What Are You Going To Do About It?

What would you say is the purpose of a question? Your initial response might be, to search out an answer. I would agree. I am told that there are seventeen different categories of questions with varying shades of purpose to each. Questions can be given to test your knowledge, they can be rhetoric or open ended… the list goes on.

The ancient rabbis would ask questions much as our contemporary teachers might, but their purpose often had a single motivation, to provoke thought. Their queries might even seem harsh and confrontational at times. It is important to realize that debate was key to the study of scripture and the rabbis believed that an excellent student was one who was a good arguer. We need not be offended when we are probed in this venue since the very nature of the rabbis teaching style is to produce spiritual growth.

In the gospels you see Jesus using this type of teaching as he would often ask questions without ever providing an answer. When Jesus was anointed at Bethany by the woman with the expensive perfume, much to the annoyance of the disciples, he asked “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (Matt 26:10) This question was meant to point them to what they already knew, in this case, their propensity to place money over grace.

This week as we continue our journey through Ezra we find our progress paused by a question. We have just closed Chapter 4 where we left the exiles despondent and unable to continue the work on the temple. We learned that they had been harassed by their enemies through discouragement, fear and frustrating counsel. To put it plainly they gave up on the work due to unrelenting opposition.

Fast forward almost twenty years where we find ourselves turning the pages of Ezra to Chapter 5. A question is cast as a shadow over the exiles living in Jerusalem by the prophet Haggai. “Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:3) He begins to point out to the exiles that they ought to consider there ways, since their neglect of the temple symbolized their neglect of God. Because of their abandoned priorities life became very hard for them. Drought settled in the land and the crops became sparse. The people were frustrated and disappointed.

A good question can cause us to temporarily take a breather and think about what we are doing? A few months after Haggai’s question another prophet, Zechariah, comes with a direct encouragement from God “’Return to me’, declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’” (Zech 1:3). Zechariah reminds them that their God was a God of mercy and that He assured them that Zerubbabel would, in fact, rebuild the temple. (Zech 4:9).

God used these two men to urge the people to reconsider their lives and to reevaluate their priorities. The confrontational question posed by Haggai did not go unheeded, “the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Hagaii.. (Hagaii 1:12). What was the result of that obedience? God declared “I am with you”. (Hag 1:13)

Have you felt your life filled with frustration and disappointment? Maybe it is because you have given up on something that God has asked you to do? Perhaps you have been overtaken with fear, discouragement or frustrating counsel? Is your spirit urging you to return to the work that you once abandoned?

Maybe you might know someone who God has given a vision to do something in His name? Perhaps they have given up and are overwhelmed with discouragement and frustration? Could you be that prophetic voice to them? Could you take the time to remind them of what God has asked them to do? Maybe you could also remind them that if He has asked them to do it, He will be with them.

Then would you be willing to help?

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jeruasalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.” Ezra 5:2 (emphasis mine)