When Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You
In Ezra 4, we see the enemies of Judah and Benjamin trying to stop the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. They first tried to worm their way into the project, probably to sabotage the building efforts. When that didn’t work, the Bible says they weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled them. We can only imagine their tactics, but the Jews continued their work despite the fierce opposition. The next assault from the enemy was a legal one. In grand toddler fashion, these men of importance wrote a letter to the king and tattled on the Jews. Mature!
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time. This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river. - Ezra 4:8-16
It was bad enough that these enemies were striving to hinder the work of God, but worse yet, their complaints and accusations against the people of Judah weren't related to anything the people had currently done. All of their statements to the king described the Jews who had lived there before the captivity. Most of these were not the same people, and even those who were had changed much after years of servitude. They weren't given a chance to prove themselves or show their character. Instead, they were judged by past actions and mistakes.
Our enemy functions in the same way. Some days before we even have a chance to set the day's tone, the enemy is on our back and in our face, reminding us of mistakes we made last week, last year, or last decade. He hurls names at us—lazy, worthless, scattered, scarred. He accuses and abuses us to the point that all we can think about is the past. And in our guilt and confusion, we tell ourselves that we'll never change.
But that's not what God says. When we confess our sins, He chooses to forgive and forget (I John 1:9). What's in the past is in the past. He doesn't dwell on it anymore, and He doesn't want us to either. He wants us to move on with life. He has more work for us, and we can't do it if we're a prisoner of the past or weighed down by yesterday's mistakes.
Each day is a new day. Don't let the enemy drag up memories of past failures. Please don't allow him to define you by what you used to be or do. God says we are new creatures when we put our trust in Him (II Corinthians 5:17). Let's act like it. God has cast our confessed sins in the sea of forgetfulness. Let's not go swimming or try to fish them out. Leave them there and walk in the newness of life. Yes, the enemy has a lot to say, but that doesn't mean we have to listen.
Give your burdens to God and live free from the bondage of guilt and shame. Jesus died to give us that gift. Let's not waste it.