Lessons From Ezra – Lesson 3
We see in the book of Acts a principal that we will also see in Ezra.
Acts 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Here a simple truth is stated. We ought to obey God rather than men. Many times we see a simple New Testament truth given in a single sentence, and somewhere else in the Bible we see what that truth looks like played out in the lives of people.
What does that truth in that simple statement look like lived out. We have seen this many times. The Bible truly is amazing. There is a unity to it that can only be explained by the fact that it really has only one author. The different books of the Bible all work together.
The truth presented in one book will be backed up somewhere else. We have all heard it said that the Bible has unity but sadly we have not seen it demonstrated very often and never by the verse by verse only guys.
In the book of Acts Peter and the other apostles were commanded that they should not preach Jesus. They answer we ought to obey God rather than men.
They then immediately preach Jesus to the ones who commanded them not to. I love that. To the very guys that are commanding them not to. After they are done preaching, they tell them to not preach Jesus and then let them go.
They leave and go out and keep preaching Jesus.
In this case we see the simple truth stated and we also see an example of that truth lived out in the lives of people. Peter chose to obey God and was bold and God protected him. It is a great example.
But some questions remain. What does it look like if men choose to obey men instead of God?
What does God think of that?
What is the remedy once that happens?
We do not have to guess because we can see that played out in the lives of people in the Bible. We are going to see this starting in Ezra. We are also going to have to look at a few other books as well.
We left off our look at Ezra at the end of chapter 3.
Ezra 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
We stopped last week with the people having moved to Jerusalem in faith and after much work they laid the foundation for the new temple. They were stirred up by God and voluntarily answered the call and have been busy serving God.
And with that came singing and praising and joy and being thankful. It can really be a wonderful thing to be doing the work of God because you want to. Hard, forced, dry, I will because I have to. That kind of service is not pleasing to God.
We know that Jerusalem was a wreck. I mean really bad. The enemies that lived all around did not do much when the Jews moved back in. I can see how some would have thought this will not last. The place is so bad, no way that they can succeed.
Time passed and the Jews are still there. They are not quitting. Instead they are making progress and have even laid a new foundation for their God’s house. And they are joyful and singing and praising the true God that the enemies hate.
They were fine with leaving them alone when nothing was happening. It was ok as long as they did nothing for their God. But start doing something for the Lord and watch out. The gloves come off and the fangs come out.
This is the way it has always been. It is still this way today. The adversaries to Christianity do not do anything against a church that is not doing anything for the Lord. Get busy and start working and getting God’s truth out and now it is a different story.
Ezra 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
Ezra 4:2 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.
Ezra 4:3 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.
This was the correct answer. Zerubbabel saw right thru their fake support and their lies.
So since they could not infiltrate and cause whatever trouble by joining them, they switched tactics. We saw this many times in Nehemiah. The Enemy does not quit when one of their methods fail, they just switch tactics and keep attacking.
Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
Ezra 4:5 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.
The enemies plan is a frustration and no doubt slowed things down some. But the enemies are not satisfied. The Work is still moving forward. They frustrate the work and slow it down all the days that the king who gave the command for the work lived.
The king that sanctioned the work (Cyrus) dies and since their local efforts were not stopping the work, they appeal to the new king.
Ezra 4:6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra 4:8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:
Ezra 4:11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.
Ezra 4:12 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.
Ezra 4:13 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.
Ezra 4:14 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;
Ezra 4:15 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.
Ezra 4:16 We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.
The king has the ancient history looked up and sure enough it shows the city was trouble to them.
Ezra 4:17 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.
Ezra 4:18 The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.
Ezra 4:19 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.
Ezra 4:20 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.
Ezra 4:21 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.
Ezra 4:22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?
The king commands the work to stop.
Ezra 4:23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
Ezra 4:24 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.
The work ceased. A total shutdown. So God commanded them to build the Temple. And man commanded to not build the Temple.
Who are the people obeying? Man and not God.
They are not saying what Peter said. We ought to obey God rather than men.
Instead they are obeying man and disobeying God.
What does God do? We see part of the answer in Chapter 5.
Ezra 5:1 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.
God sends the people His Word. He does it thru two men Haggai and Zechariah. They both go to the people and preach. And the people respond.
Ezra 5:2 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.
They people went from obeying man and disobeying God to obeying God and not man. They are now saying with Peter. We ought to obey God rather than men.
And not just for a day or two or even a month but long enough to get the job done.
Ezra 6:14 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.
Ezra 6:15 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.
Ezra 6:16 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,
What caused them to start obeying God and not man. We know it has something to do with God’s Word that was sent to them thru Haggai and Zechariah.
Ezra 6:14 says, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.
Does this not bring up the question? What did Haggai and Zechariah say?
What did God say to these people to turn them from obeying man to obeying Him?
What did God think about it all? Are these important questions?
If you only read Ezra and don’t go read Haggai and Zechariah, then you will not know the answer to those questions.
So I think we need to pause in Ezra and go look for the answers to those questions.
Haggai 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
Haggai 1:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.
The people made an excuse to not obeying God. God had plainly told them to go build the house. They had the fact that God moved to provide the authority and funds to do it. This was clearly God’s will on it and more than double verified.
