Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Nov 9 2019 - Ezra 5 – The letter to Darius

The rebuilding of the temple had been stopped through local opposition and imperial decree. But this would not be the end of the story. Ezra chapter 5 introduces us to two Old Testament prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, whose prophetic writings we will look at in a few days' time. The preaching of these men inspired the rebuilding work to be resumed under the able leadership of Zerubbabel and his colleagues.

There are many who seek to discourage, damage or destroy the work of God in building his kingdom, but the preaching of God's word can provide strength and encouragement to the people of God, enabling them to persist with the work of God even in the face of opposition.

The builders did not have to wait long for renewed opposition, or at least questioning. Tattenai had been appointed by Persia as governor of this part of their empire. He was probably well aware of the imperial decree that had halted work on the temple and now demanded to know who had authorised that the work should be resumed. He also took down a list of the names of those leading the building work so that he could send a detailed report to King Darius in Persia.

In his letter to King Darius, Tattenai reports that the builders had told him that a great king of Israel (Solomon) had built the temple for the worship of the God of heaven and earth. It had been destroyed by the Babylonians because of Israel's unfaithfulness to the living God. But when Cyrus had defeated Babylon and made it part of the Persian empire, he had issued a decree that the exiled Jews might return to their own land and that they were to rebuild the temple. Cyrus had even returned the articles of silver and gold taken from the temple so that they could be used in the one they were now building. Tattenai requests that a search be made of the royal archives to see if this decree can be unearthed and for King Darius to then send his decision regarding the rebuilding.

The former search of the archives had shown that Jerusalem had been a troublesome and rebellious city and for this reason was destroyed. None of this was denied by those now building the temple. What will this new search reveal?

A search of our own history would no doubt reveal an inconsistent story. We also have been rebels against God and deserving of his judgment, but God has also shown his great love and compassion towards us in the Lord Jesus; he saved us and made us his own. Our history as disciples of the Lord Jesus has probably also been inconsistent. There have been times when opposition and scorn have discouraged us and maybe even silenced our testimony; we have retired from the work of building his kingdom. But God's Spirit, breathing through his word, stirs up in us a renewed passion for the work of the kingdom and the glory of the Saviour.

Give me the faith which can remove
and sink the mountain to a plain;
give me the childlike praying love,
which longs to build thy house again;
thy love, let it my heart o'er-power,
and all my simple soul devour.

Father God, we thank you that the judgment due to our rebellion against you fell on the Lord Jesus. We thank you that there is no more condemnation for us; we are forgiven and are embraced by your love. May your word continue to speak to our heart and your Spirit fill us with joy and peace in believing. Help us particularly to trust you in those times when we face discouragement and opposition that we may go on serving you in the knowledge that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Nov 9 2020 - John 7:1-31 – His hour had not yet come

This first half of John 7 is full of tensions and drama. Jesus told his brothers that he would not go up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, but later he does go up, arriving in the middle of the feast. John tells us that Jesus went up secretly, yet he is then found teaching openly in the Temple and drawing the attention of the Jewish authorities. John tells us that the people were amazed at Jesus' teaching since he had had no formal tuition, but the next minute Jesus is accusing them of trying to kill him. Everything seems to be in a muddle. Tensions are building but not quite coming to a head.

And in all of this there seems to be tension in the mind of Jesus himself. He appears to want to avoid confrontation but then seems to provoke it. These are tensions that find their final resolution in Gethsemane where Jesus longs to avoid the cross but yields himself to the will of his Father. Then Jesus will yield himself also to the will of the Jewish leaders. At the moment, his time has not yet come (John 7:6, 30), but his time is coming.

Our lives also are full of unresolved tensions. I find it rather ironical that the opening verses of Ecclesiastes 3 were turned into a pop song. The writer of that book was not celebrating the changing seasons of life but underlining the frustration of it all. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build” (3:1-3). Life appears to be full of contradictions: what is planted at one moment is rooted up in the next; what is built through the painful labour of many years may be torn down in a moment. No wonder the writer concludes, “What do workers gain from their toil?” (3:9).

The writer continues, “I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:10-11). The word translated here in the NIV as ‘eternity’ really means ‘the whole thing’. Beyond the confusion of changing times and passing moments we long to understand the big picture – to see God’s plan and purpose from beginning to end. And we long to see where we fit into it all and how the various seasons of our lives have played a part in the working out of God’s great purpose.

Jesus’ time was coming. He is the one at the centre of God’s purposes. His death and resurrection mark the end of a world characterised by vanity or frustration and the beginning of God’s new creation. And because of Christ, the time is coming for each one of us when all conflict and tension will cease and we shall live in a world marked by peace – a world of Shalom.

It's hard living in the "not yet" of this present world. But it is here that we are called to follow Jesus and live for him. And in it all, he walks with us and leads us, for he has walked this way before.

Father God, thank you that in the fullness of time you sent your Son into the world to redeem us from slavery and frustration and bring us into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Risen Lord Jesus, help me by your Spirit to live well in this present world with all its joys and sorrows, dreams, disappointments and regrets. Help me to live the life of the kingdom as I look forward to the day when your kingdom shall come in all its fullness.

Peter Misselbrook