(REFLECTIONS ON Ezra 5:1-17)

One of the most important aspects of our Christian faith is growth. Growth means that the focus isn’t on where you are now, or even where you hope to be one day, but that you are making progress each day and at the end of a certain period of time you are in a different place than you were when you started.

The emphasis isn’t on completion, perfection, or even how much progress you have made, but rather that you have grown in your faith and are in a different place in your relationship with God today, as compared to yesterday.

Growth of course requires movement, and sometimes we all need a reminder to get us going again. The Jews experienced frustration as they began to rebuild the temple of the Lord, and because of this frustration and opposition, the work stopped.

They required a nudge, a gentle push, a reminder of their purpose in returning to Jerusalem, and that was provided by the prophets of the Lord.

1 Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

The worked was stopped and the Jews had built their own homes all while the temple still remained in ruins. Haggai reminded them to consider their ways and to once again lift up their hands to rebuild the temple. Zechariah also encouraged the leaders, both Zerubbabel and Joshua, and helped them to overcome their own discouragement and doubt.

In addition to their encouragement, what stood out for me in today’s Scripture is that the prophets of God didn’t just tell the Jews what to do, but they were with them, supporting them.

Our spiritual growth isn’t about me telling you to grow,
or about me putting on a show for you to see, but about US growing together in the Lord.

Yes, we are to grow together, moving forward in our faith and in our experiences with the Lord, no matter where we are and where we hope to be. The point is that we do it together, that we support each other, that we carry each other, push each other, and experience God in unity.

There was also another force at play here. Scripture says that “the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped…”

Let’s do this together! You, me, and God! For His eyes are watching over us, and with you supporting me and me supporting you, we have a unified us that can support one another to grow in Christ as the EM and as a faith community.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Ezra 5