And God never left any room whatsoever in the command for loopholes or excuses. It was simple and it was clear. Build the Temple in Jerusalem. God never said unless it gets too hard. Or unless you get opposition. Or unless some man commands you not to.
God acknowledges what the people are saying. And God’s response is not going to be. There there, ok I will remove that commandment of man so you can obey me. That is not the way it works.
By faith they must choose to obey God and not man and then when they step out in faith, then God will move and make it so they can keep obeying God.
So God sends His word to them and takes away the excuse, and explains their situation to them.
Haggai 1:3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Haggai 1:4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
Haggai 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Haggai 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
First the negative side is presented. They have finished the houses they live in but not God’s house. We know from the book of Ezra that the work on the house has completely stopped and that it was by commandment of men.
We only know that obeying men and not God is the issue here because we read Ezra. If you read only Haggai you would miss that. The Word of God is designed to go together and work together and it is designed for all of it to be studied together.
They eat but have not enough. They drink and are not filled. They have clothes but are not warm. They earn wages but it is not enough. So you can say that they are doing but are not satisfied. And they can do and do and work before sunrise until they are exhausted and it will not change things. They will not be satisfied.
And this not being satisfied is penetrating all areas of their life. In the Old Testament God often used physical events to teach spiritual truth. They were not obeying and so they were not satisfied. In their case God’s promises to the Jewish people were tied to that land. He promised if they obey that He would send the rain and bless that land.
It would be a land of milk and honey to the Jewish people if they obeyed. They are not obeying and so they don’t have the blessings related to the land.
Today we do not have specific promises tied to a specific piece of ground.
So for example today if you choose not to obey God you might still have a good job and might still have enough money but I guarantee you will not be spiritually satisfied.
You can even attend services and do a lot but you will not be satisfied.
Back then they had specific promises tied to specific land and tied to obeying. So they could work and work and never be satisfied if they were not obeying.
It is a little different for us today. We have the Holy Spirit and we get much comfort and guidance and help from Him. And the command to us is to not grieve the Spirit of God.
If we choose to not obey what the Spirit wants to do and we do not obey the commands of God, then we will not be spiritually satisfied no matter how much we do in other areas.
If we grieve the Spirit of God, then He will say go on with your way and watch us make a mess of things. He will withhold the joy and fulfillment that comes with doing the work of God from the heart.
We actually lose a lot, and God will not necessarily treat us the same as He did those in the book of Ezra.
An example of this is in the letter that Jesus wrote to the church at Laodicea.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
God wanted to spue them out of His mouth, and yet they were rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing physically. Spiritually they were wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
The exact way God treated Israel in connection with that land is not necessarily the way He is going to treat us today. We don’t have the same promises in connection with a specific piece of land as they did.
I have seen many make this mistake. They will think since blessings come from above, and they do, and since I have many physical things, and they do, then I am blessed from God and therefore God is pleased with what I am doing.
That is the reasoning. It might sound good on the surface, but it is seriously flawed.
The standard on which to determine if God is pleased with what you are doing is not Money. It is not things.
The standard on which to determine if God is pleased with you is obedience to Him. The standard is what did God tell us to do. And of course are we doing it because we want to because we love Him. That is the standard.
Now God presented the bad, the un-satisfaction of what they are doing, and that un-satisfaction is because of them obeying man and not God.
Now God presents what will be the result if they choose to obey God and not man.
Haggai 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Haggai 1:8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
It is simple. One verse. Obey me and not man and I will take pleasure in it.
The implication is very clear in all of this.
God is not pleased when His people chose to obey man and not God.
We also see that there will be consequences that are the result of putting man’s commands over God’s.
For them in that day, because of their specific promises that were wrapped up in that specific land. The consequences for them were hard times. Poverty and never being satisfied in the areas of physical needs.
If they chose to obey God, then He will be pleased with it. They are told to just go get the wood and build. The implication here is to simply obey. Trust in God. And just do it. Ignore the command of man.
And it is implied that God will somehow work so that you can obey. Step out in faith and let God work. He wants you to obey, so start and watch Him enable you to obey.
The command of man is not going away until after you step out in faith and start obeying God. God is always pleased with faith. If fact without faith it is impossible to please Him. So there is always left room for faith to be exercised.
For us it is a little different. If we disobey we may or may not suffer physical need. But we will suffer consequences. We will grieve the Spirit of God, the one who illuminates the Word of God to us and comforts us and guides us.
We can end up like the Laodiceans.
God’s remedy to obeying man and not God is simple. So simple isn’t it. Just start obeying and I will be pleased. Just quit making excuses, exercise some faith and start obeying.
And God changes from being displease to being pleased.
Verse 8 also teaches if you chose to obey God and not man I will be glorified.
When a people put God’s wants first that glorifies God. It shows His great worth to the world.
When a people decided to exercise faith that glorifies God.
They put faith in the fact that God told them to do it. They put faith in that God would somehow, even though they could not see it yet, that God would be with them and enable them to continue to obey.
Trust like that glorifies God. It shows the world that God can be trusted.
We know from Ezra that they started building while the command of man to not build was still in effect. And we already read how they finished the Temple. God moved.
God was pleased and He was glorified when they chose to obey God instead of man.