Author Archives: Pastor Don Hosfeld

Seguir mirando

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

“Aguardando la esperanza bienaventurada y la manifestación gloriosa del gran Dios y Salvador nuestro Jesucristo” (Tito 2:13).

Tito 2:13 es significativo por muchas razones. A menudo la atención se centra en las referencias a la “manifestación gloriosa” (el Rapto) o a la deidad de Jesús como “el gran Dios”, pero yo sugeriría que la “búsqueda” tiene un efecto sustancial en la vida del creyente entre ahora y la “manifestación gloriosa”. Tomados en su conjunto, los versículos 12-14 sugieren que esperar la venida del Señor es lo que debemos hacer en lugar de, y como un medio para evitar, la “impiedad y los deseos mundanos” del versículo 12 y, en cambio, resultará en “ pueblo, celoso de buenas obras” (v. 14).

La idea es que tengamos una mirada activa hacia este acontecimiento. Deberíamos estar siempre mirando con los ojos fijos. No para discernir los tiempos ni asignar fechas para el regreso de nuestro Señor sino para ser un punto de enfoque hasta ese día. Hace años, trabajé en el personal de jardinería de un club de campo. Un día me dijeron que cortaría el césped, lo cual me puso nervioso al instante. Sabiendo que lo que se esperaba eran líneas rectas y no cómo se producían, acudí a alguien con experiencia que me explicó el truco. No podía creer lo simple que era la respuesta. Dijo que cuando alinees tu cortadora de césped, y antes de comenzar, mires hacia el otro lado, encuentres tu punto de enfoque y mantengas tus ojos fijos en él, y listo. No mires ni a izquierda ni a derecha, no mires hacia abajo, sigue mirando hasta el final.

Esto se parece muchísimo a las instrucciones del creyente de esperar el regreso de Cristo. También me recuerda la audaz declaración de Pablo: “Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece” (Fil. 4:13). Pablo dijo: “Sé vivir humildemente y sé tener abundancia” (v. 12). ¿Cómo? A menudo buscamos lo sobrenatural cuando la respuesta es mucho más sencilla, como cortar el césped de un campo de golf. Sólo unos versículos antes, Pablo dijo:

“Finalmente, hermanos, todo lo que es verdadero… honesto… simplemente… puro… amable, todo lo que es de buen nombre; si hay alguna virtud… alguna alabanza, pensad en estas cosas. Lo que habéis aprendido, recibido, oído y visto en mí, hacedlo, y el Dios de paz estará con vosotros” (Fil. 4:8-9).

No se me ocurre nada que se ajuste mejor a esa descripción que seguir mirando esa “esperanza bienaventurada”.

"Dos Minutos con la Biblia" le permite comenzar el día con artículos de estudio bíblicos breves pero potentes de la Sociedad Bíblica Berea. Regístrate ahora para recibir Dos Minutos con la Biblia todos los días en tu bandeja de entrada de correo electrónico. Nunca compartiremos tu información personal y puedes cancelar tu suscripción en cualquier momento.

Romans 1:7-15

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

The first of Paul’s epistles in the canon, he declares a message of peace from God and repeats in every epistle thereafter. A great truth for the believer; as believers, we have peace with God.

Are Ye Carnal?

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

“For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:4).

One of the unfortunate realities that has been the case from the beginning of the dispensation of the grace of God is the role that politics has played. I’m not referring to the politics of a nation but politics within the church. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth tells us that “envying, and strife, and divisions” (1 Cor. 3:3) are most certainly not a new problem for the church.

Paul established the church in Corinth during his second Apostolic journey and spent over a year and a half ministering there and building up that assembly (cf. Acts 18:1-11). We might expect Paul would receive an overabundance of admiration from the church he planted; however, this was hardly the case. Despite being the “chosen vessel” (Acts 9:15) through which God unveiled the mystery and the “wise masterbuilder” that “laid the foundation” (1 Cor. 3:10), Paul was faced with a group of believers in Corinth that were determined to elevate others based upon their personal desires and loyalties.

