The Grands Letter (Ezra/GLJ)

Dear Grands,

Ezra 4:1-5, “Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel,

2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building,

5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

It never fails! Just let someone endeavor to accomplish something for the LORD, and opposition forces arrive in a flash! Sometimes the opposition is subtle (“Let us build with you…”); yet, when rebuffed, their tactics alter: (“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah…and frightened them”).

I’ve encountered numerous people over the years who rallied with excitement to discourage whatever progress was taking place. “It won’t work! You can’t fix it; you don’t have permission! – and the list goes on!

Whatever you do, don’t stop to engage in debate with these people. They love that! It’s exactly what they want and how they slow things down. You don’t have time to argue – not even to explain why you’re doing what you are! Not even a supreme countermeasure will work against such people. Besides, what you’re doing is what the LORD has given you to do. Time is the only other chief factor; and the LORD is surely in control of that, too!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom