Turning Attacks and Discouragement into Victory

— Ezra — Andrew Fountain: Jan 13, 2019

• More that 1500 years before the birth of Jesus, the Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt
  • Wilderness, promised land
  • Several 100 years ruled by judges, then ruled by kings
  • The second and Greatest of those Kings was King David

King David created an empire

• He loved God with a passion, “A man after God’s own heart”
• Wrote many of the Psalms
• Little nation became an empire

King Rehoboam’s stupidity

• After Solomon, was a very foolish king who managed to split the kingdom into two
  • Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah)

The worship of Ba’al

• The people became more and more corrupt
• They worshiped cruel false Gods, like Baal
• But not just that:
  • They were filled with oppression of the poor
  • corruption of justice in the legal system
• They became as bad, if not worse, than the nations around them

Babylonian Siege of Jerusalem

• God allowed the Babylonian Emperor to come and destroy the city
• He came the first time in 597 BC and captured the city (we have very good proof of the dates)
  • But they rebelled against him
• So 11 years later (586 BC) he came and utterly destroyed the city
  • He broke down the walls
  • He totally destroyed the temple, taking all the gold with him
  • He took all the people with him and made them live in another part of his empire
  • He took people from elsewhere and put them in the land
    • (they became the Samaritans)
• But Even though God’s people had rejected him, his love for them didn’t diminish
• God wrote a song of lament over his people

Hosea 11

1. When Israel was a child, I loved him,
         and out of Egypt I called my son.
2. But the more I called them,
         the farther they departed from me.
   They sacrificed to the Ba’al idols
         and burned incense to images.
3. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
         I took them up by their arms,
   but they did not know that I healed them.
4. I led them with cords of kindness,
         with the bands of love…
7. My people are obsessed with turning away from me;
         they call to Ba’al, but he will never exalt them!
8. How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
         How can I hand you over, O Israel?
   How can I make you like Admah?
         How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
   My heart recoils within me;
         my compassion grows warm and tender.
9. I will not execute my burning anger;
         I will not again destroy Ephraim;
   for I am God and not a man—the Holy One in your midst,
         and I will not come in anger.
10. They shall follow the LORD;
          he will roar like a lion;
    when he roars,
          his children shall come trembling from the west;
11. they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
          and like doves from the land of Assyria,
    and I will return them to their homes,
          declares the LORD.

NET Bible + ESV

• He says “If I was a man, this would be it and I would be done with you
  • But I’m God, and I’m faithful. Once I love, it is forever.”
• So here is this nation that for all intents and purposes are destroyed.
  • They are spread all over a foreign land
  • What will happen to them
• A prophecy

• Has your heart grown cold towards God? —he is so loving and willing to accept you back
• God’s love and grace are amazing
  • His heart is yearning towards you: Come back! he says
• If you feel like that today, I want to encourage you. God’s love is still tender towards you.
  • All you have to ask and he will welcome you back

• If he spoke like this to Israel who had treated him so apallingly, will he not speak loving words to you?

The back story part 2

• What happened was unbelievable

Cyrus the Great of Persia

• The Extraordinary decree of Cyrus:

• So we read in Ezra 1:64 that 42,360 people returned to the city
• They found it in a terrible state
  • This not actually Jerusalem (because of course it has been rebuilt)
  • It is another similar city that the Babylonians demolished, Lachish, that has never been rebuilt

Ruins of Lachish

• Within two years they had rebuild the altar of the temple, which meant they could re-start sacrifices
• But they began to get terrible opposition to the work from the people living in the land
• To start with they said “Oh, we worship the same God as you, we’ll join you”
  • But this wasn’t really true—they worshipped idols
• This began several decades of attacks.
  • This is what I want to focus on

Ezra 4-6

• Ezra 5
  • They were rebuilding the temple, which was God’s presence living with his people.
  • The temple was only a picture of the future:
    • What is the temple now? (The people of God, as community and as individuals)
      • God living among his people
      • Like Eden. Satan hated this and hates this!
  • So every time we try as a church to extend God’s kingdom
    • Or as individuals to draw closer to God
  • There is often discouragement, but also victory if we push forward
  • Many here are having attacks in their lives
    • But God is stronger than Satan and we are giving this story so we can take hold of what God can do for us.
• The attack is totally turned around so that the enemy have to support them instead of attack them.
• I want this story to encourage you!
• God can turn attacks on you so completely around that what looked like a weakness turns out to be a strength
  • The story ends with joy

Temple rebuilt

• If you are under attack—be encouraged—We are trying to do exactly what Ezra was
  • We are in enemy territory, reclaiming it for God
  • Let us be encouraged
• If you are far from God, maybe you feel you have gone away from him
  • He is welcoming you back
  • His heart is full of love for you—he yearns for you like a lost child
  • Just turn and come back to him
  • If you have done wrong, he will forgive you!
  • He is such a loving and caring father

Updated on 2019-01-27 by Andrew Fountain