Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Ezra 4:1-5, May 4, 2025

Message: “Opposition!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Introduction:

1. As most of you know, last week we began a new series of messages on the Book of Ezra. This book covers a lot of time. It begins with the command given by Cyrus the Great that encouraged the Jews to return to their own land.

a. They had been in exile for 70 years in the land of Babylon, but Jeremiah the prophet predicted that they would finally be allowed to return to their own land during the reign of Cyrus the Great.

b. Many of them including Daniel went into captivity around 605 B.C. and this edict was given around 538 B.C.

If you remember our studies on Daniel, he prayed the Lord would keep His promise even though the people did not deserve it.  God did.

2. Last week we learned how God used Cyrus to provide for those who chose to return as well as for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Many did return.

a. But they needed some time to settle down. God allowed them 7 months to do this (Ezra 3:1). Then Jeshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor felt led to get started on the rebuilding of the temple.

b. They felt the best way to begin was to rebuild the altar used for daily sacrifices. But Ezra adds the comment that they did this in spite of “their fear of the peoples around them.”

3. Some very poor Jews had been left behind during the seventy years of captivity.  They chose to intermarry with the Gentiles around them. In the time of Jesus, they were known as Samaritans. 

a. These Samaritans did not remain faithful to the Lord. You could compare them to the variety of cults that we have in our day that sound good, but they are different.

b. So it was with the Samaritans.

A. Consider these Samaritans for a few minutes.

1. After King Solomon died, the Israelites were divided into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah where God’s temple in Jerusalem was located.

a. But the very first king of northern Israel, named Jeroboam, did not want his people going to God’s temple in Judah so he created his own places of worship. He also made Samaria the capitol of his kingdom. This is where false teachings already got started. 

b. So when the Jews were taken into captivity, and Jerusalem was burned to the ground, the few Jews who were left behind resettled in and around Samaria. Of course, that is how the Samaritan’s got their name. But  like a cult, their beliefs were all mixed up. 

2. As a result, when the Jews returned to their own land, they did not want interference from the Samaritans. So when Jeshua the High priest and Zerubbabel, their governor, felt led of the Lord to start rebuilding the Temple, these were “the peoples of the land” that concerned them.

a. Guess what? As soon as word got out that the altar for sacrifices was being rebuilt, the Samaritans came and asked if they could help! Sounds innocent enough. But the Jews knew God would not want the changes in their beliefs that the Samaritans would bring with them.

b. As soon as the Jews basically said: “No thank you,” the conflict between them began and grew worse and worse (Ezra 3: 1-3).

B. Consider some of the ways the Samaritans oppressed them.

1. The first thing they did was to try to discourage the Jews  and scare them (vs.6). As Christians, that is exactly what the opposition will often do to us. 

a. In Eph. 6:12, Paul wrote: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

b. This phrase, “heavenly places,” often means the unseen world where demons and angels often fight each other. So we should never be surprised when Christians are persecuted using scare tactics. It is Satan’s way of trying to discourage us from doing what the Lord wants us to do.

2. It goes onto say they “hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans” (Ezra 4:5). 

a. It is like people being hired to go to a rally and cause trouble or non-Christians surrounding a church to discourage those who want to come. 

b. That is exactly what the Samaritans did during the reign of Cyrus down to the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

3. Another way the Samaritans tried to stop the Jews was by writing the king of Persia and saying half truths about them (Ezra 4:6 – 23). 

a. They said the city of Jerusalem was known for being rebellious and wicked. If the Jews who returned to their home land were allowed to rebuild the temple and the walls of their city, they would rebel against the Persians too . 

b. There was some truth in what they said.  Jerusalem had sinned against the Lord. In fact, that is why God allowed them to be captured by the Babylonians. But many of those who returned were God fearing. 

4. But that is another way Satan attacks us too. He loves to point out the sins of our past, even though we have changed and presently want to please the Lord.  

a. Sadly, the king of Persia believed the half- truths told to him by the Samaritans and demanded that work on the temple be stopped. And for about 15 years, the work was halted. 

b. In our day, half-truths are often used to destroy the character of others. In fact, this is one reason why politics can often be nasty and unkind. 

C. But that is not the end of the story! God always raises up spiritual leaders who will lead His people to victory.

1. In Ezra 5:1, Ezra shares how God raised up Haggai and Zechariah, both prophets of God, who challenged the Jews to go forward with His work.

a. And Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the high priest had the courage to do what God asked them to do. 

And soon the temple was finished.

b. But this is a very common spiritual problem. Whenever God is at work, Satan raise up his ugly head to defy Him.

2. Many times it appears like God is losing. But if we pray without ceasing (Eph. 6:18) and keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, it will amaze us what God can accomplish even when Satan tries to interfere.

3. As the Apostle John once put it: “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (I John 5:5). We need to pray for each other that God will give us the faith and courage to do what He wants us to do in spite of the challenges around us. Praise the Lord, He will. Amen.