From Excitement to Defeat

From Excitement to Defeat
Ezra 1-5
"Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building" (4:4).
We can imagine the excitement that the Jews experienced when Cyrus proclaimed in 538 B.C. for the Jews to return to the Promised Land. The Northern tribes of Israel had been in captivity for almost 200 years (722-538 B.C). For the southern tribes of Judah, it would be 70 years. It was a time when God seemed to have forsaken the people. So when Cyrus gave the edict, joy and excitement ran throughout every household living in exile. For those who were unable to travel back to Israel, they were willing to give gold and silver to help fund the rebuilding project. But, as is often the case, excitement and joy can quickly turn to discouragement and fear. Such was the case for the Jews. For the first two years, they began rebuilding the Temple with enthusiasm and dedication. However, three events would occur that would halt construction for the next 16 years (from 536 to 520 B.C.).

First, they began to be gripped in fear. In 3:3, we read that the people began to be fearful of the surrounding nations, who opposed the rebuilding project, and thus started to make threats against them. As a result, their focus shifted from the power and protection of God to the fear of enemies. The same thing can happen to us in our lives. When we seek to accomplish God's purpose for our lives, we can start to look at the circumstances and challenges we face rather than to God, who is in control of our lives. When God becomes small, our circumstances become overwhelming.

Second, they became discouraged because the people who remembered the glory of Solomon's Temple considered the new Temple minor and insignificant. In 3:11-13, we find that when the foundations of the Temple were laid, they celebrated with shouts of joy. However, for the older generation, their happiness turned into sorrow because the new Temple being built was small in comparison (3:12; see also Hag 2:3). Because the new Temple lacked the glory of Solomon's Temple, the people became discouraged. As we get older, it is easy to allow the mystic of the past to cloud our perspective of the present. As time marches forward, we often idolize the past as the "good ol' days" so that we lose sight of what God is doing in the present. Instead of seeing God's activity now, we often want to go back and relive the past. Nostalgia can blind us from present opportunities and activities that God is doing.

The third cause of their discouragement was opposition. It was easy to stack the stones to rebuild the Temple's walls when the excitement was high and the people were enthusiastic. But when opposition starts to arise and things become more difficult, we can become paralyzed by fear. When we are engaged in God's work and serving him, we often expect that everything will go well. So, when circumstances seem to work against us and we face opposition, we become discouraged. This is what happened to the Jews.   As a result, they became disheartened, and for the next 16 years, the tools became silent and the people stopped working. Instead of seeing God's hand and trusting in His protection and empowerment, they saw only the problems and struggles that surrounded them. As a result, the work came to a halt.
How often do we quit serving God because things do not go according to our plans and expectations? Instead of everything running smoothly, we face setbacks, challenges, and discouragements. Instead of staying the course and continuing the work, we quit the job. God does not promise us that everything will go well in our Christian life and service for God. However, He does promise us that He will empower us to overcome the challenges and accomplish His purpose. Instead of focusing on all the adversity and struggles, we need to look to the power and strength of an infinite God. Apart from God, nothing is possible, but with God's strength, all things are possible. The only question is what we are focused upon: the problems we face or the power of an infinite God?