Shortly after Paul left Corinth for Syria, Apollos, “an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures,” arrived (Acts 18:24 cf. v. 18;19:1). Evidently, Apollos had quite an impact. So much so that people began to choose him as their favorite; this problem and the degree to which it was taking place should not be missed by us today. For no less than five times in the first four chapters of this epistle, does Paul call attention to this divisive conduct (cf. 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4-6,22).

I have been asked numerous times how and when the church began to deviate from Paul’s doctrine (cf. Rom. 16:25) and toward that of the twelve apostles. Though we can’t say for sure, the type of behavior displayed in Corinth may have been one of the things that propelled us in that direction.

According to Irenaeus (c. AD 130-202) and Tertullian (c. 155-220), a man by the name of Polycarp (c. AD 69-155) was a student of the Apostle John (who outlived the other apostles), not only him but also a man named Ignatius (c. 35-110).

Now, we don’t presume that their writings or church tradition are to be fully trusted, as these relationships may have been embellished to establish a hierarchy that eventually became the Catholic church. However, if there is any truth to these claims, as often the case is with any lie to include some truth, we might find why the church went in the direction it did. Was their relationship with John a cause for promoting him and his teachings over Paul, like some in Corinth did with Apollos? Reading Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians, you find many statements which come from the Gospels and General Epistles, which do not agree with the Pauline Epistles.

Other than the obvious reasons of doctrinal error, why should we today be concerned about diminishing some in order to elevate “our guy”? Well, notice Paul’s admonition that in doing so, “are ye not carnal” (1 Cor. 3:4), something Paul calls them three times in the first four verses of this chapter. Did Paul chastise the Corinthians because he was expecting to be their favorite, the one they “liked”?

Of course not, as he said, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed….I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase….So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (vv. 5-7).

Paul’s concern was that they were walking “as men” (v. 3), meaning in the flesh. What mattered to him was not that he received their praise but ensuring that God received all the praise that was due Him. He said, “let no man glory in men…Whether Paul, or Apollos…” (vv. 21,22). Picking one at the expense of another only served to hinder the cause of Christ.

Unfortunately, this type of thing is still happening and hindering the work of God. Today, YouTube and Facebook likes and shares are used competitively by some to promote one Bible teacher against another. What would Paul think of this? Concerning himself and Apollos, he wrote, “that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Cor. 4:6).

Paul was concerned that people were more loyal to a person than to the doctrine. May we, today, have the wisdom to never choose between men but instead between the doctrine. Let us elevate all men that live and teach sound doctrine, “For we are labourers together with God…” (v. 9).

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Un tipo equivocado de sirviente

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

“No sabéis que a quien os entregáis sirvientes para obedecer, sois sus siervos a quienes obedecéis; ¿Ya sea del pecado para muerte, o de la obediencia para justicia? Pero gracias a Dios, que fuisteis siervos del pecado, mas habéis obedecido de corazón a aquella doctrina que os fue entregada” (Rom. 6:16,17).

La Biblia habla mucho sobre servir a Dios; Romanos 6:17, sin embargo, añade el aspecto de hacerlo “de corazón”. Un excelente ejemplo de alguien que sirvió a Dios, pero no de corazón, es Jehú, rey de Israel.

Si buscaras a Jehú, probablemente lo encontrarías listado como el único Rey de Israel durante el Reino dividido, que no figura como un rey malvado. Conocido principalmente por ordenar a los eunucos que arrojaran a Jezabel por la ventana y la mataran, Jehú fue el instrumento de Dios para imponer juicio sobre la casa de Acab (2 Reyes 9:7 cf. 1 Reyes 21:17-24). Pero Jehú también sería el siguiente en la línea de los reyes de Israel en tratar de servirse a sí mismo por encima del Dios de Israel.

El Reino del Norte de Israel había estado en constante declive en los 90 años transcurridos desde que el reino se dividió, y Jeroboam I comenzó a gobernar en 931 a.C. Al elegir la idolatría en lugar de servir a Dios, Jeroboam y sus seguidores quisieron distanciarse de una postura de obediencia a Dios. Sin darse cuenta de que al querer liberarse de las limitaciones del servicio a Dios y preferir buscar un falso sentido de libertad, lo único que estaban haciendo era producirse un nuevo tipo de esclavitud. Aquellos que ponen algo en el lugar que sólo pertenece a Dios no se encontrarán libres, sino esclavos de eso.

