October 29, 2024 | Be God's Light
Zerubbabel Rebuilds Altar & Temple Foundation
Scripture: Ezra 3(NIV)
1 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. 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 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.
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. 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) 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. 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.
Devotional
It is interesting to note that the first thing the returned exiles rebuilt was the altar. Before a single foundation stone was laid, they were making a statement that they would prioritize the worship of God above everything else.
Just like Solomon had done five hundred years earlier, they purchased imported cedar logs from Sidon and Tyre (see 1 Kings 5). While they were awaiting the arrival of the lumber, the people undertook the difficult task of laying the foundation. Keep in mind that the temple had been destroyed, with the walls, roof and other materials falling in place. All this had to be removed manually before the first foundation stone could be put in place. It’s no wonder that they played music and gave shouts of joy when they were done with the foundation.
In 586 BC the Babylonians had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. Now, fifty years later, in 536 BC, the foundation was back in place. The older priests remembered the splendor of Solomon’s temple, surrounded by a city of wealth and prestige. The new foundation was surrounded by burned out houses and a city wall that was merely a pile of rubble. No wonder they wept.
Ponder the priorities of this chapter. They built the altar, then stopped to worship. They built the foundation, then stopped to praise. They remembered the past, then stopped to weep.
What are the things in your life that are not yet finished? Are there any from your past that are worthy of mourning? Any in your future that need celebrating now?
Poem
Altar And Temple
When through the deep waters of flooding
When trials have forty days spent
When fin’lly from exile you’re carried
To freedom out of great lament
When enemies are now defeated
When now upon dry land you stand
When fasting and ashes are all washed away
Deliverance witnessed first hand
‘Tis now time to build God an altar
Great stones, Ebenezer erect
And give God the best of your offerings
Your life laid out, your all to subject
And once sacrifice burning is finished
It’s time to rebuild for the LORD
Your temple, your life, God’s great meeting
Where spiritual waters will pour
Where you’ll find a peace sanctuary
From all foes who hound at your feet
Safe hidden within its strong fortress
You’ll stand before God’s mercy seat
And there you will offer the incense
Of prayers, praise, and there bless the LORD
For now, you no longer are stranger
But covered by love, one accord
