Rebuilding the Altar
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
Remember the name Zerubbabel. We will talk about him more later in this study.
3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its bases and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.
Many commentaries suggest that this was not only physical fear, but spiritual fear as well. They feared the idolatrous practices that the people around them in that land had. They were scared that these practices would contaminate them and lead them away from God.
We should also be careful to not let the “patterns of the world” steal from what God wants to accomplish.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Roman 12:2
4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.
Before the foundation was even laid, they build the alter, and started offering burnt offerings to the Lord. In the Old Testament, this is how the “cleansed themselves” from sin and got right with God. It was important to them to do this first, before the foundation was even laid.
Jesus has now come and died on the cross for us for the forgiveness of sins. But it is still important to repent to God and accept the offering Jesus made for you and become right with God, before starting to build.
We need to accept God’s forgiveness of our sins and pass, so we can be renewed in Him and move forwards with cleansed and renewed consciousness.
On God’s love and forgiveness, we can build a solid foundation for our lives.
Rebuilding the Temple
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work.
The work began in the second month of the second year. The second month was also the month in which Solomon built the first temple.
Two years and 2 months seems like a long time before the “real work” began.
But we must remember that there was a lot of logistical preparations that needed to happen, as we can see in Ezra 3:7.
Sometimes we know what God is leading us to do, but we get frustrated if it doesn’t happen immediately, or even in a few weeks or months. But we should have patience in the “preparation phase”. It is a very important phase and we should be diligent in the way we plan and prepare for the work to come.
It is interesting to note that it was called “The house of God”, BEFORE the temple was built and while the old temple was still lying in ruins.
In a similar way, we are not perfect yet:
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12
Yet we are already called and are adopted as sons and daughters of God:
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:26
They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
Not only was the physical foundation restored, but there was also a spiritual restoration in worship. After the destruction of the temple, there was not an official or proper place where sacrifice and worship occurred.
An interesting passage of scripture is found in the new testament, between Jesus and a Samaritan women:
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
How great is it that because of God’s gift to us, through Jesus and by the Holy Sprit we can worship God ANYWHERE ! We should worship God in spirit and in truth.
Have a listen to the song “His love endures forever”. It makes use of the same lyrics, used in the book of Ezra. Listening to it after studying Ezra 3 was very profound to me.
12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
The reason a lot of the older men wept was because some of them had seen the first temple burn down in flames, and were overcome with emotions of seeing the glory of the first temple burn away.
Another reason some of them wept was because they thought the first temple would never match up to the first temple. King Solomon had spent a modern equivalent of 8 billion dollars on the first temple. And even if the temple was re-built they still felt that it would not match up to the first temple because the ark of the covenant, mercy-seat, Heavenly-manna and Aarons rod that budded were all missing.
The young people, however, rejoiced because they did not know what the previous temple was like. They had no comparison, so they celebrated what they saw in front of them.
Prophecies spoken to Zerubbabel at this time
We can see from the reactions of the young and old people that looking at the pass and comparing it to the present, can often rob you from seeing the significance and beauty in the present moment.
Is there something in your pass, that is robbing you from seeing the beauty and significance in your current situation ?
There are 2 prophecies that were spoken to Zerubbabel in the book of Haggai and Zechariah that warned them not to despise the small and humble beginning of the temple.
Let's study them:
Haggai 2:1-9
2 1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
He directly spoke to the people who had seen the glory of the first temple and thought that the new temple looked like nothing in comparison.
God offered Zerubbabel encouragement to be strong and keep working. The Lord reminded him that He is with him, and therefore he should not fear.
Are you discouraged that something you are doing for the Lord does not look like much yet? Maybe you need a reminder that God is with you, you can be strong and keep working. You have no need to fear for the Spirit of The Lord is with you.
6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
God reminds them that the gold and silver is His. We often think that we are using our resources and our efforts. But all of our resources, abilities, gifts talents and even time was given to us by God.
Zechariah 8:4-8
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.
10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
(The seven lamps[a] represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)
We should not despise they days of small things. We should rejoice in the fact that The Lord has started a work in our lives. Despite or insignificant it may seem at the present moment the Lord rejoices that the work has started.
Comments