Jehú se movió rápidamente una vez ungido por Dios para ser Rey y se le dijo que destruyera toda la casa de Acab (2 Reyes 9:6-8). En su celo, mató a los reyes de Israel y de Judá (Joram y Ocozías), a Jezabel, a setenta hijos de Acab, a cuarenta y dos parientes del rey Ocozías de Judá, y a todos los profetas, sacerdotes y adoradores de Baal. También “sacó las imágenes de la casa de Baal y las quemó” (2 Reyes 10:26). Algunos se preguntan si fue más allá de lo que requería su mandato, pero Dios elogió y alabó a Jehú (2 Reyes 10:30). Desafortunadamente, parece que Jehú hizo esto más para su propio beneficio que para servir a Dios. Porque el siguiente versículo (v. 31) nos dice que Jehú “no cuidó de andar en la ley de Jehová Dios de Israel con todo su corazón, porque no se apartó de los pecados de Jeroboam, el que hizo pecar a Israel. “

Jehú se apresuró a servir a Dios cuando éste se servía a sí mismo, pero como muchos otros, se apresuró a negarse a servir a Dios cuando hacerlo no encajaba con sus planes y deseos, demostrando que su servicio a Dios nunca fue de corazón sino por conveniencia. El resultado de la negativa de Jehú a servir a Dios significó que su reino sería acortado (2 Reyes 10:32 cf. Oseas 1:4), y se encontraría sirviendo al hombre en lugar de a Dios.

El plan de Dios para Israel era que le sirvieran, nunca que tuvieran que convertirse en siervos de los gentiles. Pero negarse a servir a Dios significó que Israel constantemente se viera obligado a servir a los gentiles y a sus reyes. Para Jehú, eso significó servir a Salmanasar III de Asiria, del cual tenemos la primera imagen de una nación pagana de un rey de Israel. ¿Y qué está haciendo este rey de Israel? La imagen es de Jehú inclinándose al servicio de Salmanasar.

Descubierto en 1846, el Obelisco Negro detalla la sumisión de Jehú y el envío de tributos de plata, oro, estaño e incluso un cetro real para simbolizar el dominio de Asiria sobre el Reino de Israel. No dispuesto a rendir el tributo que le corresponde al Señor ni a servirle, estaba dispuesto a inclinarse en sumisión ante un rey gentil.

El rey Jehú sirvió a Dios según sus propios términos y no de corazón, lo que significa que en realidad nunca estuvo sirviendo a Dios, sino a sí mismo. No sorprende entonces que Pablo diga que nuestro servicio debe ser “como siervos de Cristo, haciendo de corazón la voluntad de Dios; Con buena voluntad sirviendo, como al Señor, y no a los hombres” (Efesios 6:6,7).

No basta con servir a Dios cuando nos conviene; Dios busca aquellos que le sirvan cuando sea fácil y cuando sea difícil, cuando estén en el centro de atención o en las sombras, cuando sean reconocidos como líderes o olvidados entre los hombres. Pero podemos estar seguros: “Hermanos, estad firmes, inconmovibles, abundando siempre en la obra del Señor, sabiendo que vuestro trabajo en el Señor no es en vano” (1 Cor. 15:58).

"Dos Minutos con la Biblia" le permite comenzar el día con artículos de estudio bíblicos breves pero potentes de la Sociedad Bíblica Berea. Regístrate ahora para recibir Dos Minutos con la Biblia todos los días en tu bandeja de entrada de correo electrónico. Nunca compartiremos tu información personal y puedes cancelar tu suscripción en cualquier momento.

How Is a Woman “Saved in Childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2:15?

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

“What’s your understanding of a woman ‘shall be saved in childbearing’ (1 Tim. 2:15)?”

“Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” (1 Tim. 2:15).

When Paul says women “shall be saved in childbearing,” what is she “saved” from? In the verses prior to 15, Paul is dealing with women needing to be subject to their husbands. So, it is no surprise that most explanations center on that issue.

