After 70 years in exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of the Mede & Persian Empire, which had just conquered Babylon, allowed the Israelite captives to return to their homeland. He commanded them to build the Temple of the LORD first, that they should pray for him. The work began in earnest. “But when the adversaries heard, they said, ‘Let us build with you…’” The first tactic to stop the project was infiltration. The Israelites refused. The adversaries went to step two… “They hired lawyers against them to frustrate their purposes.” Since legal disputes take time, this slowed them down for almost 15 years, until the next king’s court ruled in their favor.
When the Temple was finished, God sent Nehemiah to repair the wall. When the adversaries heard this, they went to step three, mockery and slander… “We know you plan to rebel against the king! This wall is so weak, even a fox will break it down!” The people kept building. Finally, the adversaries became violent planning to kill the workers in the night… “But the builders, each one, had his sword by his side, and continued to build.” The wall was finished in 52 days.
The moral of the story is this: Our mission is still the Great Commission no matter how the atmosphere changes around us. Political leaders may change, evil men and deceivers may grow worse and worse, their tactics grow more hostile, but we have a spiritual Building Project to complete by rescuing souls. Jesus said, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” More than ever, this corrupt and dying world needs the message of eternal life and hope in Christ. Our labor is never in vain in the Lord, and...
We’re almost done.
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