Before the work can resume, the condition of the people — and not the enemy — must be addressed. To this end, God raises up His prophets. “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them” (Ezra 5:1-2). The prophets not only faithfully declared God’s message, but they also set an example in lending a hand with the work. It is with a fresh attitude that the rebuilding begins again, but the enemy ever remains the enemy.
While they built their own homes (Hag. 1:44Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (Haggai 1:4)), there was no opposition; but as soon as their work on the house of God recommenced, adversaries again appeared on the scene. Whenever there is a testimony to God in this world, there is opposition to it. It can be a testimony in our walk, the preaching of the Gospel, the collective testimony to the truth of the church, but regardless, Satan will soon appear on the scene. If we mind earthly things, Satan and the world leave us alone; but seek to walk in the Spirit according to the Word of God and the testimony is too great for the world to bear with.
In this present dispensation, the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer testifies of a risen, glorified Christ: “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me” (John 15:26). “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16:8-11). If we truly walk in the Spirit, according to our heavenly calling, the result will be persecution: “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (John 16:1-2).
God does not, however, leave those that acknowledge Him defenseless. Whereas the work had been stopped by force and power in the days of Artaxerxes, the adversaries now prove utterly powerless in the face of the renewed exercise of the people, for “the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius” (Ezra 5:5). The fact that the enemy had been successful the first time in stopping the work was not because of the enemy’s power. The hands of the people were weakened because of their own condition, and God in His faithfulness could not allow the work to continue (Hag. 1:9-11). Such is the grace of God. When, however, there is a favorable response to the discipline of God, blessing can flow (Hag. 2:19). Furthermore, the work is no longer our own; it becomes a work of God.