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Ezra Chapter 3
Rebuilding the Altar
Around our October was their seventh
month. All began to gather together in the same mind and one accord.
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Ezra 3:2 Then stood up
Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded
the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings
thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
Zerubbabel was the grandson of
Jehoiachin the king of Israel. Zerubbabel was the leader to help get
things started and guide the people after their return to the land.
Jeshua was the priest along with his brothers. Zerubbabel although
in a leadership position was not king even though he was in the line
of David and could have been. The monarchy though will not be set up
in Israel until Jesus Christ returns.
They did everything according to the
law of Moses. They must have had a way to keep records and scrolls
and preserve them somewhere safe during the 70 years of captivity.
Those that believed God at the time this started may have hid them
in safe places. My speculation here. There had to be a way to
preserve them somehow. God always has a way to keep safe His word.
They set the altars on the same place as
before. Exodus 29 gives us more detail about these offerings. They
were done both in the morning and the evening. They represent to
future final offering of our Lord Jesus Christ to pay for the sins
of all who believe and receive Him.
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Ezra 3:4 They kept also the
feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily
burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty
of every day required;
Leviticus 23 describes the feast of
tabernacles where they dwelt in booths for 8 days to remember the
deliverance from Egypt where they had no permanent dwelling places.
They were doing their best to do things proper according to the way
it was before when they first came into the land of Canaan. It was
to be observed the 15th day of the seventh month.
- Ezra 3:5 And
afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new
moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were
consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill
offering unto the LORD.
- 6 From the first day
of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto
the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not
yet laid.
- 7 They gave money
also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and
drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to
bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to
the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
Cyrus provided them money to be able to
pay the masons to build the temple.
Rebuilding the Temple
- Ezra 3:8 Now in the
second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem,
in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and
Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the
priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the
captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty
years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of
the LORD.
- 9 Then stood Jeshua
with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons
of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of
God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the
Levites.
- 10 And when the
builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set
the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the
sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the
ordinance of David king of Israel.
- 11 And they sang
together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD;
because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward
Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they
praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the
LORD was laid.
What a time of worship and praise this
was. Just image how they felt. After all this time to sing, worship,
rejoice, praise, and just enjoy the presence of God with
thanksgiving and worship.
- Ezra 3:12 But many
of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were
ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation
of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud
voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
- 13 So that the
people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the
noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with
a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
God allowed some to be there that had seen
the first house made for the worship of the Lord. No wonder they
wept for joy. It was a time to be remembered and a time of great
thanksgiving to the Lord.
There was weeping, singing, shouting
that was loud and rejoicing.
Some church services today have those
that worship this way. I grew up hearing people sing, shout and
worship in a loud rejoicing way. They at times were criticized for
this but it is very biblical to worship God with shouting and
rejoicing. There are times when they were quiet but great were the
times of rejoicing loud and strong. In fact sometimes I can almost
hear their voices in my mind, worship I heard as a child. It is a
comforting sound to me. I knew if I was surrounded by those that
worship in spirit and truth, I was safe. DC
Ezra Chapter 4
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