However, I believe we need to understand that in these verses, Paul not only spoke of her being subject to her husband (her position) but also of her limitation of teaching men (v. 12). Being limited to whom you can teach can affect your area of influence. Thus, the issue Paul addresses involves not only her position in the home but also her influence. Today we see the enormous effect teachers are having on the world; much of it lately has not been good. The world incorrectly sees the Scripture’s call for women not to teach men as removing her voice. But God is doing no such thing.

It seems to me that verse 15 is a word of encouragement regarding the woman being subject to her husband and her limitation on teaching. Whatever explanation we come to should fit that criterion; it should serve to edify and encourage the woman about her role and her influence.

I believe Paul is saying women will be saved in childbearing because, though they are to submit to their husbands and may not teach men, she will be the one to “guide the house” (1 Tim. 5:14). A godly Proverbs 31 woman “looketh well to the ways of her household” (v. 27), because, “every wise woman buildeth her house” (Prov. 14:1).

God has given the woman the position of the primary influence and teacher of children; because of that, she will have a voice. Her position and influence “shall be saved in childbearing” because a mom will always be able to influence the next generation of men by teaching the current generation of boys. The woman will not be brushed aside but will be able to influence her home and the world. She will teach the world through her children.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

A Wrong Kind of Servant

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Rom. 6:16,17).

The Bible speaks much about serving God; Romans 6:17, however, adds the aspect of doing so “from the heart.” An excellent example of someone who served God, but not from the heart, is Jehu, King of Israel.

If you were to look up Jehu, you’d probably find him listed as the only King of Israel during the divided Kingdom, who is not listed as an evil king. Known mostly for ordering the eunuchs to throw Jezebel out the window and to her death, Jehu was God’s instrument to exact judgment on the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:7 cf. 1 Kings 21:17-24). But Jehu would also be next in the line of the kings of Israel to seek to serve himself above the God of Israel.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel had been in a steady decline in the 90 years since the kingdom split, and Jeroboam I began to rule in 931 BC. Choosing idolatry instead of serving God, Jeroboam and those after him wanted to distance themselves from a posture of obedience to God. Not realizing that by wanting to be free from the constraints of serving God and preferring to seek a false sense of liberty, all they were doing was producing a new kind of slavery for themselves. Those who put anything in the place that only God belongs will find themselves not free, but enslaved to that thing.

Jehu moved quickly once anointed by God to be King and told to destroy the whole house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:6-8). In his zeal, he killed the kings of both Israel and Judah (Joram and Ahaziah), Jezebel, seventy sons of Ahab, forty-two relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah, and all the prophets, priests, and worshippers of Baal. He also “brought forth the images out of the house of Baal and burned them” (2 Kings 10:26). Some question if he went further than his mandate required, but God commended and praised Jehu (2 Kings 10:30). Unfortunately, it seems Jehu did this more for his own gain than in service to God. For the very next verse (v. 31) tells us that Jehu “took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.”

Jehu was quick to serve God when it served himself, but like many others, he was quick to refuse to serve God when doing so didn’t fit his plans and desires—demonstrating that his service to God was never from the heart but from convenience. The result of Jehu’s refusal to serve God meant that his kingdom would be cut short (2 Kings 10:32 cf. Hos. 1:4), and he would find himself serving man instead of God.

God’s plan for Israel was for them to serve Him, never for them to need to become the servants of the Gentiles. But refusing to serve God meant Israel constantly found themselves having to serve Gentiles and their kings. For Jehu, that meant serving Shalmaneser III of Assyria, of which we have the first image from a pagan nation of a king of Israel. And what is this king of Israel doing? The image is of Jehu bowing in service to Shalmaneser.

Discovered in 1846, the Black Obelisk details Jehu’s submission and sending of tribute silver, gold, tin, and even a royal scepter to symbolize Assyria’s dominance over the Kingdom of Israel. Unwilling to bring his rightful tribute to the Lord and serve Him, he was ready to bow in submission to a Gentile king.

King Jehu served God on his terms and not from the heart, which means he was never really serving God, but himself. It is no surprise then that Paul says that our service should be “as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph. 6:6,7).

