Zerubbabel Of
Scripture
This
is the word of The Lord to Zerubbabel
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”
says The Lord almighty.
(Zec 4:6)
The
biblical narrative of the life of Zerubbabel can be found in the old
testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah. There are
many lessons to be learned from all the characters of the Bible,
Zerubbabel is no exception.
Sometimes God’s ownership of a project
is only recognized after our best efforts have failed. It is dangerous
to think of God as responsible for the insignificant details while we
take charge of the larger aspects of a project. Instead, it is God who
is in control, we only play a small part in his overall plan. When God
gives us important jobs to do, it isn’t because he needs our help, it
is one of the ways He chooses to bless us. Zerubbabel learned this
lesson.
God’s people had been exiled in Babylon
for many years. Many had settled into comfortable life-styles there
and wanted to stay. There were, however, almost
sixty thousand
who had not forgotten Judah. When Babylon was defeated in 539 B.C. the Persian ruler, Cyrus, allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and
rebuild their temple. Zerubbabel led the first and largest group back
to the promised land.
Zerubbabel’s leadership was by right
and recognition. Not only was he a descendant of David, he also had personalleadership qualities. When the people arrived in Judah, they
were given time to establish living quarters and then were called to
begin the work. They began not by laying the city walls or
constructing government buildings, but by rebuilding the altar,
worshiping God together, and celebrating a feast. Under Zerubbabel’s
leadership, they established a spiritual foundation for their building
efforts.
The temple foundation was then quickly
completed, and another round of celebration followed,
but
very
soon, two problems arose. A few old men remembered Solomon’s glorious
temple and were saddened at how much smaller and less glorious this
new
one was. Also, some enemies of the Jews tried to infiltrate the work
force and stop the building with political pressure. Fear caused the
work to grind to a halt. The people went to their homes, and
sixteen
years passed.
We do not know what Zerubbabel did
during this time. His discouragement, following those first months of
excitement and accomplishment, must have been deep. Those feelings
eventually hardened into hopelessness,
so God sent the prophets Haggai
and Zechariah to be Zerubbabel’s encouraging companions. They
confronted the people’s reluctance and comforted their fears. The work
began once again with renewed energy and was completed in four years.
Zerubbabel, like many of us, knew how
to start well but found it hard to keep going. His success depended
on the quality of encouragement he received.
Zerubbabel let
discouragement get the better of him,
but when he let
God take control, the work was
quickly
finished. God is always in control,
we must not let
circumstances or lack of encouragement slow us from doing the tasks
God has given us.
Strengths and accomplishments:
Led the first group of Jewish exiles
back to Jerusalem from Babylon.
Completed the rebuilding of God’s
temple.
Demonstrated wisdom in the help he
accepted and refused.
Started his building project with
worship as the focal point.
Weaknesses and mistakes:
Needed constant encouragement.
Allowed problems and resistance to stop
the rebuilding work.
Lessons from his life:
A leader needs to provide not only the
initial motivation for a project, but the continued encouragement
necessary to keep the project going.
A leader must find his/her own
dependable source of encouragement.
God’s faithfulness is shown in the way
he preserved David’s line.
W.
Joe Ingram
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