The good things we do or plan are not necessarily free from obstacles and barriers. Sometimes things do not always go smoothly as we expect. Maybe this situation occurs in the work environment or even in the ministry we do. When this happens, what we need to do is strengthen our hearts and minds in doing these good things. All challenges and opposition may hinder what we are doing, but do not let it stop our desire to do our best.

The enthusiasm to rebuild the temple of God is being felt by the people of Israel. But unfortunately there are parties who are trying to stop the construction. It should be remembered that the land of Israel is not an empty, uninhabited land. On the borders of the land of Israel there are also various foreign nations. These people are most likely the ones who oppose the plan to rebuild the temple of God. Verses 1-2 tell of the visit of “the enemies of Judah and Benjamin” to Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They seemed to offer something good, namely the willingness to be involved in building the temple of God. However, the help was rejected by the leaders of Israel. Why did that happen? Wouldn't any offer of assistance, no matter how small, be very beneficial for the smooth running of the construction process?

Apparently, this was a form of wisdom from the policy makers at that time. First, there was an implied suspicion of the plans to control or even sabotage the process of building the temple of God. Second, the Israelites wanted to uphold God's command given to them, namely when God used Cyrus to give a mandate to rebuild the temple of God and restore the lives of the Israelites to those who returned to their ancestral land. This firm stance certainly resulted in a strong reaction from the "opponents of Judah and Benjamin". They were committed to weakening the spirit of the Judeans in building the temple of God.

The efforts to oppose even led to efforts to bribe the officials in charge to thwart the construction plan during the time of King Cyrus. When Ahasuerus was in power, the step used was to spread slander against the people who had settled in Judah and Jerusalem. Various other actions were carried out, even those that were contrary to the truth. They were even willing to spread false reports to the king.

Moving on from the dynamics of the construction of the temple of God, we see that there are always efforts to thwart the good plans that His people want to do. Often similar challenges also come to the work that we do. However, we should remain steadfast in His decree. If what we do is something that He wills, then no matter how hard the effort to stop what we do, it will definitely not work. God is the creator of something who has the power to realize all things according to His wisdom and design alone.