It’s not enough to serve God when it suits us; God seeks those who will serve Him when it’s easy and when it’s difficult, when in the spotlight or the shadows, when recognized as the leader or forgotten amongst men. But we can be sure, “brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

An Adversary Arrives

Posted on by Pastor Don Hosfeld

Sometimes the most challenging thing to face in life is the truth, but that won’t be the only obstacle we will find in front of us. One of those hard-to-face truths is that being on God’s side means being opposed by the world and, more to the point, the god of this world—Satan. Being a member of the Body of Christ means you have an adversary.

Theologian James Packer said, “Opposition is a fact: the Christian who is not conscious of being opposed had better watch himself for he is in danger.”

Our adversary has always been opposed to the people of God and every good work of God. One such example occurred over 2500 years ago when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple.

“Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel;
“Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers…” (Ezra 4:1,2).

In 538 BC, Cyrus, king of Persia, after defeating the Babylonians the year prior, allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1,2). In one of the most remarkable events of the Bible, God foretold all this long before it happened. While predicting the future is not unusual for the Bible, what sets this event apart is that God named Cyrus by name nearly two hundred years before his birth (one of eight people God named before their birth) and foretold that he would be the one who would cause the temple to be rebuilt (cf. Isa. 44:28; 45:1).

Keep in mind that this prophecy was before the temple was even destroyed and Judah was taken into captivity. A prophecy about rebuilding the temple not yet destroyed must have been a difficult truth to accept for Isaiah’s listeners.

And now, with God’s people back in Jerusalem and at work rebuilding the temple, doing what God wants and expects, what happens? An adversary arrives.

The timing should surprise no one and should serve as a lesson to us today! Satan always comes when God and His people are at work. Just as we see here in Ezra 4:1,2, “Now when the adversaries…heard that the children of the captivity builded….Then they came….”

This pattern of Satan is undoubtedly why demonic possession occurred as often as it did during Christ’s earthly ministry. With the Son of God on earth and at work in people’s lives, His adversary would also be.

It should be expected that when someone today comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, that person will quickly face opposition. We need to be in constant prayer for new believers, much like Paul and Timothy told the Colossians, “…praying always for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus…” (Col. 1:3,4).

Who’s the Real Adversary?

The leaders of this return were Zerubbabel, the political leader from the line of David, and Jeshua, the High Priest (cf. Ezra 2:2; 5:2). They and the rest of those who came back to Jerusalem quickly found that despite having a commission from God, the work wouldn’t go unopposed. In this situation, Satan used the local population around Jerusalem to be his opposition. Does that sound like a familiar tactic?

“Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building…” (Ezra 4:4).

Despite what our emotions or even our eyes and ears may tell us, it’s clear from Scripture that the true adversary isn’t other people, even unbelievers, but Satan and the rest of the fallen heavenly host. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

The name Satan means adversary. It is who he is and what he is. Thayer defines adversary as “an opponent in a suit of law.” Webster’s 1824 Dictionary likewise defines it as “an opponent, as in a suit at law.” Consider the prophet Zechariah’s vision about Jeshua, the High Priest, and Satan, Judah’s adversary.

“And He shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him” (Zech. 3:1).

Zechariah is describing a vision of Jeshua (also called Joshua cf. Hag. 1:12,14) in a heavenly courtroom standing before the Angel of the Lord and representing the people of Judah. Standing opposed and accusing them was Satan.

Matthew 5:25, Luke 12:58, and Luke 18:3 (three of the five uses in the N.T.) all use adversary in relation to judges or magistrates. This is precisely how the “people of the land” troubled the people of Judah in rebuilding the temple. They “hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose.…And…wrote they unto him [the king] an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem” (Ezra 4:5,6).

These people will one day be called Samaritans, and their actions here are one of the reasons why there was so much hostility towards them during Christ’s day.

Much like Israel’s animosity toward the Samaritans described in the gospels, it would be easy for us to become frustrated with “the people of the land” around us and develop bitterness towards those who oppose what is good. We too, could rationalize our bad actions as being justified. Yet another one of those very challenging truths we face is that we are told, “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not” (Rom. 12:14), “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men” (v. 17), and “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (v. 21).

The truth can be hard to accept at times, and it can also hurt when we learn that we’ve failed to live up to it. Or we can accept what’s true, make the necessary changes, and be better off for it. This is the same situation our returning exiles had to face.

