After Israel falls into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, exiles begin to return from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the template and the altar. The boldness of their faith was on display:
3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices. (Ezra 3:3)
Yet as soon as opposition builds against the rebuilding, all work stopped.
23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.
24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
I cannot criticize Israel here as my own faith is weak.
My Prayer: Lord, you work is amazing and you are amazing God and I should be shouting from the rooftops how great you are. Yet I am not and I am deeply sorry for not loving you with all of my heart and soul as you command. Please forgive me for this and please DO help me love you more, seek you, trust you more, be BOLD in my faith and more than anything glorify you.
