Pam Padgett ... teacher
The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin came saying they would help build
the house of God because they sought God and did sacrifices to God. They
came saying they were like the children of Israel. But the chief
of the fathers of Israel did not allow them to do this.
Ezra 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the
children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of
Israel; 2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers,
and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye
do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of
Assur, which brought us up hither. 3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the
rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have
nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves
together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king
of Persia hath commanded us.
Then the adversaries showed that they were actually against the work
being done to build the house of God ... weakening, troubling and trying
to frustrate those doing the work, and even sent a letter to the king
of Persia making accusations against them.
Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of
Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellors against
them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia,
even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of
Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an
accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
While considering how these adversaries came, seeming by their words to be different than they actually were, I was reminded of the warning Jesus gave about false prophets coming in sheep's clothing ...
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Some come to us as though they are one of us, saying they are
Christians, but they don't have the Spirit of God and don't submit themselves
to the word of God. Like the adversaries that came to Jerusalem, they
trouble and may weaken and frustrate us by their words as we seek to
follow God (but God helps and strengthens us as we turn to Him). By
what they say and do ... their fruits ... they show that they are not led by the Holy Spirit.
If there is good fruit ... the person saying and doing as led by the Holy
Spirit and bringing forth fruit of the Spirit ... we know that person is of
God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22).
Paul told us that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are the sons of God ...
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
By the fruit which comes forth, we know those who are of God and those who are not of God.