Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shetharbozenai, and their companions did accordingly with all diligence, because Darius the king had sent a decree. The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 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. The children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 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.”
(Ezra 6:13-18)

“When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
    “Yahweh has done great things for them.”
Yahweh has done great things for us,
    and we are glad.
Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh,
    like the streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
   He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing,
    will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.”
(Psalm 126)

God brought His children back to the Land. He enabled them to finish the Temple. He brought them a scholar of the Word (Erza was a Torah scholar) to teach them what the Word said. He enabled them to perform the sacrifices that He said they should perform. He funded the whole thing. And He used a pagan ruler to bring it all about. He defeated the plans of those who wanted to stop it. And God didn’t stop until it was all completed (as we see in Nehemiah). God was FAITHFUL to make it all happen as He said it would. All the people needed to do was listen, trust, and obey. He took care of everything else.

What a witness it was to the nations around Israel. They did their best to stop the people. They did their best to keep the Temple and the city of Jerusalem from being built. They did their best to mingle with the people and mix worship. None of it was successful. All of it was defeated. And it was defeated in a way that the Jewish people could not have brought about on their own. It was entirely up to God and it was VERY evident that it was because of God alone. All saw it and the people of God rejoiced because of it, giving God the glory for His mighty – and impossible – works.

Summary

God’s victories are shown to us throughout the Word. They always follow the same pattern. He says He is going to do something. He tells us to do something. We obey. He does the thing He said He was going to do. Sometimes our part is active. Sometimes our part is passive. Sometimes our part is something that doesn’t seem in any way connected with what is actually going on. It doesn’t matter. If we listen to Him and we are obedient in what He tells us to do, He brings about what He said He would bring about. Impossibility doesn’t matter. God will do what He says. We only need to obey in order to witness it. Always obey God. Understanding isn’t needed. Obedience is – and obedience is easy when we are focusing on and walking in our love for God and His love for us.