2 June 2024 PM – Text: Ezra 5:2-17 – Topic: Christian Walk
Introduction: (Colossians 4:5) “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” Whether we are dealing with those who are without (i.e., unbelievers) or with fellow Christians, we ought always to walk in wisdom. When we are wise, we carefully guard our words and actions to ensure that they please God. Remember, wisdom is the God-given ability to make right choices. Wisdom comes from God. Wisdom begins when we truly fear God.
Transition: This evening, as we study Ezra 5, I want us to see how the Jewish builders give us a three-fold good example of walking wisely toward them that are without.
We walk wisely when we
1. Obey God’s Word (v.2)
a. The prophets’ preaching motivated them.
1) Haggai and Zechariah preached God’s word to the people. We saw this in the books bearing their names.
2) God uses His Word to stir His people to action.
3) The apostle Paul urged young preacher Timothy, (2 Timothy 4:2) “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Note carefully what Paul said it would do.
4) Solomon warned, (Proverbs 13:13) “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.“
5) Charles Spurgeon, the Baptist preacher of years past, said, “I cannot help feeling that the man who preaches the Word of God is standing, not on a mere platform, but on a throne.” Quoted by Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, p.613.
6) These two prophets preached God’s Word to the negligent builders. They reproved or brought conviction to them. They rebuked or charged them to do right. Then they exhorted or called them to respond. That is the duty of preachers. The Apostle Paul went on to tell Timothy, (2 Timothy 4:3-4) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Folks, we live in such a day. Beware! Be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer!
7) At a time when King Saul made excuses for only partly obeying God, the prophet Samuel said, (1 Samuel 15:22) “… Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” To walk wisely, we must obey.
b. The workers rose up and built.
1) The builders heeded the preaching and resumed their work.
2) The prophets of God were with them, helping them. It appears that they helped them physically as well as spiritually during this challenging time.
3) Preachers are important in God’s program. Please pray for your preacher. Also, pray earnestly that God will bring us a man whom we can train to eventually take over this church. We want a man who will follow Paul’s exhortation to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:2-4)!
We walk wisely when we
2. Rely upon the Lord when Burdened (v.3-5)
a. The governor came to inspect their work.
1) The devil successfully stopped the rebuilding of the temple for many years through opposition. He was not going to let God’s work go forward without hindrance.
2) The Persian governor, Tatnai, and is assistant Shetharboznai came to see what the Jews were doing. He was not just a grumpy neighbour; he was the official Persian governor.
3) The Bible Knowledge Commentary OT, states, “Major political unrest was seething at the beginning of Darius’ reign. Possibly Tattenai thought the temple-building project in Jerusalem would grow into a full-scale rebellion against the empire.” p.662.
4) He asked the Jews two questions. Who authorised you to build, and who are the leaders of this work? (v.3-4, cf., v.9-10).
5) While these were legitimate questions, they were nonetheless intimidating questions. How would the workers respond? Would the devil win another victory?
b. The eye of their God was upon them.
1) Missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, years ago said, “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
2) The “eye of their God was upon them.” God gave them grace and courage to press on in the work.
3) As they relied upon the Lord, neither Satan nor their enemies could cause them to cease. Remember that great promise in Romans 8:31, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?“
4) We are encouraged by the examples of Noah, Gideon, Elijah, Jeremiah, etc. men who faced opposition but pressed on in the Lord’s work.
5) Years earlier, the prophet Hanani said to King Asa, (2 Chronicles 16:9) “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. …” God is looking for opportunities to show Himself strong. Amen!
Life is full of burdens and opposition when we seek to obey God; however, if we rely upon the Lord, He will give us the help we need. (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.“
We walk wisely if we
3. Be Gracious when Questioned (v.6-17)
a. The leaders answered graciously.
1) They spoke humbly (v.11).
2) They spoke factually as they described their history.
3) They admitted their national sins and consequent slavery (v.12).
4) They politely told of Cyrus’ decree (v.13).
5) They told of (and probably displayed) the treasures that Cyrus had returned to them (v.14-15).
6) They told how the rebuilding had begun (v.16).
7) We note in these answers that they were truthful, did not exaggerate, did not get angry, or say any unkind words.
When we are confronted by someone questioning our conduct, God wants us to walk wisely. Our words ought to be humbly spoken and factual. We ought to admit our failures without making excuses. Exaggeration should be avoided, and truthfulness upheld. We should follow God’s Words in (Ephesians 4:30-32) “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.“
b. The governor wrote their words to the king.
1) Since the Jews had treated him respectfully, he recorded their report accurately. Had they spoken unkindly to him, he likely would have used that against them.
2) He asked the king to search the records to see if what the Jews had said was true.
3) He asked the king to send his pleasure concerning the matter.
Conclusion: Frequently, we are questioned or confronted by someone regarding something we said or did. God wants you and me to walk wisely toward them when that takes place. To do so, we must be obeying God’s Word. If you are not fully obeying God’s Word, that is where you need to begin. Then, we need to rely on the Lord. His eye is on those who fear Him (Ps 33:18). He wants to help us, but we must trust Him. Finally, when responding to others who question our conduct, we must be humble and gracious. We must tell the truth and be kind. As hard as it is, we must admit our failures and seek forgiveness.
