DESPISE NOT SMALL THINGS Devotion 8 of 24 " . . . saying: 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple . . . " – Tomorrow:
"Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." Zechariah 4:8-10, NKJV
God honoring work is always recognized by Him. The activity of Zerubbabel is the work God Himself has ordained, and He will encourage and sustain it!
The account of this foundation work is recorded in the third chapter of Ezra. In the second month of the second year after the people had arrived to rebuild the Temple, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the remnant of the priests and Levites, and the remnant that came out of the captivity "began the work." They "appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the LORD" (Ezra 3:8, NASB). As soon as the foundation was laid, "the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of King David of Israel. And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, 'For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.' And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid" NASB (Ezra 3:10-11). They certainly had reason to be joyful before the Lord.
ENEMIES ENCOUNTERED
As soon as it became obvious that the Temple was going to be restored, the enemies of the people of God surfaced. It is written, "Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, 'Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here" (4:2). These people had been living in the land, but had not lifted their hand to do the good work of the Lord. Now, they offer their services, even though they are "enemies of Judah and Benjamin." How will Zerubbabel react to their offer?
Zerubbabel and Jeshua, together with the rest of the heads of the families of Israel did not hesitate to respond to the offer of these "enemies." They quickly answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us" (4:3, NIV). This was a holy work, and unholy hands would not be put to it! The fewness of workers and the magnitude of the work did not tempt the men of God to allow the ungodly to join with them in the work.
The "enemies" did not take kindly to the rejection to their offer. It is written, "Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia" (4:4-5, NKJV). During the reign of Ahasuerus (king who made Esther queen), these men wrote letters to him, accusing the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah (4:6). Later, in the days of Artaxerxes (whom Nehemiah served as cupbearer), the enemies again wrote letters of accusation against the Jews. The text of their letter is recorded in Ezra 4:11-16. "To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and now let it be known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings. Now because we are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king, so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books, and learn that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste. We inform the king that, if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, as a result you will have no possession in the province beyond the River."
As a result of this wicked letter, representatives "went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill" (Ezra 4:24, NIV). Here is an example of the work of the Lord being opposed by letters. Such unholy tactics have not ceased, but continue to this very day. Those who write such letters, or say such words, are "enemies," and have aligned themselves against the God of heaven.
Here, then, was a God-ordained work vigorously opposed by the enemies of God's people. The heart of the people became discouraged in the work. They were even forced to stop their work because of lies that had been spoken against them. The foundation of the Temple had been put in place, but the structure itself was not finished. This condition spanned several years. It might have appeared as though nothing more would be done. But this was not the case! A word is sent by the prophet Zechariah to assure the appointed builders that the work would be finished. It was a Divine word – a necessary word – and it would be effective!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to be more zealous about doing Your work, that Your enemies are about opposing it.