Opposition: Rebuilding the Temple — Part 2

There is always a testing phase in transition.

We try to find our footing.
We meet new people.
We learn the culture around us.

During that process, we begin to discern the world we are now in. 
Who we can trust and where our faith truly belongs.

This is exactly where the Israelites found themselves.

After returning from exile, they began rebuilding the temple of the Lord. But opposition didn’t take long to appear.

"Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” Ezra 4:1-5 ESV 

At first glance, it may seem like the Israelites were unwilling to work with others. But their caution was necessary.

What looked like support quickly revealed itself as resistance.

The surrounding people discouraged them, created fear, and worked to frustrate their progress. False accusations were sent to the king, and eventually, the work was forced to stop.

Not everyone is who they appear to be.

Like the Israelites, we must build carefully. A weak foundation—built with the wrong influences—will not stand. Scripture warns us about wolves in sheep’s clothing, and this moment is a reminder: discernment matters.

But here is what matters most.

God was not absent in their opposition.

“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.” Haggai 1:12

Obedience does not remove opposition.

And this is where many of us privately step back.

It becomes tempting to keep our heads down.
To blend in.
To avoid the tension that comes with standing apart.

But the Lord is with those he calls.

“Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” Haggai 1:13 ESV

When you are in transition, it is critical to listen for His voice—to anchor yourself in truth and in those He has placed to lead and guide.

Because opposition can feel like a sign that you are off course, but often, it is confirmation that you are exactly where God has called you to be.

So continue the mission.

Not after things settle.
Not once it becomes easier.
But in the middle of the resistance.

Because the same God who called you is the One who stays with you.

Do not be afraid.

“And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.” Haggai 1:14-15 ESV