Ezra 4:17-24: a reflection

17Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace. 18The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it. 20There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them. 21Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built until a decree is made by me. 22Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? 23Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force of arms. 24Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem meets fierce opposition. The enemies of the work send a letter to the king, and obtain a decree ordering the work to stop; and armed with it, they go and force the builders to cease. And so, the passage ends, the work on the house of God stopped, and it remained stopped for years, until the reign of Darius. The good work was halted by opposition, and for a long while it seemed defeated.

Notice that the good work was genuinely stopped, and for a long time. This was not a brief setback; the opposition succeeded, the work ceased, and it stayed stopped for years. It must have seemed to the builders that the work was defeated, that all their labor had come to nothing, that the opposition had won. The halting was real, and the discouragement must have been deep, as the unfinished house stood idle year after year.

Yet this halt was not the end of the story, and that is worth remembering when good work we are doing is halted by opposition. The work stopped, but it later resumed under Darius, and the temple was finished. What seemed defeated was only delayed. When a good work you are doing is halted by opposition, and it seems for a long time that it has been defeated, do not conclude that it is finished for good. Opposition may halt God's work for a season, as it halted the temple; but a halt is not necessarily the end. The temple work resumed after years of delay and was completed; trust that God is able to revive a good work that opposition has stopped, and do not let a long delay convince you that what is halted is defeated forever. What is halted may yet be resumed and finished, in God's time.

Lord, the work of rebuilding the temple was halted by fierce opposition; the enemies obtained a decree, forced the builders to stop, and the work ceased for years, seeming defeated. Help me remember, when good work I am doing is halted by opposition, that this halt was not the end of the story. The temple work stopped, but it later resumed under Darius, and was finished; what seemed defeated was only delayed. When a good work I am doing is halted by opposition, and it seems for a long time that it has been defeated, keep me from concluding that it is finished for good. Opposition may halt your work for a season, as it halted the temple; but a halt is not necessarily the end. The temple work resumed after years of delay and was completed; help me trust that you are able to revive a good work that opposition has stopped, and not let a long delay convince me that what is halted is defeated forever. What is halted may yet be resumed and finished, in your time, Lord; help me not lose heart in the delay.