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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 25 January 2026:
Ezra 4:1-2 — 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.”
Opposition enters disguised as cooperation. These adversaries do not openly resist the work; they attempt to infiltrate it. Their language sounds spiritual, inclusive, and aligned, but their worship is syncretistic, not covenantal. They claim shared devotion, but their history reveals compromised allegiance. This is one of the most dangerous moments for God’s people, when resistance does not look like hostility but partnership. The threat is not persecution but dilution. God’s work is most easily corrupted not by enemies who oppose it, but by those who want to redefine it.
This pattern repeats throughout Scripture. False unity is often more destructive than open conflict. The builders must discern not only what is being offered, but who is offering it and on what terms. God’s purposes are never advanced by sacrificing obedience for the appearance of peace.
The enemies of God were a “new church” reflecting popular morality rather than God’s unchanging, eternal ethic. God’s people were careful to avoid syncretism, keeping worship holy before the Lord. How are we doing?
Ezra 4:2, 3 — Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do…. 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.”
This is decisive, courageous leadership. The refusal is not rude; it is faithful. Zerubbabel and Jeshua anchor their response in God’s command, not personal preference or political calculation. They recognize that worship defined by God cannot be co-authored by those who reject His covenant. This is not arrogance; it is obedience. The line drawn here protects the integrity of worship and preserves the holiness of the work.
Faithfulness often requires saying no, even when the offer seems reasonable, generous, or advantageous. Unity that compromises truth is not unity at all. God’s work must be done God’s way, or it ceases to be God’s work.
We are called, appointed, and empowered by God to love Him, serve Him, obey Him, and glorify Him on this earth. We are a separate Kingdom under Christ living amongst other earthly kingdoms, engaging them, ministering to them, but not partnering with them. The gods of the kingdoms of darkness are not our gods, and we can have nothing to do with other “paths to heaven.” We are called to be Ambassadors of Christ to the other kingdoms, faithful to an uncompromised message. We serve as messengers, proclaiming the need for repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Under the LORD-ship of Christ, we have no partnership with those of the dark kingdoms who are at enmity with God. We make no appeal to the rebellious attitudes of mankind.
Many will call us to live in peace through compromise and will blame us for a lack of peace when we refuse to respect their false beliefs or compromise to them. The Bible says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18) However, the context of this verse reveals that this is not a ‘peace’ in compromise, but rather a willingness to suffer gracefully in the tribulation Jesus said we would experience as sheep before wolves. Our message is there is no peace but through Jesus. We are called to be peacemakers who call people to the Prince of Peace, not peace lovers who avoid conflict at all costs.
Ezra 4:4-6 — 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. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
When infiltration fails, intimidation begins. Discouragement becomes a strategy. Fear becomes a weapon. External pressure intensifies when internal compromise is rejected. The opposition escalates from false friendship to sustained obstruction, using manipulation, bureaucracy, and influence to exhaust God’s people over time.
Notice the duration: all the days of Cyrus. Faithful obedience does not guarantee quick resolution. God’s people must learn endurance. Opposition that lingers tests motives, perseverance, and trust. The enemy’s goal is not merely to stop the work but to wear down the workers.
Again, when God’s people refuse to compromise, they will be attacked psychologically, politically, legally, economically, and physically. Are you prepared to resist while you continue to advance the Kingdom of God on earth? In Ezra, the enemies of God’s people attempted to use the government and the law to stop their progress, and they also attempted to slander God’s people. In the face of opposition, God’s people began to become discouraged and afraid. This went on for many years. We must be willing to persevere, enduring trials and tribulations for the long-haul, perhaps for generations. Don’t worry too much about progress, rather focus on fidelity.
Ezra 4:6 — And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
Opposition adapts to new leadership. When political climates change, adversaries seize opportunity. Accusation replaces discouragement. God’s people are framed as threats, disturbers, and liabilities. This tactic is ancient and enduring: righteousness is recast as rebellion.
Accusation is the language of the enemy. It seeks to delegitimize God’s work by redefining faithfulness as danger. The people of God must be prepared for misrepresentation when they refuse assimilation.
Ezra 4:7-16 — And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates…. This city is a rebellious and wicked city…. Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.
The letter weaponizes partial truth and historical memory. Jerusalem had rebelled in the past, but repentance and obedience are ignored. The opposition frames restoration as insurrection. God’s redemptive work is portrayed as political threat. Fear of loss of control motivates the accusation.
This is how the world often resists renewal. It judges God’s work by past failures rather than present obedience. It assumes rebellion because it cannot imagine submission to God producing good. When God rebuilds lives, institutions, or communities, those invested in the old order often feel threatened.
