Trouble keeping those resolutions?

 

READ Ezra 1-5

A recent newspaper article says that by mid-January, most people have given up on their resolutions for the new year. Whether it is to lose weight, be more efficient in work, or more loving toward family and friends, sliding back into old ways is part of the human condition — the challenge of creating new habits!

It happened to OT Israel. Their history of forming a God-fearing community was continually marred by their drifting back into old sinful patterns. Eventually, God had them taken captive in a foreign land. After a few decades the rulers had changed and so did history:

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1–4)

The people of God were given freedom to go home and rebuilt their temple! Since Christians are called the temple of the Holy Spirit, this reminded me of the letter to the church in Ephesus in the last book of the Bible:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:2–4)

Like the OT saints, these people of God had also drifted away and needed to go back and rebuild, not a literal house of worship but a renewal in the temple of their hearts. Their love for God needed to be restored, something like the challenge of a new year resolution only on a grand and corporate scale. Today we call these ‘turn back to God’ events “revivals” where Christian zeal for Jesus Christ comes alive in a renewed and powerful way.

This revival happened in Ezra’s time. “When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem.” (Ezra 3:1) And there they began the work of rebuilding.

It took a while. There was a new king who didn’t know about the decree of Cyrus and stopped them. Eventually, the people of God called for a decree search and King Darius allowed the work. Their enemies wanted to ‘help’ them, but they resisted. All of this reminds me of the way the events of life and the subtle ‘help’ of my spiritual enemy tries to stop me from loving and worshiping God and from doing His will.

Eventually progress was made and the people were joyful:

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:11–13)

Memory of the way it was brought tears to the eyes of some, as if the renewal was not good enough, yet the joy of victory was there. The people were freed from their exile and ready to begin again.

Such is the way of the Christian life with its ups and downs. Like those resolutions, vows are made to do better, to stop this bad habit, to begin again, yet this OT story is a lesson: all rebuilding and renewal depends on the power of God. He initiated the decree from their captor and He gave them what was needed to persevere in their renewed life. When they stumbled again, or when I stumble in my resolve, it is not the fault of God but my failure to rely on Him, to love Him with all my heart. The solution is the same as that given to the church at Ephesus: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first . . . ” (Revelation 2:5) Admit my failure, get my focus back on the Lord, and renew my obedience to Him. He is with me to make that happen.