A Tactical Approach

We should note well that the people of the land didn’t simply try to weaken the hands of the returning exiles, but verse four is clear that they did weaken them. Verse 24 confirms the situation: “Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem.”

Getting them to stop the work on the temple was a problem for multiple reasons. At that time, the temple was where man could approach God and worship Him. Not having the temple rebuilt wasn’t simply a matter of pride for the Jewish nation, but a necessity for them to fulfill many of the requirements of the Law (cf. Deut. 12:11,14; 16:16).

Hindering the work of the Lord by creating fear, confusion, despair, and frustration is just as common today and just as successful. The Apostle Paul often wrote of his adversaries, those committed to preventing the work he was given to do. He also warned those who come after him to expect our adversaries to come, and what we should do.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast…striving together for the faith of the gospel;
“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries….
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:27-29).

Perhaps the greatest of Paul’s examples for us today is that he never allowed Satan’s opposition to stop him from ministry. And thus, he could say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…” (2 Tim. 4:7,8 cf. Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 1:20). Ministry is work, and ministry must continue.

Another reason this work of rebuilding the temple needed to continue is that Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied that both Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt (cf. Isa. 44:28; Jer. 30:18; 31:38). Not being done was not an option; the work needed to continue.

Something else for us to consider from the actions of these adversaries is that “they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers” (Ezra 4:2). They came to the leaders. It’s easy for people to condemn the actions of leaders, but we should also recognize that they are often the ones sitting directly in the line of fire of those in opposition. Leaders, political and within the church, need our prayers more than our ridicule.

The Oppressed Are Strengthened

“Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them” (Ezra 5:1).

As a result of the building process being stopped, God raised up and sent two prophets to reprimand them for stopping, and encourage them to start building again.

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.
“Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,
“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
“Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways” (Hag. 1:2-7).

The people had not only stopped building God’s house and the city of Jerusalem, which was the very reason they were sent back (cf. Ezra 1:3), they instead had been building their own homes with extravagant features like wood paneled roofs (ceiled houses Hag. 1:4).

But God didn’t send His rebuke alone; He also sent the encouragement these people desperately needed.

“Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts” (Hag. 2:4).

What a picture: when we feel ill-equipped for the work before us, or we’ve allowed fear and frustration to stop us in our tracks, even to get sidetracked to the point of being more concerned about our comfort than His glory, it is the Word of God that can strengthen and encourage us to get back on course—Like it caused twelve frightened apostles in hiding to come out from the shadows and boldly proclaim that they would not be stopped from the work that the Lord called them to do (cf. Acts 5:29).

Much like the time “there arose a great dissension” against Paul such that “the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle” (Acts 23:10).

Was Paul struggling because of this? We don’t know; but we do know what Christ did: He spoke to him and encouraged him. “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul…” (v. 11).

No wonder he could say at the close of his final epistle, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2 Tim. 4:17).

Are we less equipped today because we don’t have a prophet declaring God’s Word? Must the Lord stand next to us to give us His Words to strengthen us? The Scriptures are just as capable of encouraging us today as God’s Word did at any other time.

And the Lord Will Stand Victorious

“The further the soul advances, the greater are the adversaries against which it must contend.” – Evagrius of Ponticus

The thing about God’s adversaries, they aren’t interested in what’s true or not. The “people of the land” used dishonest accusations against the Jews in the letter they wrote to the king to get the work stopped (cf. Ezra 4:16).

Another sure thing is that they will not stop—at least not until Christ Himself comes to put an end to it, which, praise God, He will do. Ezra and Nehemiah will lead two subsequent returns to Jerusalem, with Nehemiah facing much opposition. Whether it’s the 6th century BC, or today, the people of God must be ready to stand firm for the duration of the war and not simply a short-term battle. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other 50,000 returning Jews successfully rebuilt the temple.

Call me rebellious, but in my way of thinking, the second temple should be referred to as Zerubbabel’s temple, not Herod’s. The Bible never calls it Herod’s temple, but God does give credit to a sometimes flawed yet faithful servant named Zerubbabel.

“…This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
“Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
“Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you” (Zech. 4:6-9).

You can receive More Minutes With the Bible every week in your email inbox. This list features longer articles, including both original content and articles that have appeared in the Berean Searchlight.