Ezra 3-4
I noticed a familiar pattern in the tactics of the people who opposed the rebuilding of God’s temple. When they first came to the Jewish exiles, they offered to help with the rebuilding, saying that they, too, served God. I can’t really say if there was even an ounce of sincerity in their request to help. What I can say is that Ezra noted them as adversaries right from the start. Also, they did not respond in anything close to a loving manner when the Jews turned them away. So I am inclined to think that there wasn’t.
That being the case, this is the pattern that I see. When the adversaries of God’s people saw them rebuilding the temple, their first strategy was to corrupt the effort by getting involved. When that attempt failed, they launched what we could describe as a political attack against the effort. In doing so, they relied on twisted and partial truths. They completely ignored the greater truth that the people were there doing what they were doing by King Cyrus’ decree.
I say this is a pattern, because it is really evident throughout history. The Enemy’s desire is to turn people away from God. He knows that the most effective way to do that is to infiltrate the ranks and work from the inside. And so there are false prophets, deceivers, and wolves in sheep’s clothing who try to make their lies look like God’s truth. But because there will always be those, like these Jewish exiles, who remain steadfastly true to God, the enemy then attacks from the outside, using the laws of the land and the present rulers and authorities to try to make God’s truth “illegal”. As it was then, so it is now.
Because of this, God’s people need to be on constant guard. We need to make sure that our churches remain grounded in the sound doctrine of God’s truth – undistorted and not watered down. And as we have opportunity, we need to work toward a political system that values and protects God’s truth. Let us be aware of the Enemy’s tactics and let us remain steadfastly true to God.
1 John 5
Jesus is the Son of God. If we believe that, if we truly take it to heart, it changes us. John says that if we love God, we will love those who also love God. He says that we overcome the world and its ways. Thus, keeping God’s commands is not a burden. We gain confidence in God, who protects us, so that we do not continue in sin. And God gives us understanding so that we know the truth. When we believe in the Son of God, we gain life, both for now and for eternity.