Overcoming Opposition to the will of God

I love studying the Old Testament because we see real life situation and we discover quickly that human nature has not changed one bit over the millennia. In our walk through the entire Bible at Southern Calvert Baptist Church, we have are in the Old Testament book written by the prophet Ezra. In a previous lesson we looked at Ezra 1, where the pagan king Cyrus surrendered to the will of God. King Cyrus was greatly influenced by the prophet Daniel. Upon reading the prophet Jeremiah, a scroll that Daniel had brought to Babylon when taken captive, king Cyrus surrendered to the will of God and decided to send the Jews back to Jerusalem. King Cyrus also promised to support the rebuilding of the Temple and sent the articles from the Temple back to Israel. This is a miracle. The children of Israel who were taken in Babylonian captivity finally get to go home. The Jews who were left in Jerusalem should have been excited that the city was going to be restored and the Temple rebuilt. On top of all of that, the local Jews were going to be reunited with their exiled brethren. Anyone who has ever tried to live out the will of God in their daily lives knows that there is always going to be opposition to that decision, often times, from family. It’s still shocking to experience. These exiled Jews are about to experience that opposition as they enter Jerusalem to rebuild. 

The Key to Revival: The Word of God

God has attached His good Name to His Word. God is serious about keeping our word because He always keeps His Word, even when it seems impossible. God promised the children of Israel that if they followed His Word, He would bless them and protect them all the days of their lives. The children of Israel promised to obey but, they were unable to keep their word. God also promised to discipline the children of Israel if they did not keep His Word. Since God has tied His very existence to keeping His Word, He has to keep His promises. Even as God brought severe discipline in the lives of the children of Israel, He continued to show His mercy and grace to them. He always foretold His next move and gave ample opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, and transformation. The children of Israel thought that God would not do what He promised since they were people who did not keep their promises.