth leadership principle from the Book of Ezra is, operate despite the enemy, and it comes right out of chapter 4. Ezra faced incredible opposition. Imagine trying to reestablish Christianity as a fundamental foundation of our political and social fiber in the United States today. There would be many enemies. It was no different for Ezra, and it is no different for you. You have opposition. Like Ezra, you must overcome–not succumb. Enemies fought Ezra with political power, competitive power, and evil power. They tried to get on the inside. They slung false accusations, and they pulled out all the stops.
First, the enemy tries to join the cause to destroy it from the inside, Ezra 4:2-4. If the enemy cannot get on the inside, he disrupts and accuses from the outside. Look at Ezra 4:5-6 and 12-13. Sometimes the enemy wins a battle, but the war is not over. It is like being ahead in the third inning of a baseball game. “It ain’t over till it’s over.” In Ezra 4:21-24, the enemy wins for a season. Work on the temple stops.
How about you? Is the enemy winning at the moment? It happened to Ezra. It may be happening to you. But chapter 4 is not the end of the story. Press on, hang on, and watch God work. Are you feeling defeated? Can you overcome and defeat the enemy by persevering?
Prayer
Lord, help us understand even when we are about Your business, the opposition comes. Sometimes it appears that the opposition wins, even for a season. But as we just learned, Ezra 4 is not the end of the story. The opposition you may be facing is not the end of your story either.
Lord, help me persevere, whether the enemy is close to me on the inside, or the enemy is from the outside. Regardless of its source, Lord, give me victory in Your name. I look forward to the day this battle is over, and You allow me to be victorious. I will give You the praise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