Ezra 4:17-22 — The king sent an answer… “Make a decree, and let search be made… and a decree was issued by me, and a search made, and it was found that this city from of old has risen against kings…. Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease…”
In order to remain faithful to God and His work, God’s people refused to partner with the local community and risk compromise. As a result, they were labeled and rebellious and dangerous; interestingly, those who opposed God’s people claimed to share their faith at first (v2), but later proclaimed their allegiance to the king over Israel’s God. God’s people are often labelled as enemies of the state. “They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city.” (Ezra 4:12)
Worldly authority responds to incomplete information with decisive force. The decree halts the work. This moment exposes a painful truth: obedience does not shield God’s people from temporary loss. The temple project is stopped not because God failed, but because God allows seasons where obedience is tested through apparent defeat.
God sometimes permits interruption to reveal what His people truly trust. Will they equate God’s favor with uninterrupted progress, or will they remain faithful when obedience leads to delay?
Ezra 4:14 – Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king….
Again, the enemies of God, considering themselves religious, claimed that they were doing their duty to the kings but never mentioned any concern for the God of Israel. Today, many political leaders use religion to validate political ambitions, and many “justice warriors” use religion to justify harshness and brutality. Outside of the abiding life, which produces spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), there is not life, only death. Do not be deceived. Jesus warned – Judge a tree by its fruit –
- Matthew 7:16-20 – “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
- Luke 6:43-45 — “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Ezra 4:23-24 — Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum… they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
God’s people struggled with obeying Persia’s king while obeying God first. This is a challenge for Christians today. Obeying the government’s degree, which was a barrier to what God’s people were seeking to accomplish, was what waiting upon the Lord looked like. They didn’t quit, they waited, prayerfully, faithfully, patiently.
- Philippians 4:4-7 — Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Force replaces persuasion. Power replaces dialogue. The work stops. This is one of the most sobering verses in Ezra. Faithful obedience does not always produce immediate success. God’s purposes may pause, but they are never abandoned.
Notice that the “weapons of the world,” used to fight truth and to control – force and power. We see this everyday, not just in politics but in everyday relationships – yelling, cancellation, manipulation, isolation, threats, bullying, litigation, etc., to control others. Christians must never fight fire with fire. We must use only weapons of righteousness –
- 2 Corinthians 7:2-11 — Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
- 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 — I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Using the government and legal processes, the enemies of God’s people were able to stop all work on the Temple for 15 years, 535 to 520 B.C. From our perspective, that is a long time to get stuck in political red tape with continual threats of violence. How many do you think abandoned all hope during that period? Would you remain faithful to God’s calling though seeming defeated? Legal challenges against God’s people are nothing new. They are certainly no reason to compromise or to quit. How is your endurance and perseverance?
This pause is not the end of the story. It is a refining moment. God will later restart the work through prophetic encouragement and renewed courage. Delay is not denial. Interruption is not abandonment. God’s timing includes seasons of waiting that prepare His people for deeper reliance and greater clarity.
The chapter ends in silence, but God is still at work behind the scenes. It often takes faith to act in boldness and courage. It often takes faith to wait in patient confidence and perseverance. It takes wisdom to know when to do which. It takes confidence in God’s sovereignty and grace to trust Him with the outcomes even when we aren’t sure we chose correctly between acting and waiting.
“Thou mayest do in this as it is in thy heart. If it is in thy heart to fly, fly; if it be in thy heart to stand, stand. Anything but a denial of the truth. He that flies, has warrant to do so; he that stands, has warrant to do so. Yea, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be. Moses fled, Ex. 2:15; Moses stood, Heb. 11:27. David fled, 1 Sam. 19:12; David stood, 1 Sam. 24:8. Jeremiah fled, Jer. 37:11– 12; Jeremiah stood, Jer. 38:17. Christ withdrew himself, Luke 19:10; Christ stood, John 18:1–8. Paul fled, 2 Cor. 11:33; Paul stood, Act 20:22–23. … There are few rules in this case. The man himself is best able to judge concerning his present strength, and what weight this or that argument has upon his heart to stand or fly…. Do not fly out of a slavish fear, but rather because flying is an ordinance of God, opening a door for the escape of some, which door is opened by God’s providence, and the escape countenanced by God’s Word.” (John Bunyan, 1684)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 25 January 2026: Practice discerning obedience today. Identify one area where pressure to compromise sounds reasonable, relational, or efficient. Choose faithfulness over ease. Say no where God has said no, even if it slows progress or invites resistance.
Pray: “Father, give me discernment to recognize compromise when it disguises itself as cooperation. Strengthen my resolve to obey You even when obedience leads to delay, misunderstanding, or opposition. Guard my heart from discouragement and fear when progress stalls. Teach me to trust Your timing, not outcomes. Keep my worship pure, my motives aligned, and my faith steady while You work beyond what I can see. Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 