SCRIPTURE: EZRA 3
REBUIDLING THE ALTAR (vs. 1-6)
The people assembled together in Jerusalem at the 7th month. Jeshua and the fellow priests together with Zerubbabel and his associates began to build the altar of God to sacrifice burnt offerings on it both in the morning and evening. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon Sacrifice and all the applicable sacred feasts including the freewill offering to the Lord.
REBUILDING THE TEMPLE (vs. 7-13)
They gave money to the masons and carpenters and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre so that they would bring cedar and logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa as authorized by Cyrus, king of Persia.
They started the work in the second month of the second year after their arrival at Jerusalem. They appointed Levites 20 years of age and older to supervise the house of the Lord. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David, king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love to 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. There were mixed feelings when the foundation of the temple was laid. Many people shout praise of joy while the older priests who had seen the former temple wept aloud. No one could distinguish the sound of joy from the sound of weeping.
THOUGHTS:
Joshua and Zerubbabel led the people to establish the sacrifice and keep the feasts. It was the 7th month (Sept – Oct), the month of the Feasts of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles.
The people gave offerings, the king gave gifts and others provided materials to rebuild the temple. They started the work in 535 BC. The younger people shouted with joy when the foundation was laid while the older people who remembered the former temple in its glory wept. You must not concentrate on past because you cannot change the past for it will rob us of a glorious future. Instead, leave your past and look to the future by faith.
The celebration after laying the temple foundation was marked by contrasts of emotion – shouts of joy and sounds of weeping. Joy to rejoice over the goodness of his grace and weeping to grieve our sins. When we come to the presence of God, we feel joy and thanksgiving, but we must also confess our sins and shortcomings and seek forgiveness from God.