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Sunday: Opposition Begins
Read Ezra 4:1-5. Why do you think the Israelite remnant refused the help of other people in building the temple?
On the surface, the request seemed like a kind, neighborly thing to do, so why turn down the help? In one sense, the answer is found in the text itself. The “adversaries” came to offer them help. Adversaries? That alone gives a powerful hint as to why the Israelites reacted as they did.
Opposition
Why were the people called “adversaries”? Second Kings 17:24-41 explains that these people were imported from other nations into Samaria and the surrounding region after the Northern Kingdom Israelites were deported. The king of Assyria sent them priests, who were to teach them how to worship the God of the land, that is, the God of Israel. However, the resulting religion incorporated the Canaanite gods as well. Therefore, the Israelite remnant was afraid that this religion would be brought into their temple worship. Hence, the best and smartest thing to do was what they did, which was to say, “No, thank you”.
We have to remember, too, just why all this was happening to begin with. It was their forefathers’ constant compromise with the pagan faiths around them that led to the destruction of the temple, as well as to their exile. Presumably, while in the very process of building the temple anew, the last thing that they would want to do would be to get too closely aligned with the people around them.
What else in these texts shows why this refusal was the right thing to do? (See Ezra 4:4-5).
| Think about how easily they could have rationalized accepting this help. What does 2 Corinthians 6:14 have to say to us in this context? |
Amen!
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4.1 Opposition begins – FACING OPPOSITION | Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.
Series EZRA AND NEHEMIAH with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A. |
4.FACING OPPOSITION |
Ezra and Nehemia are able to move people. They are gifted leaders. Much blessing comes out of their work.
4.1 Opposition begins
Adversaries offer their help. But their friendliness is a trap. Will the Israelites discover the danger?
My God bless you today and always.
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Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/4-1-opposition-begins-facing-opposition-pastor-kurt-piesslinger-m-a/
Sabato 19 Ottobre 2019
* Salmo 91:5 * Tu non temerai gli spaventi della notte, né la freccia che vola di giorno. Testo di Alejandro Bullon, presentato in studio da Anna Cupertino.
Meditazione giornaliera, serie "Apri la porta del tuo cuore". https://hopechannel.it Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKnwYLt1hoU
Scuola del Sabato – 4° Trimestre 2019 – Lezione 4
Lezione n. 4 – 19 ottobre 2019 – 25 ottobre 2019 Affrontare il dissenso Serie: Esdra e Neemia a cura di Jiri Moskala.
Jiri Moskala è professore di Esegesi dell’Antico Testamento e decano della Facoltà teologica presso la Andrews University. Prima di trasferirsi negli Stati Uniti, nel 1999, ha servito in vari ambiti nella Repubblica Ceca. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgUAj7PWLTg
Morire di Apocalisse
Registrazione culto della Chiesa Cristiana Avventista di Roma Lungotevere (05/10/2019)
Luigi Caratelli Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wYZ5nQ5nDg
Abortion Statement: 2019 General Conference Executive Committee
by Loren Seibold | 18 October 2019 | I am not an expert on the ethical questions surrounding abortion, or on the history of this issue in the church. What I’m reporting here is what I heard in Monday’s meeting of the General Conference (GC) Excom, followed up, and the final version of the statement […] Source: https://atoday.org/53804-2/
More on Young People Leaving the Church
18 October 2019 | Dear Readers: I’ve had a number of responses to a recent short piece on why young people are leaving the faith. Here are a few of them. Thank you all for your interest! (As usual, with correspondence to Aunt Sevvy, we don’t use respondents’ names.) Dear Aunt Sevvy: Ask any senior […] Source: https://atoday.org/more-on-young-people-leaving/
Feminism Is Good for the Church and the World
by Hannele Ottschofski | 18 October 2019 | I’ve often asked myself what made me what I am. As a Finn, I am totally atypical: a housewife and mother, wife of a pastor, I have not worked for most of my life, or engaged in volunteer activities. Actually, I have repeated my mother’s life pattern, […] Source: https://atoday.org/feminism-is-good-for-the-church-and-the-world/
More Kenyan Churches Seek To Leave Adventist Conferences
18 October 2019 | The list of Adventist congregations in Kenya leaving General Conference-sanctioned conferences to join the recently-formed and self-appointed Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference (NCC), is growing. On October 15, the Daily Nation reported that a number of churches in the Trans Mara region of the country, seek to leave the South Kenya Conference to […] Source: https://atoday.org/more-kenyan-churches-seek-to-leave-adventist-conferences/
