Ezra 4:1-24 reveals much to us about the tactics of our adversary, the devil:
- His objective - to eliminate the worship of the One True God
- His tactics - 1. friendship, 2. frustration, and 3. force
- His means - evil men
When momentum began to build among the Jews to rebuild the Temple and to re-establish worship of Yahweh, the Evil One decided that he would not take it lying down. He formulated a plan to manipulate men into accomplishing his will.
First, he sought to infiltrate God's people by inserting into their ranks those who held a liberal approach to worship so that they could compromise true worship. He knew that, using enemies from within, he could achieve his objective. Once inside, the enemies of God would dilute the worship of Him to such an extent that it would not prove to be pleasing to God, but would become a stench in His nostrils instead. However, when the leadership that God had put in place (Zerubbabel and Jeshua) recognized the danger in embracing a "big tent" approach to the worship of Yahweh, they squashed the enemy's attempt at infiltration by choosing to remain pure. But the enemy was not done.
Next, the Evil One took a more direct approach. He recruited human opponents to the true and sincere worship of Yahweh who would be utterly relentless in their efforts to frustrate and dishearten the people to such an extent that they would voluntarily cease their pursuit of worship. This was highly effective. There was only one thing more to do to crush them once and for all.
Finally, the enemy of Yahweh took control of the minds of those in government, convincing them to sanction the elimination of the worship efforts of the Jews and then, to employ force in order to see it done. This, in effect, ended God's people's efforts to worship him.
Well, it isn't all bad news...a few years later, God revived the worship efforts and accomplished His goal. He defeated the plans of the Evil One.
What are we to glean from such a story? A lot! But, for today, let this be sufficient...know that Satan HATES it when Jesus is worshipped. He will stop at nothing to stop it. He will use whatever tools he has at his disposal to do so.
What do we do?
- Be aware of the attempts of anyone to "dilute" true worship. Take a harder stance against it than you think you should. Do it, not for confrontation's sake, but for the sake of God-honoring worship. (Matthew 10:16)
- Fix your eyes on Jesus and remain faithful and devoted, regardless of whether or not you would consider your efforts to be a success at the time. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
- Endure. Come what may, endure to the end! (II Timothy 4:8) And remember this...
"What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon His face
The One who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be"
- Jim Hill ("What a Day That Will Be")
Pastor Jeremy
