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Ezra 5:1-17 Never Thwarted

by fol CHURCH on October 12, 2021

The story of this passage is really quite simple. The Jewish people had started to rebuild the temple upon their return to the Promised Land and Tattenai didn’t like it. They hadn’t been to ask his permission and that clearly rankled a bit. Tattenai was the governor of the region and therefore he was the one who was in charge. He was the one should be granting or denying permission for projects like this. Or so he thought.

The problem was that he couldn’t stop the work until he had an order from King Darius which meant a report had to be written and submitted and a response received. Bureaucracy at its best! I love verse 5!

“5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.”

That report would take months to be written, sent back to Babylon where it would be read and responded to. Months of building work would continue while that happened. Even then King Darius might let the work continue.

If there is one thing that the Bible tells us consistently it is this. The plans of God will be thwarted neither by man nor by Satan. Every story you read in the Bible demonstrates the same thing.

Satan tried to subvert God’s plans for Adam and Eve back in Genesis but God had a plan for restoration. When there were only evil men left in the world in Noah’s time God had a plan for restoration. When the Israelites were trapped in Egypt under the rule of Pharaoh God had a plan for restoration. When Elijah was the only man left speaking for God, God had a plan for restoration. When the ancient world was overrun by Roman and Greek ideologies God had a plan for restoration. When Jesus was nailed to a cross in punishment for crimes He had not committed God had a plan for restoration.

When you and I see persecution and obstructions all around us we need to remember that God has a plan. It’s up to us to seek God in those difficult places and to be obedient to His plan – but God always has a plan. We are not stopped when we labour under God’s plan.

 

 

 

 

 

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Heavenly Father, help us to see the plans that You have for each of us. Help us to know enough to be obedient to you. Bless us with faith, endurance, perseverance and strength. Bless us to see Your plans prevail in all things. Amen.

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